When it comes to building a sports-specific physical training program for your clients, the profit can often come in the details. Avid golfer and long-time personal trainer Andrew Fodge of Arizona knew he was on to something the very first time he developed a workout program for a golfing client. Since then his care for details has spread to more clients and created a highly profitable personal training business that is focused on getting his clients to grop weight and strokes.

Can you tell me a little about yourself:
I have lived in the Scottsdale area for about 7 years and love it here. Golf is everywhere and I love to play as much as I can whenever I can. Prior to living here, I lived in Bellevue, WA. I miss the kayaking, the Seahawks, and the rain (sometimes). As I keep evolving as a trainer, a business owner, aspiring golfer, and a new dad (daughter is 9 months old), I have learned to strive to consistently give my best, encourage others, stay true to my best intentions, and to laugh as much as possible.

How did you get your start in the business of personal training? What is your goal?
I have been a personal trainer for over 15 years and launched my business over 5 years ago. I have a passion to “teach” my clients how to truly impact their own lives with proper fitness techniques and accurate fitness principles. My business goal in the next 3 years is to expand my current number of studios from 2 to 5 in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area.

I noticed you created a golf-specific workout program for your clients. Tell me what spawned the idea and how you’ve generated interest?

The relationship between fitness and golf is becoming increasingly obvious more and more. You are seeing the difference being established when Great Golfers are taking on a Fitness program that is turning them in to dominant professional golfers winning tournaments and/or staying near the top of leader boards. Personally, as a golfer with high aspirations with my own golf game, I wanted to offer a program that would enhance the ability of my golfers without detracting from their enjoyment of the game.

Do you plan on creating more sport specific workouts?
I am one of those fitness professionals that believes in focusing on one or two specialties and become “THE EXPERT” at those. I feel like my knowledge, experience, and ability is exploding with my golf fitness and extreme weight loss clients. I know that I can truly impact other athletes and I collaborate with other Strength Coaches and Fitness Trainers that may specialize in other areas.

How much of a market have you seen?
Golf is HUGE in Arizona, as I continue to promote myself and establish referrals. I have seen my Golf Fitness double in the last year alone.

Which certifications do you have and how have they opened doors?
I have a Masters of Science Degree in Physical Education and Bachelors of Science Degree in Athletic Training, which I feel like I have brought about more opportunities my way. By being certified as a Golf Fitness Instructor by the Titlelist Performance Institute it has truly expanded those opportunities in to a consistently growing clientele.

Do you have any recommendations for trainers just breaking into the business? How they could market? Which directions is the best right now?
My recommendations in breaking in to any sport-specific business is to get involved with coaches and/or teaching professionals of that sport. If you can learn to collaborate with them you will find not only a great referral pipeline, but you will also learn how you can be a better trainer. Also, always be a student of our industry, never assume that the way you are doing something is the only way or the best way. Become an expert and be open to other ideas, you need to know what other experts and professionals like you are doing — it will only make you better.

Many personal trainers looking to launch an in-home training business spend hundreds of dollars on equipment. With everything from dumbbells to BOSUs to Swiss balls clunking around in their cars, they might as well be transporting a petting zoo. The truth is, you really don’t need any equipment to put together a great workout. But if you want to keep things dynamic and challenging for your clients, it helps to have some basic gear.

Following are some items I’ve found to be particularly useful for in-home training. Add these to your tool kit, but also encourage your clients to invest in their own. This way, they can practice what you’ve taught them and you won’t have to carry everything to every session.

Resistance tubing: Resistance bands are useful for performing pull movements, such as rows, and for targeting smaller muscle groups, such as the hips and shoulder rotator cuff muscles. Three levels of resistance are plenty: light for training small muscles, and medium and heavy, for working larger muscles with clients of different abilities. I like the tubing with handles attached. These weigh hardly anything and take up little space, so it’s not worth swapping out handles for different exercises. For bands that last, check out Perform Better or Power Systems.

