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Old Forum Personal Trainer

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dobie

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Any trainers out there that are kettlebell certified, Has the certification helped, improved your business?  How so?

Thanks,

 

Brian
 
I have been a coach and trainer for almost 10 years.  I am a CSCS;  and have no other formal credentials.  I cannot emphasis enough that the answer to your question is an absolute yes.  The more you expose yourself  to learning and growing, the more tools you will have that can set you apart from your competitors.  Every seminar, lecture, podcast, video, book, etc. that I have exposed myself to has helped me tremendously.  You will always at least learn 1 valuable if not several lessons or ways to approach the fitness continuum by exposing yourself to new tools and strategies.
 
Brian,

A great question. Here’s my take on it, all I ssk is that you read this in its entirety.

We have a terrific law firm that deals with many of the issues a company like StrongFirst must negotiate as we grow and prosper. Several of the lawyers are Harvard educated, but I’ve never asked to see their law school transcripts, the quality of their education and experience shows in the work they produce for us.

I have associates who have attended prestigious medical schools and have done fellowships with top tier institutions. Their patients never ask to see the degrees, the time and talent these professionals have invested in learning quality patient care is reflected in the results these patients receive. When they refer a patient to me, the quality of their work acts as a confirmation in the patient’s mind that I am at the same level at my perspective game. The work required to attain and maintain my SFG Certification gave me the skill set to have those docs trust me with their patients.

I have, in addition to my SFG Certification, a number of certifications from NCAA sanctioned organizations. When I meet a new student or a referred patient, I never introduce myself as an SFG, NSCA, ACSM, or FMS ceritifed instructor, I introduce myself as Mark. The strength of my SFG title shows through even before they see my card that proudly displays my StrongFirst Certification.

What a StrongFirst Certification provides is the very best, and I mean the very best, instructor education to teach, use correctives, and progress a student toward his or her goals.

I love to use Jon Engum as an example. An Eighth Degree TKD Master, Jon has the experience and background that earns him respect. His skills and abilities as a teacher and martial artist may very well matter more to his students than the title he has worked so diligently to attain.

Geoff Neupert’s background in Division I powerlifting, Rif’s gymnastic training, Michael Hartle’s DC, the list goes on and on of the people who have put in the time to hone and perfect their craft as professionals. The certifications and accolades are the accompanying features of their work. The benefits are what they can do for the people with whom they come in contact. What’s more important is the value of their presence within the StrongFirst brotherhood and the strength they provide behind an SFG Certification.

But one has to put in the time.

Let’s get specific about an SFG Certification. There is no organization that has as complete a program to teach you to how to instruct kettlebells as StrongFirst, and the same goes for our Body Weight and Barbell Certifications. Come to a Level I SFG Certification and you’ll get a manual derived from years of experience from Pavel and the StrongFirst leadership. You’ll meet people at every level of this industry; experienced and successful business owners, clinicians and folks just starting out. Their collective life experience is yours to draw from, to learn from. You’ll meet peers who become friends, mentors and associates. Maybe like me, your certification could mark a turning point in your life, the finding of a new calling, a new chapter. Yes, there’s a certificate at the end, if you work hard enough and apply yourself, but the substance behind that certificate goes much deeper.

Attendees at the Level II met the head of R&D from one of the world’s largest nutritional manufacturers. They learned the importance of embracing and using an assessment not only to separate themselves from the pack, but to have a material impact on the lives of their students. Oh yeah, they worked themselves pretty hard to learn more advanced kettlebell drills, but they took away so much more…if they chose to do so.

There’s a saying that education is like a watch. You need only display it when someone asks you for the time, and so it is with any certification or degree. If your watch is of poor quality, the answer you give someone may be flawed. It’s important to have a quality timepiece.

StrongFirst is that quality timepiece, it is the starting point for the best information when a student needs direction and answers in reaching his or her athletic goals.

My SFG Certification is on my wall. Some students see it, others may not. What every one of them sees is the product of that certificate and my continued involvement with StrongFirst. More importantly, I see that certificate, and every time I do, I am reminded that every one of my actions reflect on each of the members of StrongFirst. It is a daily reminder of my responsibility to my Brothers and Sisters in Iron, my motivation to keep my standards high, my skill set honed.

