In addition to delivering top notch training advice, another goal of the Urban Fitness Coach website is to provide a resource for Personal Trainers.  Like any profession, there are some amazing professionals in this field and there are some folks, who are downright dangerous and have no business being trainers.  The trainers who read this blog are already way ahead, because they have the passion to continually learn.  If you ever come across a trainer who ‘knows it all’ or has the ‘perfect system’ then you should run the other way.  The worst thing is someone who does not know what they don’t know.

Anyway, on a weekly basis I get emails from trainers asking for tips on exercise or certifications or conferences or whatever.  This week I thought I would share one response as my blog.  It is really cool because this trainer actually started as a client of mine before pursuing a career.   She has a university degree in Kinesiology and has been working in the field for about two years.  She wanted to know about finding conferences and continuing education courses in particular more info on Kettlebell training and band training.  So here are my two cents…

• If you are a relatively new trainer, then you should join PT on the Net (www.ptonthenet.com) and read all the great articles on there from guys like Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, Gray Cook, Michol Dalcourt….  Read, read, read and digest.  Remember you have a degree in the basics from university, now fit these new ideas into that foundation.  This website also includes some pre-made programs, but I think if someone is paying you as a professional trainer and the best you can do is download someone else’s program from the internet, then you better find a new career path.  You will however find a rather comprehensive list of certification courses and conferences on this site.
• If you live in the Toronto area go to the Can-Fit-Pro conference.  There are more group exercise instructors there than you can shake a stick at, but it is very reasonably priced and you will get to see some great speakers…if you want to learn about bands go see Juan Carlos Santana do his thing - he is the band master in my opinion!  While you are there also check out Michol Dalcourt.
• If you live stateside, you cannot do better than the Functional Training Summits put on by Perform Better (www.performbetter.com).  They hold three each spring/summer typically one in the east (Rhode Isl.), one in the middle (Chicago) and one in the west (Long Beach, CA).  They are three days of pure learning!
• Want to learn more about program design, check out Cosgrove’s Program Design manual (http://www.professionalfitnesscoach.com/) it will give you a great start.  Also read Gray Cook’s Athletic Body in Balance because it will likely change the way you view how the body works.  The body is a complete system and not simply a series of bones connected by joints.  If you really want to get into it read Thomas Myers book Anatomy Trains. 
• For Kettlebell stuff, I like Anthony Diluglio from Art of Strength (http://www.artofstrength.com/).

So that should give you a good start.  I will finish with a word of caution – do not go out for certifications just looking for a bunch of cool new exercises.  Do not become a monkey-see-monkey-do trainer; you need to understand why you are doing a certain exercise a certain way.  Work on understanding basic joint mechanics (which is not basic at all), that should take a while.  Do you understand how the foot, shoulder, hip work – how the muscles act on them to accelerate, decelerate and stabilize…then you can devise your own ways to train movements that will be safe and effective for your clients.

Finally, do not go out and get a myriad of certifications and then list them behind your name like this: Ms. Suzy Q Trayner, B.A., FSP, TXE, WWB, XCE – that is the sign of someone who has no clue.  List your degree and your relevant personal trainer certification – I do like the CSCS if you want to work with athletes or the NSCA-CPT if you are going to work with more fitness clients. 

Hope this helps – please keep the questions coming!

Cheers,

Maria