Attention Coaches: It Takes Deliberate Studying To Be a Real Pro
Last modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago.
Unlike other professions, like medicine and aviation, fitness professionals do not have a licensing board that holds them to a strong performance standard.
Getting a personal-training certification does not mean that you will have a strong working knowledge of your profession. It is really up to you to hold yourself to a higher standard.
Unfortunately, this won’t guarantee that people will appreciate you or your work. That’s not unique to fitness, though. When I hear a song, I just say, ‘Wow, that’s pretty damn good!’ I don’t know what goes into making a great song. Like everyone else, I have my own tastes, anyway. Mozart, Elvis, and Frank Sinatra were terrific musicians, but I’m not usually jamming to their music, though.
Maybe this is why I have run into my fair share of fitness professionals that do not know the structures of the human body or how they work.
They can’t name the muscles that connect to the shoulder blade (scapula). A physical therapist wouldn’t be able to pass the baton to these coaches, either, because they don’t know what the heck shoulder impingement or a supraspinatus muscle are.
I once even met a coach at a high-end fitness studio that was proud that he didn't read books or educate himself. He believed he could learn everything just by observing other coaches in the gym.
Coaches like that can help clients with basic needs. However, there’s a definite ceiling to the clients they can help, the problems they can tackle, and ultimately, the solutions that they can provide, which is what people really care about.
That’s the ultimate question from clients . . .
“Can you help me solve my problem?”
Some people present more-complex problems. If you don’t know your stuff, you won’t be able to help them competently. It would be like them asking a person dressed as a pilot on Halloween to fly a real plane. They might look the part, but it’s just a facade.
Yes, you should look the part and be in solid shape. But deliberate studying over time is what it takes to get past just looking the part of a fitness professional.
I am about to give you a gem of information here, too…
You don’t have to get a master’s degree in exercise science, or even, a bachelor’s degree, either! I did those things, because I love to learn. I loved studying and learning about the human body. But it’s not necessary to go to college and study exercise science. (Feel free to email me if you are thinking about an exercise-science major).
Just get yourself a good anatomy book and learn all the major structures and muscles of the body and how they work.
Imagine you are getting ready to teach what you know to a class of 15 year olds. That’s at least the level of understanding that you want to achieve.
I recommend getting a tutor, as well. Hire a physical therapist or anyone with a strong knowledge of anatomy and physiology to tutor you. They’ll help you stay focused and let you know if you are making genuine progress in your understanding of the human body. Otherwise, it may be easy to fool yourself.
I get tutoring myself. My good friend is a physical therapist. I pester him to study with me at least once per week to review and talk everything movement and exercise.
Some things you will have to just memorize. But memorize as little as possible! Instead, strive to understand the structures and functions. For example, if you know where a muscle connects, you won’t have to memorize its movements, because you will be able to deduce these things from knowing its attachment points. Also, you will be able to understand when a muscle can move efficiently or not, depending on how many joints it crosses (that’s “sufficiency”). (Just a few examples).
Once you know your stuff with anatomy and physiology, how you go about learning the rest of your craft is up to you.
There are so many videos, books, courses, and resources available to educate you. Regularly study these things, especially the ones that you find interesting. That’s also a way that you can find your own niche.
But do learn the structures of the human body and how they work. Take this task seriously. Get a tutor, at the minimum. It’s worth the investment, while costing a lot less than getting a bachelor’s degree.
Your clients will appreciate you for it, even if they don’t know why you’re so damn good at your job. In the long run, that means more money in your pocket, too.