Personal Trainer's Talents - Research Paper Example

 PERSONAL TRAINING Abstract This paper aims at pointing out the importance of a personal trainer as he or she is an acknowledged individual in the lives of many. A personal trainer plays a major role in the daily lives of many people. The study also points out the advancement levels of a personal trainer, which are the entry-level, the mid-level and the executive-level. Most personal trainers start operating in gyms and their pay is majorly commission based. At this point, one is basically networking and marketing oneself. After this, one develops a strong customer connection hence one starts his own personal training sessions. Eventually one loses the networking skills and works on the customers who attract other customers depending on how good one is. The study also looks into the wages and the salary a personal trainer, which we will come to know that they are related to the level of education one has achieved. Additionally, there is a discussion with regards to the short term goals and the long term goals in the journey of becoming a successful personal trainer. Personal Training A personal trainer should have adequate knowledge of various types of sport. This is so because one has clients who want to be trained on the basis of the different types of sports they are in to. This is clearly brought out by Tim Sage as he was being interviewed. Tim Sage who is too good in rugby and cricket, amongst other sports, has evidently done some good research on different sports (Tiffany, 2011). This is clearly brought out when he says that there is an important part that he always works on his clients for injury prevention. According to him, the knee and its alignment is the most vulnerable area to injury and thus give the right technique for different kinds of sports. A personal trainer should also have a unique program for the purposes of training his clients. As for Tim Sage, he uses agility training and his program always progresses in terms of duration, intensity, complexity and skill hence making him do reputable job (Kenworthy & Rodrigues, 2007). From this, it is clear that being a personal trainer is a noble job. In that, one gets to have a one on one relationship with different people who have different abilities. All in all, a personal trainer comes up with a way to make all of them to fit and be a success in there different fields of interest. Personal trainers have an advantage of making own time and structure it in their own liking. They also have the mandate to set the pay as per client in regard to time and not as set by the industry standard. Another advantage is that they not only help others to keep fit but they also keep fit and maintain healthy lifestyles as they are constantly training others (Littlejohn, 2005). Personal training has different disciplines. Examples are; baby massage instructor, meditation, circuit training, rugby coach and many others. These disciplines of choice require different training facilities (Kenworthy & Rodrigues, 2007). The job outlook of a personal trainer has to it that there is a high probability that job opportunities will be quite conducive as from now to the coming years. Many people have decided to live healthier lifestyles due to different kinds of health problems. Hence, the need of personal trainers has become so adequate in many people’s lives. There has been a noted reduction of school physical education programs hence, personal trainers are needed to keep the physic of the children conditioned and make them live healthy lives. The salary of a personal trainer roughly ranges from a low of $26,000 to a high of $50,000 annually (Field, 2010). This is not fixed as some personal trainers earn more. One’s level of education is also related to one’s pay. For example, a diploma holder will earn less compare to a degree holder. The place where one works will also affect ones salary. Franchise health clubs and universities offer the lowest pay estimated at $13 per hour which will rate about $26,000 annually, federal and state government $20 per hour which amounts to $40,000 annually. This includes working in prisons and parks. Private companies offer $25 per hour, which totals up to an estimated $50,000 annually. Lastly, private trainers happen to receive the highest pay of an estimated $50 per hour. This is achieved after working hard enough to get one's own client list (Kenworthy & Rodrigues, 2007). The skills needed for one to be a personal trainer include good level of physical fitness, an outgoing personality, a good background in fitness activities and good communication skills. In terms of educational requirements, most employers prefer one who is a holder of a bachelor’s degree or certified. One is advised to register in a package that contains coursework in different areas, which are sports nutrition, first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), athletic performance and client fitness assessment. It is important for one to be certified after having completed the training program (Melton, Dail, Katula, & Mustian, n.d.). Certification agencies differ in terms of requirements as some ask for a high school diploma while other requests a bachelor’s degree. One must also be certified in CPR and should succeed in a personal trainer certification examination. The major regional constraint that a personal trainer faces is accreditation. This is because qualification standards vary from one country to another. In the UK, training credentials are attributed by endowing some groups like CYQ (Central YMCA Qualifications), Active IQ and City and Guilds (Littlejohn, 2005). These are delivered by Higher Education institutions like universities. In Australia, it is expected of the personal trainer to be registered with Fitness Australia or Kinnect so as to gain insurance and be a personal trainer. Certificate IV is the minimum qualification. Short courses are mandatory so as to gain (Continuing Education Credit) which will enable them retain their registration. In Canada accreditation differs from one province to another. Lastly, the United States has different accreditations. Most need a high school diploma, CPR and automated external defibrillator certification and an examination (Kenworthy & Rodrigues, 2007). The short term goals of a personal trainer should be to get attached to a fitness Centre such as gym so as to gain experience and to majorly do marketing. One should target to have a cliental list by the end of the year. The long term goal should be to eventually come up with one’s own business. One should plan to own a fitness center or have several private clients. From the study, I am certain to pursue the above major as a personal trainer. This is so because; it will be an advantage to my health. This is due to the continuous training that I will be giving to my clients. Major health problems will not be familiar with me. The fact that I can make my own hours and make my own rules, will make me a flexible person hence i can be able to pursue more than just a personal trainer. I will manage to have my own personal time concurrently being able to achieve my goals. From the fact that I can set my own rates, it motivates me to come up with the best of program which will attract a good amount of a pay that is not bargainable. Prior to choosing my current major, I wish I would have known that one has to have a vast knowledge in different sports as different sports require some specified kinds of exercises and training. This will encourage me to do more in terms of sports. I should also have known that accreditations differ from one country to another hence restricting one from moving places. One should obtain more studies so as to continue with the job. References Field, S. (2010). Career Opportunities in the Sports Industry (4th ed.). New York: Infobase Publishing. Kenworthy, K., & Rodrigues, S. A. (2007). The Everything Guide To Being A Personal Trainer: All You Need to Get Started on a Career in Fitness. Avon, MA: Adams Media. Littlejohn, R. (2005). Careers In Fitness And Personal Training. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. Melton, D., Dail, T. K., Katula, J. A., & Mustian, K. M. (n.d.). Women’s Perspectives of Personal Trainers: A Qualitative Study. The Sports Journal. Tiffany. (2011). Interview with a personal trainer - Tim Sage. Oracle ThinkQuest. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01601/interview_ptr.html Read More