Ian White
Job title Fitness professional
Employer Fitpro
What does a fitness professional do?
A fitness professional instructor/personal trainer coaches groups or individuals in exercise activities and the fundamentals of sports (e.g., weight training, cardiovascular programmes, aerobics). They demonstrate techniques and methods of participation, observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary to improve their skills and fitness goals.
What does a typical day involve?
• One-to-one personal exercise tuition and coaching • One-to-one nutrition consultations (from eating programmes to supplement regimes for health and vitality, fat loss, muscle gain and health issues) • In-depth health assessments (including body composition analysis, blood pressure and heart rate, fitness tests, and full blood analysis for any issue people wish to investigate and deal with utilising our extensive knowledge) • Corporate programmes to enhance health within the workplace • Motivational techniques to maximise positive attitude towards goals and, indeed, life
What do you enjoy most about your job?
It allows individuals to work with people ranging from out-of-shape beginners to elite world champions in many sports and travel worldwide. It is constantly challenging so you will feel as if you are constantly learning, which is a great aspect to the profession. You also achieve self-fulfilment in helping other people achieve their goals. Theoretically, you can manage/create your own diary if you decide to become a freelancer either in personal training or group exercise or both.
What qualifications do you recommend?
There are a lot of different fitness instructor/personal training courses available. Fitness Professionals is the largest and most respected association for fitness industry professionals in the world. No matter what your specialist area – group fitness, resistance training, kids, management, personal training – FitPro has the programmes, publications, products and services you need to succeed. FitPro offers you a chance to become qualified on our unique courses, which will enable you to stand out from the rest of the crowd and be much more employable to both big and small employers.