Strength bands: I’m a huge fan of pull-ups and chin-ups because of how many muscles they engage. Problem is, most people can’t perform even one pull-up, let alone an entire set. Strength bands are great because they remove some of your bodyweight and allow you to perform these moves. Encourage your clients to purchase a door-frame pull-up bar ($29.99 at Target) and bring a strength band to your sessions. The three levels of resistance I’ve found most useful are light, average and heavy, available through Power Systems.

10-pound medicine ball: Whether you train athletes or average Joes, a medicine ball is great for incorporating upper body plyometrics into your sessions. It can also serve as resistance for complex exercises, such as a lunge with a front raise or squat with an overhead press, or even as an unstable surface for pushups. I’ve found decent quality med balls at sporting goods stores or even discount stores such as TJMaxx or Marshalls.

TRX or other bodyweight suspension training system: If you can afford it, this is one splurge worth making. Designed by a Navy SEAL, TRX allows to you train every muscle in the body in a functional manner. It is lightweight and you can quickly anchor it to door frames. The TRX pro kit is $199.95.

Foam roller: You can stretch your clients all you want, but sometimes it takes a foam roller to get the job done. Help clients avoid myofascial pain (ooh, those IT bands!) by offering a post-workout foam roller massage. I like OPTP’s AXIS Roller for its durability.

I also recommend building your repertoire of bodyweight exercises. One great resource is “You Are Your Own Gym” by Mark Lauren. Lauren shows you how to strengthen any muscle using your own body and common household objects.

Photo via New Inspiration Design

A New York Times best-selling author and fitness expert, Jim Karas has lead the charge to get personal trainers to stop obsessing over cardio and focus on strength training their clients. His book,”The Cardio-Free Diet” has sold worldwide and has been the leader in helping injury-prone runners and spin enthusiasts to see the benefit of weight training. His site Jim Karas is filled with helpful hints and a contact page, where he often personally repsonds.

You’re well-known for creating best-selling ideas from your offices in Chicago. You’ve done the talk shows and have your share of celebrity clientele. Starting with Cardio-Free, tell us how you’ve created your business.

Well especially with Cardio-Free it was a process of trial and error, but that started with me noticing that so many o my clients were showing up with the same cardio-related injuries. When it came time to implement my theories, my ideas, I’ve always done with staff first and clients next.

So out of thin air?

No, I’ve always been a voracious researcher, and once I recognized the dangers of cardio and the unbelievable benefit of strength training, I looked at my research and my reading and tried to see what it was that tied everything together. Why allocate any time to classic cardio if you are only injuring yourself? People don’t think enough about how these exercises are impacting your bodies for the rest of your life. I’m meeting guys my age and they are all getting cortisone injections so that they can go out and run some more and likely re-injure their bodies.

As a business opportunity you saw the elimination of cardio fitness as an opportunity?

Yes. There was a problem here that needed to be corrected. And I guess something about me that’s always been there is that I’m a gambler, like the poker players you see on television, I decided to go “all-in.” But because of my profile on television and giving speeches across the country I need to have facts behind my theories.

I bet you got some instant blowback from other professionals in the field?

The most aggressive response I get is back from runners who think I’ve lost my mind. I always ask them “Are you having issues?” And they kinda put their head down and say, “Well, my knee …” Look, running causes a litany of issues and pain. In fact I was talking to my chiropractor friend recently and he was telling me that marathon season is the busiest time of year for him – that he stays open seven days a week.

And now?

Well now everyone has come around to strength training! I was the first one there and I was right. I don’t want to sound over-confident but I’ve been in the business for 26 years and I can’t discount what I’ve learned.

Do you see similarities between Cardio-Free and CrossFit?

CrossFit is the number one question I receive from clients and journalists. I’m convinced that CrossFit is an insanely dangerous philosophy: power movements to failure. I see CrossFit dropouts all the time who are terribly injured. I get it: This is a fun community, kinda like marathon runners, but extremism doesn’t belong in fitness.