I love the line from Men in Black when Will Smith’s character asks Tommy Lee Jones if becoming an MIB is worth it. His answer, “Oh yeah, it’s worth it…if you’re strong enough” says it all.
 
As others have said, nobody asks to look at your certificates. People look for competence, and even if you don't know about a topic, you can see when someone's competent in it.

The kettlebell coaching certificates I've done, along with lots of practice in performing and coaching them, has made me a better coach of movement, and thus has carried over into other kinds of physical training. And the PT's job is to teach correct movement.

The simple fact is that if you

show up on time
can coach a squat and a pushup
record the person's workouts
progress the resistance

then you are in the top 10% of personal trainers. A kettlebell coaching certification contributes to the second point, and greatly builds on it. The paper doesn't mean much - I did a Starting Strength seminar and didn't get the piece of paper, I still learned a lot and this helped my clients immensely.

Competence in teaching correct movement. Competence shows.
 
Mark,

Nice way of looking at it.  So true.  Thanks for the response.

Brian
 
Having been around awhile, and recently retiring from an intellectually challenging profession, I will add a hearty "amen!" to all that Mark said. Our culture badly over-values credentials, although those credentials in and of themselves  may be valid. Conversely, we undervalue performance, wisdom, and leadership. It is those three values that led me to Pavel's work and to the SF community.

A few years back, when I first began strength training, I thought I could learn a lot by becoming certified through a well-known certification program. After studying for several months I easily passed the written test (all that was required for the certification). That made me employable in the fitness industry but I knew in my heart that I had no business training anyone with my new certification.  I let that certification expire without ever training anyone. My own training didn't improve with the cert either.

Now I am getting stronger daily doing (what else) swings and getups. I have learned more about getting strong from Pavel's writings (especially S&S) and this forum than from all of my other studies combined, with the exception of some of the Master SFG's work.

One final observation. My SFG trainer (who will remain unnamed as he participates on this forum) came back from his SFG certification a better teacher. He was still enthusiastic as ever, but I could sense an increased maturity and humility in him that was quite noticable. All because of the preparation for the cert and a weekend spent with some really wise dudes and dudettes.

I don't know if I could ever earn the SFG cert, but if I could I would consider it one of the great achievements of my life.  I know I would be a better man for it.

Do it even if you never train anyone.

Jim
 
Jim makes a great point.  Even though I have earned the CSCS, it never prepared me for the real world (not knocking the NSCA, I have maintained my certification and still learn a lot from that organization).  But frankly, I have gained so much more understanding from forums, mentors, books, videos, magazines etc.  I have learned the most from actual mileage in the field and my own empirical data I have kept on my clients.
 
Jim, that's a rare quality, being able to gauge your own competence and act responsibly.

Whenever I go to a commercial gym, it's obvious all the trainers are a lot smarter than me.  Otherwise, I would be able to understand what the hell they're doing.
 
Trainers, has the meteoric rise of Crossfit hurt your business? Or can you tell any difference? With the Reebok and ESPN exposure, I figured it may hurt fitness professionals who aren't affiliated with Crossfit. Just curious as I am seriously considering doing the StrongFirst Certs, and soon.
 
Matt,

Thanks. I've been teaching different things for a long time but I've come to the point where I won't teach anything unless I truly believe it will help the trainee.

My wife and I are wintering in Texas and I am doing my training at a commercial gym. I am saddened by the nonsense I see going on around me under the guise of "personal training". There I am over in the corner every day doing my 100 swings and 5 get-ups per side. People stare at me as if I had just dropped in from Mars. It's teaching me to put on my "game face" while training to avoid interuptions. I'll be glad when it warms up enough for me to train outside the RV.

Jim
 
Jim,

So you are a winter Texan!  There are a lot of those where I live.  Where are you?
 
Jeffrey,

We're in Fredericksburg. We've been coming here for 20 years and still love it. This is our first full winter, however.

Jim
 
Fredericksburg is a beautiful area.  Great vacation or retirement place, but not too many people can live there and have a career.  I recently moved to Corpus Christi.  Lots of winter Texans here.  CC does not have the obvious beauty that Fredericksburg has, but if you like fishing, sailing, birding, kayaking, kiteboarding, sailboarding, or other water related activities it can be nice.
 
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