Apologies if you came here hoping to see Cat contorting herself into some crazy yoga pose while hanging upside down from a piece of gym equipment/household furniture/light fitting [delete as appropriate]. I’m Cat’s boyfriend, Rob, the one who’s normally taking the pictures while hoping our amateurishly assembled IKEA shelf is sturdy enough to cope with being used as a gymnastics bar.
So… hello!
What am I doing here? Well, when Discovery Learning asked Cat if she’d be interested in studying to be a personal trainer, she said, “Yes, but I know someone who’d be even more keen”.
That person is me.
I’ve been going to the gym on-and-off (but mainly on) for the last 14 years, and have always wanted to know more about it. I want to know what I’ve been doing right and wrong. I want to understand why some people find it easy to change their body, while others find it almost impossible. I want to know enough to cut through all the contradictions and hyperbole pumped out by so many fitness magazines. When friends come to me for health and fitness advice, as they sometimes do, I’d like to feel confident that I can help them.
I only started the Gym Instructor course a month ago, so it’s early days, but it’s already been a real eye-opener. The first thing that took me by surprise was how much there is to learn. I must admit that I thought qualifying as a personal trainer would be easy. I thought all you needed was a pair of Nike trainers, a whistle, and the ability to mutter “keep going, just two more reps” while gazing disinterestedly in the opposite direction.
I was wrong.
So very, very wrong.
I’m doing the Discovery Learning PT course part-time, which means doing most of the studying at home, before attending the Discovery Learning centre for a few sessions and then the assessments.
When the course manuals turned up, I thought they’d sent me a sequel to War and Peace by mistake. 162 pages in one manual, plus a further 132 in another, and that’s just for the Level 2 Gym Instructor qualification. There’s another whopping pack for the Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification I’m doing afterwards. I have a newfound respect for personal trainers! There are online videos you can watch, if that better suits your way or learning.
After a brief panic, I set about breaking down the different sections to ensure I’d have enough time to learn everything in time. There’s also four pieces of coursework that have to be submitted a week before your first day of actual attendance. It’s daunting, but if you want to fit the course around work and other commitments, the part-time course is a great option, provided you have the time and self-discipline to knuckle down and do the work.
I’ll let you know how I get on with the exams, which are coming up scarily quickly! In the meantime, if you’ve already studied to be a gym instructor or are thinking about doing so, let me know. I’d really appreciate any advice.
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Hey all, it’s Cat, just thought I’d say hi. I’m so excited that we’ve partnered with Discovery Learning on this and that I’ll soon be living under the same roof as a qualified PT… no excuses not to work out!
Love, Cat x