Hellooooooo Monday! How was your weekend? Mine ended up being the perfect mix of relaxing and fun. Saturday Jeremy and I went to the Yankees game. I’m starting to worry that I’m bad luck for the Yankees since they almost always lose when I’m there.
Sunday we celebrated Jeremy’s sister’s birthday and saw An American in Paris on Broadway with his family. It was my second time seeing the show and I am still so in love with all the dance numbers. Makes me think about dusting off my old tap shoes and heading over to a class at Broadway Dance Center.
Also, I can’t stop watching the Olympics. I know I’m not alone in my love of watching all things gymnastics– how INSANE is Simone Biles?
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I thought I’d talk about my personal experience as a personal trainer + group fitness instructor, something I actually don’t blog about all that often. After graduating college four years ago, I became a certified personal trainer with NASM. If you have any questions about my experience studying for NASM or AFAA’s group fitness certification, I got a whole blog post for ya right here.
When I became certified, I assumed I would take the fitness industry by storm while doing theater auditions on the side. #LivingTheDream.
Well, that’s not exactly what happened.
I never blatantly blogged about this, but I really struggled to find fitness job opportunities I was passionate about. Sure, it’s easy to land a job working as a personal trainer at a big box gym (just calling it like I see it..) but it’s freaking hard to land a coveted position teaching group fitness at one of the popular studios in this city.
I burnt out hard and fast. I wasn’t making a lot of money. I was teaching at studios 45 minutes away from my apartment and commuting there just to teach one class. I was getting rejected left and right from studios I really wanted to teach at.
I’m not writing this to deter you from entering the fitness industry but did want to shed light on my own experience in the fitness industry both as a hopeful personal trainer and group fitness instructor.
Personal training certifications don’t prepare you to work with clients.
In order to become a certified personal trainer all you have to do is pass a written test. Seriously. There’s no practical application part of the certification process. Let that sink in for a second, and the fact that I was hired for my first personal training job before I was even certified. What the hell did I know about creating a program for someone else?
Different gyms have different training programs for personal trainers. If you take the example of well-known gyms like Generation Fit, for example, they may also have gone through the same procedures and probably have accomplished in this field. When it came to me, I found the one at the gym I was working at to be pretty lacklustre and focused more on the sales aspect of being a personal trainer which leads me to…
Most jobs you’ll be offered are glorified sales positions.
I became a personal trainer because I’m passionate about fitness and want to inspire others to lead healthier and happier lives. Sound a bit like the blog missions statement as well?
A lot of personal training positions I was offered required me to build up my own client base, and in order to do so, I had to approach people that were at my gym working out. As an introvert, this was absolutely terrifying. It also just felt icky to me, these people are already at the gym, working out– they aren’t the ones that need workout motivation. Why should I barge in on their workout? I hate when people do that to me.
I was paid minimum wage during those hours I spent approaching people on the gym floor. When I did a free personal training session to entice someone to buy a package, I also got paid minimum wage. It was only when I trained an actual client that I made a little bit more cash.
Most personal trainer positions at a big box gym are probably the same story– very sales-heavy while you’re building up your clientele. For some people, this isn’t a big deal, but for this introvert, it was anxiety-inducing. Achieving success in the field requires goal setting with future vision, creativity with hard work, and dedication. There might be online training programs to boost the confidence level of introverts. One such platform would be Hansen beck, which assists you with leadership techniques. Employing all these key elements in the training channel might attract a massive audience to the training sessions.
Looks matter.
Ugh, I really hate to say this, but it’s true. I was very aware of the fact that people were judging me based on my body when I would go in for fitness interviews or auditions. Obviously this isn’t true, but people make the assumption that because you look fit, obviously you are equipped to get other people fit, and the opposite can’t be true. It makes zero sense.
I was also very aware that certain studios were judging me based on my “hot factor” as well. Hi, sorry I look like I’m 16.
You will work awkward and sporadic hours.
I spent my first year out of college commuting to all neighbors of this city like a mad woman trying to make ends meet, traveling 45 minutes to teach one bootcamp class or train one client in Brooklyn. It was exhausting and my days started as early as 5:15AM since I worked front desk at a fitness studio to help support myself and would end around 9PM if I was teaching an evening class.
For me, I really struggled with maintaining any semblance of a social life. Not that I have a wild and crazy social life as is, but something as simple as getting dinner with girlfriends on a week night was impossible. I also always worked weekends which was tough with my long distance relationship.
Studios want someone with a following + experience.
A lot of studios will hire you based on your “following” whether it’s your popularity at another studio, notoriety in the fitness industry, or even instagram reach as of recently. From a business stand point it makes some sense– they want a teacher that comes with a devoted fan base and can help the studio grow. Because of this, it’s hard to get your foot in the door when you’re new to the industry and haven’t built up a devoted fan following and then you also get caught in the annoying loop of “I need experience to get experience, but no one will hire me since I don’t have experience.”
Okay, sorry to be such a debbie downer today. With all of this being said, if you want to go into the fitness industry, DO IT. If it’s something you’re insanely passionate about, chances are it will work out for you in one way or another. I’m still SO grateful I got my certifications, even though I don’t actively work as a trainer, because it gives me the knowledge base to blab on and on about fitness in real life and on the blog while also being confident that I know what I’m talking about. Once I’m settled in with grad school, one of my goals is to start teaching more regularly since it’s something I really miss.
Danielle @ Wild Coast Tales says
Speaking with other trainers, I have definitely heard this feedback before. It sounds like such a challenge and I can see how it is so easy to become defeated… especially when all you want to do is help people live happier and healthier lives!
Kayla says
Thanks so much for the comment, glad to hear I’m not alone in this sentiment!
Kaitlin @ California Endless Summer says
This is a very good perspective/insight and something that isn’t often considered! Thanks for sharing!
Kayla says
Thanks so much!