Now that I’m qualified to work as a gym
instructor as well as a nutrition and weight management advisor, I’m really
getting used to this health and fitness professional lark. I’m enjoying the
confidence I have in giving advice when people ask me about food and exercise
and I’m delivering it with tons more knowledge than before.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. In what
seems like the biggest learning curve so far, I’m now tackling the Personal
Trainer and Advanced Instructor module. When I’m done, I’ll be a fully
qualified PT. Scary!
I’m
really getting used to this health and fitness professional lark.
Home Sweet Home
Since Future Fit courses are largely based
around e-learning I did most of my study at home, but it can be done anywhere
you can access the internet. I even did some of it on my commute to work, which
was really useful – and helps to pass the time! There was a lot more to learn
for the Advanced Anatomy and Physiology section than there was when we did it
the first time around – you’re expected to be far more clued-up on movement,
muscles and so on. If the Latin terms weren’t confusing enough during the Gym
Instructor module, they certainly were this time!
As well as Anatomy and Physiology, we were
asked to get familiar with the Personal Trainer section ahead of the two-day
workshop. In this section, pretty much everything to do with being a personal
trainer was covered, from helping people set goals to the body language you
should adopt when meeting new clients. Despite the sheer load of information to
take in, it definitely boosted my confidence and it seems that a lot of what
makes you a good PT is the experience that you gain along the way.
Practical Magic
The two-day workshop was a great way to
learn some of the more advanced aspects of the course in a real gym
environment. After all those weeks of taking in words on a computer screen, we
finally got to put everything we’d been learning into practice, and it really
started to make sense. There were some cool practical activities, like fitness
tests, strength tests and body fat analysis (not quite so much fun!), which prepared
us for the real deal. We had to sit an exam based on the lessons from Advanced
Anatomy and Physiology on the first day of the workshop, which wasn’t exactly
fun, but all my hard studying paid off – I passed!
There
were some cool practical activities, like fitness tests, strength tests and
body fat analysis
There was such a range of people at the
workshop, of all ages and all levels of experience. Some already worked in a
gym environment while some were looking for a complete career change. After
weeks of solitary learning, it was reassuring to interact with others and I
found that I wasn’t alone in my anxieties. Some of the work in becoming a PT
can be daunting, but it’s really comforting to know that others feel the same
way.
The Final Stage…
So with the exam done and dusted and lots
more applicable knowledge under my belt, I’m only one step away from qualifying
as a fully blown PT. From now until the practical assessment next month, I’ll
need to have trained with a client twice a week, following a programme devised
by yours truly, and tracked their progress along the way. I’ll then be assessed
on a week five session of the training programme in front of a Future Fit
assessor, who will work through a checklist to determine whether I make the
grade. If I pass, it’ll be the start of a new chapter in my life as a qualified
PT. I can’t wait! ‘It seems that a lot of what makes you a good PT is the
experience you gain along the way’
