Carrie12345 Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I started studying for certification and was just wondering what others' experiences may have been. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 No experience with that but wanted to send a 'way to go' to you! Our gym has five trainers and none are women. At least half the clients are women, and I would SO love to try a woman trainer. I've tried two of the guys at the gym and both were a disappointment, as neither knew how to tailor a program to women. Which certification are you going for? The two I worked with had NASM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 No experience with that but wanted to send a 'way to go' to you! Our gym has five trainers and none are women. At least half the clients are women, and I would SO love to try a woman trainer. I've tried two of the guys at the gym and both were a disappointment, as neither knew how to tailor a program to women. Which certification are you going for? The two I worked with had NASM. Thanks! I don't know if or when I'm going to actually use it, but I really wanted to learn what trainers are supposed to know. I was less than thrilled with my trainer, so I figured I'd invest in the knowledge instead of the person! :w00t: I'm going through ISSA b/c they have such a wide variety of other certifications and continuing education credit courses. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Yes. I went through the WITS certification class at my local college. @Annie - I'm not sure there is really a qualitative difference. If anything, in my experience (myself included), women tend to be... Pushier. We push ourselves and our clients harder than our make colleagues. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I've heard good things about ISSA! What a smart idea to get the training yourself...now there's an idea for me! Empty nest here starting in 6 weeks so I'm tossing about ideas for something to focus on. Good luck with your certification!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 One of my BFF's from high school just earned her NASM certification. She said the anatomy portion of the exam was tricky. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 Yes. I went through the WITS certification class at my local college. Hmm. I'm wondering if in-person gives it a different vibe? I'm finding the material challenging and interesting, but the quizzes and practice exam seem *SO*... rudimentary compared to the content of the course. I'm learning it because I want to learn it, but I'm kind of questioning the whole system! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I walked into the gym not able to do a sit up- I had two c-sections years ago and after those every time I tried to do a sit up it felt like a knife was being thrust into me. So when I started with the trainers I specifically said I want to conquer that issue and the solution both of them had was to put me on the floor and yell to me to do sit-ups. I tried several sessions and told them this wasn't working. I gave up on them after a month. So anyway, I spent some time with a friend's son (he's in college studying to be a sports trainer) and he gave me some exercises and showed me how to use the ab machine at the gym. Within a month I was able to do sit-ups without pain. That's the kind of difference I mean- a trainer who listens to women and knows that muscles that haven't been used in years can't be just ordered to perform. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Oh! Yeah, that's a difference in trainer focus. I and one of my male colleagues were the ones most comfortable with clients with medical and physical limitations, so one of us would have gotten your request. Most others seem to be more aligned with elite athlete training. I think that's unfortunate because trainers most neighborhood gyms are working more with general population, with all of our wide spectrum of challenges. @Carrie - I think it depends on the instructor and class participants. Our instructor was really not very bright or well-informed. My medical background gave me an advantage over her (abysmally backwards and wrong) lectures on anatomy and physiology. Others did a lot more conscientious book study, and most people in the class had a pretty good handle on fitness anyway, just from personal interest. I did most of my CE through NETA, and acquired additional certifications to teach yoga, Pilates, adult fitness ballet, and general group-ex. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5wolfcubs Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I was less than thrilled with my trainer, so I figured I'd invest in the knowledge instead of the person! :w00t: I love this! Well, not that your trainer wasn't useful, just that you're investing in the knowledge! I just did a board search for yoga & your thread came up. My dh decided to start taking yoga at a studio (after a few months of chiropractic that has helped tremendously) and so my new & improved life plan includes opening a yoga studio. :laugh: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 I love this! Well, not that your trainer wasn't useful, just that you're investing in the knowledge! I just did a board search for yoga & your thread came up. My dh decided to start taking yoga at a studio (after a few months of chiropractic that has helped tremendously) and so my new & improved life plan includes opening a yoga studio. :laugh: Love this! I'm keeping yoga in my back pocket for when I inevitably hit my next plateau. I can't wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Ok, so I just got yoga certification. Hit me with the best yet most economical way to go about personal training certification. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I agree that having the right trainer makes a difference. I did 4 months in a semi-private class with a middle-aged, ex-marine. He really knew how to work with injuries and weaknesses. If you plan to go this way for employment, find out what the local gyms are looking for. The son of the owner of the gym I go to told me that they actually look athletic training certifications as well as the fitness end because they feel that it is more complete. There they also want a lot of experience at that one, but I understand that the other gyms are not as picky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Ok, so I just got yoga certification. Hit me with the best yet most economical way to go about personal training certification. The most economical is probably to go through http://actioncertification.org/ ISSA is $500 for materials and testing. I used this site to compare. http://www.starting-a-personal-training-business.com/personal-training-certification-school.