New Personal Training Job. Stupidity is Rampant.

BigBoyJ · May 30, 2005

Yeah, at my gym, when you are actually on the clock FOR the gym, which is only 3-4 hours a day, you only get $8.50 per hour. During this time is when you try to market yourself and get clients. We are allowed to be at the gym as long as we want though. We can stay there all day trying to get clients if we want. Once you have clients though, the pay shoots all the way up to 40-50 bucks an hour, depending on the type of sessions the client wants.

Today was only my second day and I already have some good prospects, so hopefully things will start rolling faster than I originally thought. I'm a convincing salesman though.

JETHRO TULL · May 31, 2005

GET AFTER IT BBJ!

I'LL TELL YOU A STORY THAT MADE ME FEEL PRETTY GOOD...THIS IS BY NO MEANS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO ME AND DOESN'T MEAN I THINK I LOOK GOOD...BUT HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED.

I WAS WALKING AROUND THE GYM DICKING OFF BETWEEN SETS AND I LOOKED UP TO SEE THE GYM OWNER TALKING TO A LADY WHO HAPPENED TO BE POINTING AT ME. [ I WAS THINKING SHE WAS PROBABLY SAYING ...'NOW YOU SEE THAT LOSER....I NEVER WANT TO LOOK LIKE THAT PILE OF DONKEY SHIT!"]

I ASKED HIM LATER .....AND HE TOLD ME SHE WANTED PERSONAL TRAINING AND THAT HE HAD INTRODUCED HER TO TWO FEMALE TRAINERS AND SHOWED HER PICTURES OF THE OTHER MALE TRAINERS APPARANTLY SHE WASN'T TOO IMPRESSED. SHE HAD LOOKED OUT ACROSS THE GYM AND POINTED AT ME AND SAID..."I WANT THAT GUY TO TRAIN ME".

THAT FELT PRETTY GOOD. I COULDN'T REALLY SAY NO AFTER HEARING THAT. SOMETIMES ALL THE EFFORT IS NOTICED IN A POSITIVE WAY!

AGAIN...IF SHE'D HAVE SEEN MOST OF THE GUYS WHO POST HERE..SHE'D HAVE PASSED ME OVER WITHOUT BLINKING AN EYE.

BigBoyJ · May 31, 2005

Jethro, one of these days we're gonna break you out of that body dysmorphia you suffer from. Yes, there are some awesome physiques on this board and YOURS, my friend, is one of them.

JETHRO TULL · May 31, 2005

YEAH, YEAH....THANKS, BBJ!

I GUESS WHAT I MEANT BY POSTING THAT SELF STROKING POST ABOVE IS THAT A GUY DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE MUCH OF A SALESMAN TO GET BUSINESS....MOST OF THE TIME YOUR BODY IS THE BEST ADVERTISEMENT YOU'VE GOT. THOSE OTHER 'TRAINERS' WON'T STAND A CHANCE IF YOU ARE HANGING AROUND DOING YOUR THING. LOL...

BigBoyJ · May 31, 2005

Yeah, right now I'm about 40 lbs heavier than the next biggest trainer there and a lot leaner. Unfortunately though, I suffer from body dysmorphia too

. Being clean now, I feel so tiny and deflated so my confidence isn't what it should be. I'm going to try and stay clean for a little while longer, but then it's time to blow the fuck up.

Coopie · May 31, 2005

My best friend owns two gyms here in NY. All of the trainers he employs are total ass-clowns. On average, they are like 150 lbs and look as if they've never seen the inside of a gym.

Okay, let's talk about their training "methods": One guy, this is the dumbest of the group, uses that big beach ball for everything. The other day I saw him with one client who was standing on the ball (he was holding her fat ass around the waist because she couldn't balance), and she was doing dumbell lateral raises. I looked at him through the mirror like "WTF are you doing?!?" Then, about 1/2 hour later he's with another client. This time he's got that ball on the leg press platform and she's pressing on the ball to move the leg press sled. I was waiting for the entire thing to come crashing down on her knees!

