r/personaltraining

I’m wanting to become a pt and have done tons of research but feel like I’m probably missing information. I have already started working on getting a certification and I’m looking to work at the only box gym in my area. Since I am from a rural area there is no other PTs so I don’t have the option to shadow one. I understand the basics of what a PT does but I feel like my certification courses is mainly teaching the business side of it and not the full logistics of what a PT does. Any advice, tips, tricks, or anything really would be appreciated!

I do understand the first part of being a PT is sales/marketing and I do have experience with that. I have been working out for over a year and love helping others especially when people ask me for advice in the gym. Due to me being from a rural area I’m looking to gain experience so when I move I can be a PT in a bigger city or online.

A few posts ago someone was nervous about training a doctor and a bunch of us started yapping about it. But I thought it was more important than that so here we are.

If you're nervous about training a doctor, I hear you. My first physician client was an ER doctor and while taking his BP I said how intimidating it was. He said, "dont worry, you are absolutely doing this better than I could. I havent manually taken someone's BP since med school." It made me feel so much better.

Heres the important thing: doctors definitely know more about the human body than you do. But they definitely do not know more about *exercise* than you do. Any practicing doctor today is at least 8 years out of when they would have gotten fitness info, and any fitness info they got then was a few lines in the middle of 100 hour study weeks. Fitness changes rapidly and they're operating on, at best, cursory knowledge that's at least ten years behind.

This is why your clients come in with things like "my doctor told me never to squat or lunge again" and "my doctor said to rest my tweaked back for 8 weeks with no exercise" and "my doctor said I can deadlift but absolutely NEVER Romanian deadlift" (that one made me laugh out loud. You can pick something up but you can NEVER put it down 💀).

So for training doctors, you won't have to explain anatomy to them. But you will have to explain exercise physiology and kinesiology to them. It's a great thing! You'll help them give better advice to their patients so they won't say dumb shit like the above. Trust that they know a ton about livers but nothing about the rotator cuff.

And how do you handle it when a client comes in with insane dr advice? I always do three things:

1. offer to be in contact with their doctor. Collaborative care is always a good thing (though most docs are impossible to reach). You can contradict what a doctor has suggested, but it will be better received by your client if you offer to talk, rather than just stating your (perceived less educated) opinion.

2. Give your client better questions to ask their doctor. People often say "can I work out after neck surgery?" And their doctor will say "no" but if they ask "can I do seated lower body work or gentle treadmill work?" The answer is often yes. When you know what is safe for your client to do but they need to hear it from their doctor, write the questions that will get the nuanced answer you need.

3. Use the right language. Sometimes I'll say, "Hmm. Ok. That advice doesnt match with current exercise protocol for x/y/z reasons. The science shows [x], which is why I think [y] exercise is appropriate. We can try it or we can skip it. What would you like to do?" Demonstrating your knowledge on the topic and then making it your client's choice is a great way to move on.

And if you don't have knowledge on the topic? Then dont wing it. Choose another exercise and then grab a book (please not an AI summary) and find the answer for next time.

Doctors are amazing at what they do, but what they do isn't exercise! So be confident in your own training and knowledge and ALWAYS keep educating yourself. You'll become known as a trainer who can be trusted by medical professionals rather than feared.

Experienced trainers, would welcome extra thoughts on this!

I’ve been seriously into running and strength training for the past four years, and I’m looking to start doing personal training for friends and family out of my garage gym. Because of that, I’m not overly concerned with finding a certification specifically geared toward working at a commercial gym. That said, I’m still open to one of the bigger-name certifications if it aligns well with my goals.

My main focus is helping people build a strong foundation, teaching them how to squat, hinge, push, pull, and use a few basic machines so they can eventually feel confident working out on their own in a gym environment. I follow a lot of evidence based fitness content, so I’d say I’m fairly well educated already, but there are definitely some gaps in my knowledge that I’d like to close. I've been looking into the show up fitness program, nsca, and nasm. My main concern with nsca and nasm is they're too focused on the science aspect and not really the skill of training but I don't really know. What do you guys think and what recommendations do you guys have for my goals?