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Good for you!!! I'm meeting today to decide if I am going to start my 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training. In previous lives I had thought about PT certification. My YTT does have a heavy A&P focus, which is one reason I'm very excited about this particular program. There isn't any shortage of female yoga teachers but to have any teacher that is really knowledgeable, especially about women I think is fairly rare. I know I talked to a few different ones about diastasis and it was obvious they didn't have a clue, I think that is a HUGE thing to include in any fitness related field, as so many women have this. I think in general being moms we can bring something to the table, we have experiences with vast body changes. Good luck and best wishes! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 I'm not, but it is something I've been considering for when the boys are a little older and I can work more. I would love to hear why you chose the organizations you did and how everything works out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherri in MI Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 ...Most others seem to be more aligned with elite athlete training. I think that's unfortunate because trainers most neighborhood gyms are working more with general population, with all of our wide spectrum of challenges. I'd very much like to find a personal trainer for my 16 yo ds, but this is my concern. I want someone who will encourage him, and consider his starting point (overweight & not very fit) and give him pointers for avoiding injury & ideas for practical, lifetime fitness. I don't want him getting caught up in some extreme obsessive fitness culture. I want someone to help him meet his weight loss goals goals in a common sense, fun, doable and safe way. I have no idea where to begin. I checked our local community center (actually it's 20 miles away) and their guy is the elite athlete, military kind of guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 The most economical is probably to go through http://actioncertification.org/ ISSA is $500 for materials and testing. I used this site to compare. http://www.starting-a-personal-training-business.com/personal-training-certification-school.html Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Good for you!!! I'm meeting today to decide if I am going to start my 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training. In previous lives I had thought about PT certification. My YTT does have a heavy A&P focus, which is one reason I'm very excited about this particular program. There isn't any shortage of female yoga teachers but to have any teacher that is really knowledgeable, especially about women I think is fairly rare. I know I talked to a few different ones about diastasis and it was obvious they didn't have a clue, I think that is a HUGE thing to include in any fitness related field, as so many women have this. I think in general being moms we can bring something to the table, we have experiences with vast body changes. Good luck and best wishes! I figure being " of a certain age" makes me aware of lots of things too. I'm not 25. I get it. I'm also an RD which helps weed out some of the scary nutrition info I've overheard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 I'd very much like to find a personal trainer for my 16 yo ds, but this is my concern. I want someone who will encourage him, and consider his starting point (overweight & not very fit) and give him pointers for avoiding injury & ideas for practical, lifetime fitness. I don't want him getting caught up in some extreme obsessive fitness culture. I want someone to help him meet his weight loss goals goals in a common sense, fun, doable and safe way. I have no idea where to begin. I checked our local community center (actually it's 20 miles away) and their guy is the elite athlete, military kind of guy. ISSA (and so I'm assuming others as well) offers a completely separate Youth Trainer certification. I'd definitely seek out someone who's specialized to work with growing bodies. I wouldn't necessarily eliminate a trainer who wasn't (if I felt comfortable after asking many serious questions), but I'd take someone who was over them! With daughters who are reaching the teen years and playing sports, I'm probably going to get the YTC eventually. I've already spent years cringing at some of the "methods" used by volunteer coaches. Not that I feel they're in danger but, even without being a professional, I know their warm ups are more about saying they've had a warm up than actually warming up, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 I'm not, but it is something I've been considering for when the boys are a little older and I can work more. I would love to hear why you chose the organizations you did and how everything works out! For me, especially with no particular plan to profit from it, I wanted a reasonable price, self-paced study, online testing, and hard-copy materials. ISSA also drew me in with their other programs and the fact that they offer an associate's in Exercise Science if I ever want to get real brave, lol. My understanding is that most successful trainers have a pretty good collection of certifications behind them in multiple areas from multiple organizations. I'm not really in a very competitive high-income market, so I don't know how great that need is here, but I'm already looking forward to studying the other areas they offer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 I'd very much like to find a personal trainer for my 16 yo ds, but this is my concern. I want someone who will encourage him, and consider his starting point (overweight & not very fit) and give him pointers for avoiding injury & ideas for practical, lifetime fitness. I don't want him getting caught up in some extreme obsessive fitness culture. I want someone to help him meet his weight loss goals goals in a common sense, fun, doable and safe way. I have no idea where to begin. I checked our local community center (actually it's 20 miles away) and their guy is the elite athlete, military kind of guy. While I was working out in a small class with the middle-aged, ex-marine, my son went to a 6-week youth class that taught him the fundamentals. The owner's son (30-ish) taught it, and my son adored him. Usually there were only 2-3 kids, with varying abilities and interests, but he did really, really well at making sure that they were all engaged and challenged appropriately. He made sure that my son had his email and phone afterwards for further questions, and they've had an ongoing dialog over this-and-that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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