What is your advice for young personal trainers looking to make an impact in the business?

The number one thing you have to do is motivate clients. Most f the personal trainers I talk to are excited about working out, but may of their clients simply aren’t and may never be. How do you plan to connect with them. The next thing to think about is how much research and new information am I gathering? The temptation is to always have clients, because when you’re not training someone, you’re not making money, but at the same time you want to create a better training regiment for your clients and provide them new solutions.

And how do they become a best-selling author?

Start with researching something and once you see your stamp, stand up for your beliefs and be ready to defend it in a book. I’ve tested all of my theories with employees first, then clients to make sure it can work for a general audience. From there I spend my time writing. Fortunately I’m a fast writer, because I write all the time and because I spend a lot of time in research and talking with other experts!

By Nicole Radziszewski

So you’ve earned your personal training certification … now what? Many trainers are eager to take on clients independently, whether in their homes or at a private studio. After all, being your own boss is great: You get to keep whatever you earn, set your schedule and avoid the smarmy sales aspects of meeting quotas and soliciting products you don’t support.

However, going it alone is not always the best options. In fact, there are a lot of advantages to starting your personal training career at a large gym or health club. Here’s why it’s worth spending a year or two in this type of setting.

1. Experience with clients: You’ve trained your mom, your little sister and your Uncle Joe, but you don’t know what it’s like to be a professional personal trainer until you’ve worked in a public setting. Working at a health club or large gym allows you to interact with strangers, deal with different personalities and practice selling your services. This way, when you break out on your own, you’ll already know how to handle the interpersonal aspects of running a business.
2. Exercise ideas: One of the best things about working with several other trainers is the opportunity to borrow ideas. You should never feel as if you are stealing someone’s exercise (guaranteed, that same single-legged step-up on the BOSU your co-worker “invented” is performed in countless other gyms). Instead, be open to learning from colleagues: Let them know that you like their ideas and share yours in return. Just be careful who you copy, and always question why you would do a certain exercise with a client. Even the guy who has been training for 15 years might have some unfounded moves in his repertoire.
3. Equipment: Chances are, if you’re starting out as an in-home trainer, you won’t have access to a squat rack or cable pulley machine. And that’s OK – you can give your clients a great workout without all the bells and whistles found in most gyms. But starting out in a facility with a variety of equipment gives you the opportunity to practice training clients with it. You can also see what equipment is worth adding to your own toolbox, before splurging on TRX or other pricey training tools.

The key to working at a gym is to get the most out of your experience. Pick other trainers’ brains. Take advantage of company stipends for continuing education. Put up fliers for a new boot camp and gauge interest in your idea. Think of your experience as a paid internship, and you will set yourself up for success.

Photo via UKgym

People are living longer than ever before.There are currently 76 million people who are 46 to 64 years old in the U.S. By 2040, persons over the age of 65 are projected to outnumber youth for the first time in U.S. history!

This new generation of older adults wants to age successfully! They want to avoid disease and disability, and are willing to do whatever it takes to do so! Another new trend of older adults is that they are deciding to stay in the workforce longer and not retire at the usual retirement age.

Unfortunately, aging does increase the risks of certain diseases and disabilities, such as memory loss, depression, arthritis, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, sleeping problems, and Type II diabetes. Furthermore, many older adults that would prefer to stay in the workforce are unable to because of deteriorating health status.

The good news is that studies have shown that all of the above mentioned health problems can be prevented or delayed with a simple intervention—exercise! Exercise can delay or prevent the onset of osteoporosis by increasing bone strength, reduce the incidence of depression, prevent or regulate diabetes, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Furthermore, exercise has also been shown to play a significant role in whether an aging employee stays in the workforce or not.

The Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons (AARP) has recognized the importance of well developed fitness programs for older adults in improving the health status of the aging population, and they believe the money spent on hiring personal trainers to work with older adults is well worth the money invested. The AARP has teamed up with the American Council on Exercise (ACE) to offer substantial discounts on personal training services provided by persons with personal trainer certification to their 40 million members!

Some of the organizations that are offering personal trainer certification specializing in preparing you to be able to design and implement programs that are sensitive to the needs of older adults include:

1.      The American Council on Exercise—Certified Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist

2.      The American Fitness Professionals and Associates—Certified Senior Fitness Specialist

3.      The International Sports Sciences Association—Senior Fitness Certification

Several different career opportunities will be available to you after you complete your personal training certification specialized in working with older adults. You can start a personal training business of your own that targets working with older adults from their home; or you can work at community recreation centers, hospital fitness facilities, universities, health clubs, and YMCAs. Also, employers of large companies are recognizing the need to offer wellness and fitness programs that are geared towards older workers, and this can be an exciting career opportunity for an individual with a personal training certification that specializes in working with older adults.

While this new field is sure to grow and be a lucrative opportunity, the true value is the joy you will experience in changing an older person’s life! You can also put your new skills to work by helping aging loved ones, such as an aging parent or grandparent by improving their health!

Although many programs offering personal trainer certification are legitimate, not all are. Unfortunately, there’s a lack of consistent regulation in the personal training sphere. This allows people with questionable moral fortitude to take advantage of innocent folks who are merely interested in pursuing their professional interest in personal training. Thankfully, there are a few tips to keep in mind when choosing a personal trainer certification program.

The first precaution to take is to look at the accreditation of the personal trainer certification program. Any program worth its salt will have at least regional accreditation of some kind. See what kinds of accreditation gyms in your area accept to get a good idea of what personal trainer certification accreditation is accepted around you. Researching the type of accreditation is also important, because there’s nothing stopping a con artist from inventing their own accreditation for their phony personal trainer certification program.

If you can’t find information about the accreditation, that’s not a good sign. You might want to call the personal trainer certification program to double check about the accreditation. However, some accreditation services might not police the individual personal trainer certification programs after obtaining the accreditation. This complicates matters for you, unfortunately.

Online personal trainer certification programs are often hot spots for scammers, and can often convincingly pretend to possess credentials that they do not have. Generally speaking, a personal trainer certification program should have some sort of in-person component, as it’s the best way to convey and observe the best training techniques.

If you’ve enrolled in the program, be sure to look at the fee structure. Personal trainer certification programs often cost some amount of money, but it’s all in how the money is used that will determine if you’re being scammed or not. If you’re being charged lots of strange, unnecessary small fees, you might be getting scammed.

Likewise, be suspicious of any free programs. There are some good pro bono personal trainer certification programs, but many supposedly free services are often rife with hidden fees.

The best way to avoid personal trainer certification scams is, of course, to do research and ask around for referrals for good, honest places to obtain your personal trainer certification. Remember, as with most things in life, appearances are often deceiving. It is better to be skeptical and scrutinizing than it is to be ripped off. Personal trainer certifications are no exception to this practice.

Are you interested in a personal trainer certification for children? And I don’t mean getting your child certified as a personal trainer! Many parents have considered hiring a personal trainer to work with their child. Childhood obesity, as surely everyone knows by now, is a problem that doesn’t seem to go away on its own. Parents who are looking for a personal trainer for their child are often trying to get their kid to slim down.

However, there are other uses for a children’s personal trainer certification. Some parents might contract your services to help their children get in some additional physical activity for sports teams. There are plenty of other benefits you’ll provide to your young clients with your children’s personal trainer certification. You’ll be teaching them valuable life skills, and with any luck, they will value physical fitness for the rest of their lives. Likewise, the process of becoming physically fit often increases a child’s self esteem and self worth, which are qualities that Americans are obsessed with.