I'm in the beginning stages of looking into personal trainer certifications. I live in Ontario Canada but by the time I'll be ready to search for work I'll be living in Southern New Brunswick. I have an opportunity to launch a movement based program for parents lacking childcare and neurodivergent children. NASM was what initially appealed to me during my initial search for professional certifications because of the depth of the youth and pre/post natal specializations but from my limited understanding canfitpro is the standard for insurance and recognition. I'm mostly wondering if moving ahead with both certifications, first aid, CPR and AED is the way to go or if there's another science based certification recognized that would be a better fit that aren't on my radar. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

After informing me she had bone health issues and her asking me directly if I had any knowledge of or experience with the subject, I gave her a brief, hopefully jargon-free rundown of the relevant science re: strength-training and bone health, my 20 years of training experience including working with bone health clients, my education which includes a M.S. I usually don't go into all that on a phone call but she asked directly.

There was a little pause and she asked me:

"Are you certified?"

I kind of paused and said yes I have a CSCS which is considered one of the most reputable certifications.

Then she asked "oh, you don't have a senior training certification or corrective exercise certification?"

Doh🙂

Hello! I just got the coaches package from OVR as a gift. My question is-

Should I offer a higher value session package that utilizes velocity based training, jump testing, and timing gates? And how do I go about pricing that?

This is definitely something I could see a demand for at my gym. Session rates are 70-90USD depending on package size. What would be a reasonable up charge for this service? This is a tough call to me because the value of utilizing these tools is different for each client. For reference my gym is a barbell club, and we attract a wide range of clientele from junior athletes across multiple sports to average 63M Joe Shmoe.

Edit!!- to be clear! I am just workshopping this, still working on my own proficiency with these products. Bryan Mann at U Miami has been my main guy so far. If anyone else has good resources I’d greatly appreciate sharing the knowledge!

Just curious as to what exercises that you all had to “invent” for a specific need for a client. Something simple that you added a tweak to that still made bio mechanical sense. I think this is an area that sets trainers apart.

Looking for some advice or maybe even just a place to vent. But I'm having a hard time getting my clients to do their solo stuff. I offer a package where we train once per week in person and then give them 1-2 days of workouts to do on their own.

Lately I've been having trouble getting them to do anything outside our in-person session.

It's difficult to actually make progress when we keep resetting to one workout a week. When I check in with them it's either radio silence, a simple "my bad" or "I'm tired boss" kind of reply.

And I want to add to this I'm a father of 2 very VERY busy kids, so I totally understand not having the time, but these people are retired or semi retired, work from home, and live less than 5 mins away (it's a small town, everyone does 😂)

In person we do our workout and it's great, at the end they say they want 3 per week again and this is the week it's back to it! I program according, aaaaand repeat. Yes there's the odd week, maybe once a month where they get in 2 or 3 perk week, but it's the exception not the norm.

I've got a new client that just signed up, and as we come up on our first week, about to meet up in person again, they've done none of the other workouts 😭

So I guess my question is, how are you guys keeping them on track? I don't really want to pester them with more check in emails and follow up texts, but is that the best option? What else can I try? Is it totally normal and I should just take their money and try to get used to it?

Is it just me or are the instructions for the programme card just so unclear. Wondering if someone can help me with it. I've spoken to them, they've given me some better advice but still not sufficient

I’m almost finished my course to become a personal trainer and I’m looking for a gym floor position. However, I’m not sure how to get one. Do you simply ask politely or is there a website I should check?

Im a 22yom from Pennsylvania who has loved working out and helping others form a routine for years just as a favor. I love strength training, bodybuilding, and weight loss and am what i consider very knowledgeable for someone with no education. Trial and error and lots of advice seeking and research has really informed me. And id really like to become a professional personal trainer even if it's part time. My thing is though that it's risky with how expensive it is and how unknown it is post cert. I could do monthly and pay around 120/month to include CPR cert or pay like 1500 total which is insane. I dont expect to grow overnight, but in this economy that is a lot of money to drop on something just to become certified. What else should I know? Is it worth it?

I recently got my group fitness certification though ISSA. Has anyone found employment at f45/Orangetheory with this? I was looking to get my CPT next year. Which one is better? CanFitPro or ISSA? I know ISSA has the open book exam. Is the CanFitPro test harder?

