From Desk Jockey to Personal Trainer (Pt.1)
Let’s set the scene…I’m 24 (nearly) and I went into a job straight out of completing my Sport & Exercise Science degree. Unfortunately, at the time, I felt my options were severely limited and so got onto a graduate scheme for an IT company. I can’t complain as it has put me in a really stable position and I have learnt a lot. But this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. My passion is within the fitness industry. I love the gym and I love exercise and everything about the environment; the nutrition, the people the sheer effort.
Even more recently, I have begun helping some friends with their own fitness goals by putting together workout plans and helping with diet and adherence. This made me think. It made me realise that I love doing this. I love helping others become lose weight, gain muscle and just becoming more confident in themselves. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
So, that’s the journey I am on. The journey of becoming the best personal trainer and online coach I can be. But, it’s not as simple as just quitting my job and working in a gym. I’ve already made financial commitments in my life and so I can’t just throw that down the drain. Instead I’m going to have to take a different approach.
I’m going to spend at least the next year or so learning as much I can about personal training and getting as much experience as possible. There are a few things that I’m going to do to put me in the right path:
- I’ve signed up for the Shredded By Science Academy which is an online year course created for the purpose of upskilling trainers on the appropriate methodologies to train the general population, bodybuilders and powerlifters. This will help me get a foundational level on information from experts in the industry (Eric Helms and Mike Zourdos). Plus, it gives me the potential to apply specific bodybuilding and powerlifting techniques with clients; this will give me an edge from 90% of other trainers from day one.
- I’m going to get certified and get my Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification through REPS. Fortunately, I can use my degree to get a provisional certification which gives me a year to get fully certified, which I can do with a bit more knowledge (and money). The application for this is crazy long with 44 questions which I’m looking to get done and sent off ASAP.
- I’m training 5+ people currently online for 12 weeks free. This gives me an opportunity to not only help people from day 1, but gives me a chance to get honest feedback from my clients before I begin charging for such a service.
I’m also trying to get content out on my Facebook and Instagram too in order to document my journey, raise awareness for who I am and just sharing my knowledge on a wider scale.
I won’t beat around the bush, I want to earn good money from Personal Training. I want to earn enough where I can do this full-time. But for now, my goal is to simply become certified and work in a gym part-time to get some experience.
The purpose of this blogging series really is just to document and share my journey, my achievements and challenges. I have a vision that 5 years down the line I will be able to read this and realise just how far I have come. I welcome anyone who reads this to continue with me on this journey as I aim to provide a monthly update on my progress.
If you are a personal trainer yourself, feel free to give any hints, tips and career advice!
