Oct 6, 2017
It takes a lot to be a Personal Trainer
I'm not just talking about knowing the body or counting reps. I'm not just talking about a great before and after photo to show off to potential clients. If you're thinking about becoming a Personal Trainer, thinking about working with one, or you're ALREADY working with one... you should consider these things I have to share...
I feel like I need a dual degree for this...
Living my life the way I do now, I often feel like I should've majored in exercise science in college. Of course, that opens up the whole "coulda, woulda, shoulda" conversation, and frankly... If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably do it all the same. In the end, living college the way I did landed me in a position to have that breakdown where I made a change. If that hadn't happened... Well, I wouldn't have found fitness, running, or this career I love.
But man, nobody's prepared enough for this.
When I said I feel like I need a dual degree for this...
the other one would be psychology... or something like it.
Idunno... what kind of degree does a therapist get?
That's not meant to be an insult in the
slightest.
I'm dead serious - There's a whole side to this job that a lot of people don't consider - the emotional. If you're gonna be worth your salt as a personal trainer, you HAVE to get to know people. Not just the surface-level, 2 kids and a dog stuff. I'm talking DEEP. I'm talking what makes these people tick, what stops them up, and what's gonna make or break them. The deeper motivations that drive them to success or failure.
That information doesn't come cheap.
When you get someone's deepest, darkest secrets, you get a whole lot of emotional baggage dumped on you. Sure, you can unpack it for them and lighten the load... But it takes a toll on you. There's a certain emotional currency you have to spend each and every day to do this job. It's almost like in The Green Mile (I only saw the movie) where Michael Clarke Duncan's character takes someone's illness upon himself and expels it out into the ether. It knocks him out for a while... takes a toll on him.
Don't mistake my meaning here.
This is most certainly a worthwhile venture. What I mean to say by all this... is the job isn't for everyone. I MEAN that if you're considering being a trainer... the emotional side of the job should be a big consideration. Again - this is MOST certainly a worthwhile venture. When you're able to get to the deeper levels of what makes a person who they are... you can find out where they REALLY want to be... and why. Then, you can begin to help them get there.
There are other considerations, of course.
Time, schedule, and your availability are all major considerations. These all help answer the bigger, and frankly very important question of "can I make a reliable living doing this?". The short answer? "It depends."
Not an entirely satisfying answer, I know.
What's in this episode:
- Darrell's feeling a bit under the weather
- We share some quick thoughts about seasonal change
- We talk about 4 things YOU need to consider about being a Personal Trainer
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