If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, then you’ll want to know how to obtain a children’s personal trainer certification. There are a variety of programs out there, so of course you’ll want to consider accreditation. Remember, accredited programs are the only programs worth spending money on. Otherwise, your certification will be useless.

The prerequisites for a children’s personal trainer certification vary depending on the program. Some places may require that you already possess a general personal trainer certification before learning how to specialize in training children. Others will not, and those programs often will reward you with a general personal trainer certification in addition to your certification for children. There really aren’t any concrete regulations here, so be sure that you read the literature very clearly. Many children’s personal trainer certification programs do require that you have some training in safety, such as CPR.

A key difference in children’s personal trainer certification programs compared to generalized trainer certification is that you’ll spend much more time discussing the psychology of children and how to particularly engage with kids. If you plan on working with overweight and obese children, you’ll need the skills to help them overcome their nerves about exercising. Remember, these children have no doubt been picked on by their peers for their lack of physical fitness. In other words, in order to make the most of your children’s personal trainer certification, you’ll need compassion and understanding more than anything else.

Many people have taken notice of Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, over the past few years. As the interest in MMA has grown, so has the interest in mixed martial arts personal trainer certification. If you want to get certification to be a personal trainer in Mixed Martial Arts, the first step is to have a good knowledge of MMA yourself. Remember, you need to be confident enough in your own abilities to teach others.

Mixed martial arts personal trainer certification is useful for more than just training future fighters for MMA competitions. Many people are finding the merits in incorporating mixed martial arts techniques for a variety of other types of physical training. Many mixed martial arts drills will be very helpful in cardio routines, or in teaching a self defense class. However, many people who seek mixed martial arts personal trainer certification are interested in training mixed martial arts competitors.

Due to MMA’s very recent popularity, only a few organizations have set standards for personal trainer certification thus far. The Personal Trainers Association (PROPTA) is currently the leading authority on Mixed Martial Arts personal trainer certification. PROPTA’s certification course is administered by several high profile retired MMA competitors.

Of course, in order to be taught by the stars of the Mixed Martial Arts world, you’ll need to cough up a pretty sizable amount of money. This is a pretty all inclusive package, and the tuition also covers all materials and exams. However, just remember that a Mixed Martial Arts personal trainer certification will cost you a few grand. Also, you’ll want to be sure you have a CPR certification prior to registration.

You might be wondering if the costs are worth it. Perhaps so. Mixed Martial Arts has continued its meteoric rise, and it shows little sign of slowing down soon. If you have a background in MMA but you’re tired of competing, this can be a good way to rake in some income while still participating in the sport you love.

Remember, you can also integrate the skills you’ve learned as a mixed martial arts personal trainer for other uses. You don’t necessarily have to train new, raw talent, but if you do, you might find the experience quite rewarding. Mixed martial arts personal trainer certification might provide you with the enriching experience of passing your knowledge down to the next generation of MMA fighters. After all, think of any martial arts movie you’ve ever seen. Everyone always remembers the cool old martial arts teacher.

Almost all personal trainer certification programs require some kind of examination in order to successfully complete the program. A personal trainer certification exam is an important tool to show that you have internalized all the material necessary to be a personal trainer.

There are several different organizations that offer personal trainer certification exams. Some include the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) and the American Council on Exercise. If you’re wondering which personal trainer certification is best, the best thing to do is check in with gyms around your area to see what they look for. Even if you don’t intend on working for those particular gyms (or if you want to be an independent personal trainer), it can give you an impression as to which personal trainer certification exams will be most worth the money.

That’s another important fact about personal trainer certification exams. They are usually going to cost you money. Some personal trainer certification programs may include the exam fee in with the fee for the course overall. Others will not. You’ll need to budget for the fees, although they shouldn’t be that expensive. Some personal trainer certification tests might come at a discount if you qualify for financial assistance, or something like that.

