what you look for in a trainer

[TightEnd81]

Just wanted to take a quick poll from you fellas, im sure we have some certified personal trainers on the boards but i was interested in when you guys choose a trainer or if you were choosing a trainer, obviously you would look at his fitness credientials, but how important is their nutrition training for you?

would just personal nutritional experience be enough?

would you expect formal education (college)?

i am asking about this cause im thinking about switching majors from dietetics to exercise science and minoring in nutrition...so wanted so feed back..holler!

[Chancy]

Id be more interested in seeing some kind of portfolio. Who they had trained and hte before and afters etc. College would be nearly as important to me as a level head and plenty of experience.

[nitsuj450]

Originally Posted by TightEnd81

Just wanted to take a quick poll from you fellas, im sure we have some certified personal trainers on the boards but i was interested in when you guys choose a trainer or if you were choosing a trainer, obviously you would look at his fitness credientials, but how important is their nutrition training for you?

would just personal nutritional experience be enough?

would you expect formal education (college)?

i am asking about this cause im thinking about switching majors from dietetics to exercise science and minoring in nutrition...so wanted so feed back..holler!

The more education u have..........the better!! IMO i dont think u can ever learn enough.........

while ur still in school take advantage of it and take as many classes as u can.....that will help in the subject

[TightEnd81]

[QUOTE=nitsuj450;614296]The more education u have..........the better!! IMO i dont think u can ever learn enough.........

while ur still in school take advantage of it and take as many classes as u can.....that will help in the subject[/QUOTE

450 what road did you take to be a trainer? Do you refer clients to RD's ever? or do you handle most of the nutrition advice yourself?

[nitsuj450]

i actuallly went through a community college in my area...to become certified....and had to do hours as an intern....and take a written....and practical test.....and cpr certified...... I would have liked to dun a fulll college 4-6 year deal.....but $$ was a big deal with me i have been on my own since 16 and worked full time so college just wasnt gonna happen.........so i had to learn through reading/studying on my own....and through community college had a program to become certified....

........as far as nutrition u are told not to give out nutrition advice bec we are not RD's.....but i still do it anyway........i have a decent program on computer at work that totals up all calorie info for my clients then i adjust diet........and it gives me a nice printed out nutrition prog.........wich loooks very professional..........and i have had great success with!!!

as Long as u have sumthing to offer ppl......and are good with ppl......you can make a good name for urself.....and have great success with being a personal trainer.....i love it because everyday i am changing lives for the better!!....and i am very close with most of my clients....so going to work is like being with friends everyday......u jus get to yell at them and tell them what to do.....haha

[TightEnd81]

yeah man i hear ya on the financial situation...more schooling = more student loans, i actually was looking into a diff community college that had an associate degree in exercise science thru which u can get the a.c.s.m certs which isnt a bad deal at all. the overall goal is to have r.d status while being a certified trainer in private practice so i can cover both bases.....just not sure which to tackle first...i like the idea of the assoc. degree to get personal trainer cert tho...way faster than the 5+ years to become an R.D

[Chancy]

Not sure but i think personal trainer stuff is very complicated in my state. If you want to just get the cirtificate then its not bad. I was told if you wanted to be a "strength trainer" that there were all sorts of classes you had to take and keep them current yearly. It hardly seemed worth the hassle. I dont see how you would have time to build a customer base off doing classes all the time.

[mark10]

what state has those stringent guidelines? its been my experience that clients arent educated to ask the right questions first should be are you insured? check for proof ,anyone serious will have it to protect themselves and to protect clients.Also check their refrences . if its sport specific trainning what connections do they have to help you if your a baaseball player does the trainer know scouts? bodybuilding do they have a posing coach ,know the local judges? do they have a succssful body of work,open to new ideas , listen to your goals and needs and are they willing to help educate you? Ive also seen that alot of trainers are afraid to say they dont know ,or that they cant help you most important of all use common sense when making a choice the end result is related to your effort When you think about switching to minor in nutrition are you aware that you can get certified in nutrition just like training ? nutrition is a subject all trainers think they have expertise in they dont the further you take your education the more valuable an asset you become for whatever your future goals HEY GOOD LUCK its nice to hear from someone who respects the knowledge it takes to perform my profession Ive been a trainer for over 25 years and theres to many b.s.actors and waiters making a few bucks on the side

[sicky]

Personal training is a self-governing body. Anybody can say and be a personal trainer without having to take a single class. Of course, many of these are lawsuits waiting to happen (yes, it's a good idea to have insurance depending on the clients you have). As a student, you can take a certification course right now (with ACE or something similar) and build some training experience while working on finalizing your education. Like mentioned above, the more education you have, the better it looks to prospective clients. Personal experience (learning from coaches) like playing collegiate athletics, writing a column in a local/school newspaper, winning a competition (powerlifting, bodybuilding, etc), and looking the part (practicing what you preach) all help as well. Training people who won competitions through your training/diet programs help build up your reputation too.

[TightEnd81]

so it seems like the consensus is that a quality educated trainer with a sound game plan is more important than having big nutrition credentials to go along with it.

its just hard to pick one area to focus on now...