Another guy there, he's the second-dumbest trainer I've seen, he uses resistance bands for everything. I've never seen any of his clients even touch a barbell or dumbell - it's all those rubberbands with this joker.

I feel bad that these people are wasting their hard-earned $$$.

BigBoyJ · May 31, 2005

It really is amazing, Coopie. I don't know what fuckin' idiot decided that stupid stability ball was a good way to go, but I'd enjoy giving him a good whack in the head. It also amazes me that in a gym full of top on the line equipment and free weights, some trainers STILL want to use those damn rubber bands. That's like eating pretzels when you go to Red Lobster.

Coopie · May 31, 2005

BigBoy - You're 100% right!

And the worst part is, whenever I see something like that, it makes me nervous that some poor idiot is going to get severely hurt because of some trainer's stupidity!

I swear, when I see someone laying on those balls and then Smith Machine bench pressing, or standing on those balls, or whatever - I get a pit in my stomach and I fear for their safety. They are relying on the trainer's "expertise", and they don't know enough to realize that the trainers are not qualified to be doing half the crap they're doing!

USMuscle9403 · May 31, 2005

What I find funny is that all those unknowledgeable little fucks are able to easily get the job, whereas a true bodybuilder that has put in his years at the gym and in the kitchen can't get the job for hell because he lacks a $500 certificate that means just about jack dick! PFFT!

BigBoyJ · May 31, 2005

USMuscle9403 said:
What I find funny is that all those unknowledgeable little fucks are able to easily get the job, whereas a true bodybuilder that has put in his years at the gym and in the kitchen can't get the job for hell because he lacks a $500 certificate that means just about jack dick! PFFT!

The ignorance in the fitness industry is so substantial that having a bodybuilders physique can actually prevent you from getting a training job at a lot of gyms. The normal "fitness experts" see bodybuilders as dangerous extremists with little knowledge of practical exercise science. They believe that we look the way we do because of steroids. They also usually tend to think that a bodybuilder's muscularity is functionally impractical and only purely cosmetic. Then of course, there's the jealousy factor.

Coopie · May 31, 2005

BigBoy - Once again, 100% correct my friend!

In college, to earn some extra cash, I worked part time as a personal trainer. I worked at Gold's Gym and they sponsored me for my ACE exam. The exam was a joke - study @ home then take a test then get CPR certified. Anyhow...

I left Gold's for a better paying job at a "personal training center" that was charging high-end clients up to $150 / hour for sessions. It was in an office building that was home to law firms, brokerage firms, medical practices, etc. In the hopes of "keeping up with the Jones's", most people joined and some of the actually showed up regularly.

So, my second day there I show up in a tank top and sweat pants. This is not crap that I would wear to work out, it was nice stuff - probably like Abercrombie or something like that. Anyhow, the manager comes up to me and says "I don't know where you think you are, but we don't dress like that here - this is a professional atmosphere and you'll scare people."

Now come on - you guys have seen my pics, I was bigger back in college, but not that much that I would scare people! He then went on to say "People don't want to see that. They want to see something they can achieve, not something they can't". Needless to say that was my last day there. It probably had something to do with the fact that I told him that for $150 an hour the clients should be able to achieve whatever their goals are!

BigBoyJ · May 31, 2005

I think that's the biggest problem...the lack of standardization in certification exams. ACE has recently made a HUGE upgrade in the quality and difficulty of their testing. They are now nationally accredited by NCCA. This is the orginization that regulates the testing of obstetrics/gynecology, nurse licensing, pediatrics, etc, etc. I was originally certified by ACE in 1996 and I didn't even really study for the test, but I still passed. I am going to take the test again in August and I can honestly say, to pass the exam now, you really have to have a good idea of what the hell you're doing. It's a hell of a lot harder than it used to be. I will also be getting certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine next month. That's the only other orginization that is nationally accredited by NCCA. After that, I will be getting certified by ACE as a clinical exercise specialist.

Really though, I think that the only way to ensure that a fitness professional really knows his shit is by creating a national LISENSING process. If all trainers were required to be licensed by a standardized governing body, it could really cut out a shitload of the dumbasses that are giving out faulty training advice and practices.

