This week's reader success story is a little different from previous weeks because we're looking at a different kind of success. Specifically, how some of our readers have found success as personal trainers.
With so many exercise enthusiasts who visit my site, I know there are some of you who may be wondering: Could I become a personal trainer? Should I? If you've been asking yourself those questions, it may help to hear from people who've done just that.
This week, I'm highlighting Paul's story. He became a trainer because, as he says, "I enjoyed coaching my son's sports teams, so I thought I could be a good trainer. I wanted do my part for the growing obesity problem even if it's only getting one kid or adult to move more and get stronger and learn to live healthier."
Having a strong desire to help others is just one necessary ingredient. The others include getting certified and finding a job. Paul got his start by working at the YMCA, getting certified by ACSM and spending the next 6 years learning some very important lessons about working with other people.
Read the rest of Paul's story and share your own, if you've got one. Or leave a comment and tell us what you think. Do you have a secret dream of becoming a trainer? What's stopping you?
I’ve always said that an individuals motives behind becoming a personal trainer will generally determine how much success they have as one.
I became qualified in 1997, basically because I had to. I had been working out for years and was training friends and their friends in gyms around my town, but without formal registration. This meant I wasn’t insured or in a position to really promote myself. I never thought of being a trainer as a profession, it was just something fun to do before and after work. I thought the pool of business potential was just too small…sure people were prepared to pay me to train them now, but I wasn’t prepared to quit my job and risk financial failure. I kind of crept into full time personal training by slowly reducing my full time job hours to part time. I took on part time jobs in various gyms to make up hours, at one stage I think I had 5 different jobs as well as studying part time. Though it was quite difficult at first, i made a lot of useful connections and my network grew. Things are a lot different for trainers now with so much media focused on the benefits of hiring a personal trainer, so my story may seem a bit extreme, but at that time, that is what I found I had to do to create the success that I wanted. There are so many facets to the fitness industry and for the past 13 years I have worked exclusively within it. Taking that first step was the best decision I ever made.