Larger certification programs, such as NCSF, offer the tests at certain times at certain locations. You will have to schedule ahead of time. Be sure you can get to the testing location on time, as many personal trainer certification exams will not refund your money if you are a no show for the test.

You may be wondering how someone might prepare for a personal trainer certification exam. Thankfully, it’s very easy to find sample test questions for these exams. See if the test provider has a website, as usually you can find online sample exam questions. Take as many of these as you can. Also, don’t rely on just the sample questions if you plan on acing the personal trainer certification exam. Read up on any course materials you might have.

Common test prep procedures will be helpful when preparing for a personal trainer certification exam. Remember to get plenty of rest the night before your exam. As a candidate for a personal trainer certification, you should know how to take care of your own body and mind to ensure that you receive nothing but the highest marks on your personal trainer certification exam.

Becoming a personal trainer is a fantastic idea for one of the fastest growing occupations today. As health officials have deemed the world as unfit and unhealthy, more and more people are turning to personal trainers to get into shape. A personal trainer can offer the best workout and diet for specific body types. They will make sure that exercises are being done properly to target, build, and sculpt muscles. To achieve this career, certification is necessary.

Five Easy Steps to Become Certified

1. Must have high school diploma or equivalent degree and be of at least 18 years of age.
2. Self evaluation of character- Before pursuing a career as a personal trainer, it is best to evaluate yourself first. A personal trainer should be someone who is motivational, physically fit, and has a high level of energy. These three characteristics are important as a personal trainer is a role model to someone who is seeking to become physically fit.
3. Choose a school- There are many different schools and ways to achieve certification. You will want to pick the one that best fits your learning capabilities and lifestyle. You may also want to ask your potential employers in your area which route of education they prefer. There are online courses as well as vocational schooling. Build your career on solid ground with an accredited educator.
4. Become CPR and AED certified- Personal trainers may often be involved in training persons with orthopedic disabilities or chronic heart conditions so it is important to be able to provide resuscitative skills. You will be required to show proof prior to taking the CPT. You must also be able to provide a hands on training of CPR and AED.
5. Sit for the NSCA- CPT- This standardized national test was developed at the peak of fitness training in 1993.

What is the CPT?
The CPT is the certification test for personal trainers. The certified personal trainer exam consists of a 3 hour exam containing 140 scored multiple choice questions and 10 non scored multiple choice questions.

Number of questions

Client Consultation/Assessment 32
Program Planning 45
Techniques of Exercise 45
Safety, Emergency Procedures, and Legal Issues 18
Non scored questions 10
Total 150

*35 of those questions are based upon a video that pertains to knowledge about exercise techniques, functional anatomy, and fitness testing protocols.

Each section of the test is comprised of information learned in course study classes. The focused areas are designed to make sure that the personal trainer is well equipped to handle the job function.

The client consultation/ assessment covers the first interview with a client to discuss their personal expectations and evaluate health and medical history concerns.

While program planning, the personal trainer must be able to set goals that meet the individuals desired results. Proper program planning could also entail specialized adaptations for personalized results. In other words if a client is unable to participate in a certain part of the plan, the personal trainer must be able to access the situation and provide an alternate plan.

Techniques of exercise will express different modes of exercise. They include free weights, exercise machines that provide resistance and cardiovascular challenges. The techniques will also address non mechanical exercises such as stretching, yoga, and palates.

To deal with concerns of liability, safety, emergency procedures, and legal responsibilities will train the individual in CPR, proper precautions to take prior to exercising, and attention to detail. It will also inform the personal trainer of their rights.

The certification is offered both by online testing or paper and pencil testing. Both forms of the exam must be proctored and you must find out where the host exam will be held.

When you show up for the exam, a required fee of $235 for the written or $285 for the computer based test must be presented if you are a member of the NSCA. For non members the fees are $370 and $420 respectively. If you fail the exam, you can retake it for a fee of $185 or $235 for members. Non members will pay $320 or $370 to retake the exam.