BigBoyJ · Jun 1, 2005

Well, an interesting thing happened today. This was my third day of work. I've been interacting with the customers and talking to the trainers. I've been working much longer hours than I was scheduled to try to get things going. Today, two of the trainers asked me to train them.

They want me to teach them. I also found out one trainer who's been there five years is intimidated and pissed off because I'm there. He hasn't said one word to me since I've been there and I found out today that's why. He see's me as competition because he's used to running shit. Normally, I would be nice to him, but since he was a dick first, I'm gonna be sure to run him in the ground. I might let him have whatever I don't want.

massmonster32 · Jun 1, 2005

Hey Bigboyj I can sense your frustration by reading your posts and definately know why. But I personally would be extra nice to the guy who hasnt talked to you never know you will either become best of friends or just keep it professional since you two work together. But good luck sucks going to work in an environment where people are nasty or gossip the tension you can just feel it. I would be a bigger man and not stoop to the lower level good luck keep us posted how it goes. MM

Coopie · Jun 1, 2005

I think that I originally got my ACE certification in 1989. There was a big binder of study materials and then you take the test - it was a cakewalk. A few years later I took ISSA certification and that was a much more comprehensive course. It was 40 hours (or whatever) of classroom time and then a "hands on" exam and then a paper exam. It actually required some level of brainpower.

BigBoy - just work hard and be positive and the clients will realize the difference between you and the other trainers there. It's cut-throat, only a certain amount of $$$ to go around and each trainer is going after the same dollar. Be aggressive, be positive, be yourself! You'll come out ahead - no doubt!

bigbadasian · Jun 1, 2005

Reply

|--[\\\]>--------- I have to jerk off trainers at the gym i manage too. It's UNBELIEVABLE where they find these guys...i once saw a trainer tell a girl to stand on a medicine ball and try to do cable cross overs! wtf..she could roll her ankle so easily..i stepped right in and told him he couldnt do that...there is a point in which i'll step in...i was actually thinking of hiring one of these ya-hoo's and just have them follow me around and load/unload weights for me, especially leg days. BBJ--congrats on the new job. you ever come out my way, i'll put you to work at my gym!

gooey · Jun 1, 2005

BBA do u...

bigbadasian said:
|--[\\\]>--------- I have to jerk off trainers at the gym i manage too. It's UNBELIEVABLE where they find these guys...i once saw a trainer tell a girl to stand on a medicine ball and try to do cable cross overs! wtf..she could roll her ankle so easily..i stepped right in and told him he couldnt do that...there is a point in which i'll step in...i was actually thinking of hiring one of these ya-hoo's and just have them follow me around and load/unload weights for me, especially leg days. BBJ--congrats on the new job. you ever come out my way, i'll put you to work at my gym!

hire ugly fat kids from the midwest. I know I scare people off but can u give a fat kid a chance. On a brighter note, it can be fun to be a trainer, where else can u beat the shit out of someone, they pay u for it and they call u an asshole after every set. hahah, I have one that calls me an asshole or prick after every set cause I "accidently" put my hands on the machines and whatnot and add more resistance to the already strenuous exercise. Hee hee I am an asshole
gooey

MikeS · Jun 1, 2005

All the stupid stability ball and running someone around all silly just makes us good trainers look better. And of course, so does the results that my clients get compared to the other trainers. I just finished training a big heavy woman who is 1/2 the size she started off at and 10 times as healthy, and she is happy as a pig in crap. 4 people today came up during our session, and told her what a great change we had made with her. Easy pickings to prospect from those members-I set the one cute woman who commented up for a introductory workout.

Jethro that woman who pointed and said "I want that guy to train me'-really meant 'I want that guy to boink me'! Just kidding, LYNX....

russmeister · Jun 1, 2005

i was curious

do any of you guys have significant others. i was offered a personal training job at my gym but i really felt like i had to turn it down because the wife wasn't to excited about the idea. do any of you guys have the same problems. if so how do you get around that problem.