Thanks!

Online coach here, started last year (currently ~10 active clients) so relatively newer than a lot of people in this community.

One thing that I noticed in my first year itself - the state of data control in coaching software industry is honestly shitty, and almost nobody talks about it.

For example, most platforms don't let you easily export your own clients, their programs and checkins from the platform. Anything beyond the basic data is "contact support" or just gone the day you cancel your subscription.

I come from an engineering background so it feels outright unfair to me that most platforms are using data lock in to retain their users. This is not a standard thing in most of other industries.

For example, if you google "kahunas data export", you'd see an ig post from their official page which says: "Okay, so there is no current way to export directly, BUT We can train our AI bot to do it in just a few minutes". Why tf do I need a separate bot to get my own data?

And there are paid fiverr job listings to help you transfer your data from one platform to other.

Whichever platform a coach picked first basically owns their coaching history forever. That does not feel right.

hi all,

i’m a fitness instructor who recently was diagnosed with a debilitating & degenerative disease in my wrist caused by a genetic defect. i was informed that even post-surgery this disease is likely to limit my ROM/abilities for the rest of my life and i most likely will be unable to do a push up or lift again using that hand.

as a result, teaching my core & total body classes have been exceptionally challenging, as has been finding effective workouts for my core, arms, and back that do not involve putting weight or any sort of flexion/extension on my wrists. i was wondering if any of you had suggestions for workouts i could do in any of these areas (both with weights and on the mat) that would accommodate my condition?

TLDR; any suggestions for effective core, arm, and back workouts for someone who cannot put any load on their wrists?

The other day a newer client (I'll call her "Susan") approached me and said "you know what I really like about this studio?"

I wondered to myself what her answer might be...

emphasis on unilateral training?

brilliant non-linear periodization schemes?

the ideal progressive overload plan?

Narrator: Susan didn't say any of those things.

Susan said (drumroll, please): "I like how there aren't any scuff marks on the walls."

I wanted to burst out laughing but instead said "Thanks for mentioning that. We do try our best to keep the place looking nice."

Now, I am at heart an old school lifter who grew up in gyms with cops, bodybuilders and even some pro wrestlers. Nobody there was concered about scuff marks on the walls. Although they did probably put a few holes in walls. lol.

But those dudes are not our target market.

Susan is our target market.

Susan is 50-ish, a mom, married, home owner, lives minutes from our studio and works in a high-earning, stressful career (as does her husband).

Susan is NOT hard core but Susan CAN pay $499 per month for semi-private training.

Susan cares about scuffs on the walls. So we do too.

Because we want Susan to feel like this is the place for her.

And her friends.

As long as what the client cares about does not conflict with one of our values or doesn't negatively impact other clients, we try to intentionally design a client-centric business that makes our target market feel like this is the best place for them.

P.S. If you are hard core and have a hard core gym, that is awesome. I would probably enjoy your place. One is not necessarily better than another. They are just different.

I'm here to answer any questions you may have about weightlifting! Programming, exercise selection, volume, technique, you name it. Let me help you out!

I'm thinking of being a personal trainer. I have no skills in sales whatsoever. I'm thinking of working at a big box gym, so clients are fed to me rather than finding them on my own. I know that big box gyms pay less but would I have to learn sales too? Does anybody like working for a big box gym?

I'm thinking of going for NASM certification. I have a gym in my basement but worried that since it's not a commercial gym, it may not be ideal. But it is nice and I can make it even better.

rubber flooring and mirror. Fans

I have dumbbells from 5-100.

bench and Olympic bar. curl bar.

squat rack with cable attachments

hack squat machine

leg extension/leg curl machine

treadmill

I'm in great shape and often told I'm a humble guy. I believe I can show others the way. I also think I can charge cheaper rates than anyone in my surrounding area due to it being in my own place. I really love fitness and I want to leave the factory life. Would it be worth it or is it not a realistic way to do it full time for a living? Id like to at least get certified and try it part time

Do you use other big instagram accounts for ideas to try to make viral content? Do you just post training videos? Educational content? Do you use hooks in your content?