Making It Fit
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday December 8, 1999
The point
Exercise is here to stay and the pressure to get fit and stay healthy is getting stronger. Personal training is just one profession to benefit from the push.
Already the boom area in the health and fitness industry, personal training could skyrocket if a little notepad sitting in NSW doctors' surgeries gets wider use.
Under NSW Health's recent Active Practice Project, GPs have been asked to prescribe exercise to patients who need it. At present, the recommendation of exercise is up to individual doctors, but the Heart Foundation is marketing the scrips to doctors. Similar schemes are planned in Victoria, South Australia and WA.
"If every GP prescribed exercise then there would be a big potential market for fitness leaders," says Professor Adrian Bauman, from the Department of Community Medicine at UNSW.
Personal trainers have been available in Australia for 15 years, but their workload has boomed since gyms shifted away from providing regular one-to-one advice.
According to Ian Grainger, the chief executive officer of Fitness NSW, another reason for the popularity of personal trainers is that people are more likely to follow an exercise regime if they have company.
"Once you've got the commitment of someone else, you tend to follow it through," he says.
Personal trainers usually operate from gyms and fitness centres, providing one-on-one assistance and advice at an hourly rate, which is on top of gym membership fees. They rent space and equipment from the centre and earn between $40 and $80 an hour.
Many personal trainers also work with clients in their homes, or accompany them on outdoor workouts for between $80 and $100 an hour.
Although there are no legal qualification requirements to work as personal trainer, most have a swag of minor qualifications and a commitment to ongoing training.
To be registered by Fitness NSW, you must do a 60-hour Fitness Leader "core" course. This must be followed by a 30-hour elective in fitness instruction and personal training. Registration is valid for three years and can only be renewed under a credit points system which requires regular study.
Personal trainers must also take out professional indemnity and public liability insurance as well as undertaking a WorkCover-approved first aid certificate, which must be updated each year.
Even if you have done all of the above, you may struggle without good people skills.
"You are providing emotional support and motivation, so you need strong customer service and communication skills as well," says Dr Paul Batman, director of the Fitness Institute Australia.
The corporate sector is increasingly a source of work for fitness instructors who implement staff fitness programs, or take groups for exercise-based team-building sessions. There is also a demand for personal trainers to assist in delivering exercise programs for the elderly and those recovering from serious illnesses.
Adding a degree to fitness instructor qualifications and experience can open up career possibilities in a range of specialised fields such as gym management, physical education teaching, fitness consultancy or lecturing and rehabilitation.
A current Fitness Leader registration can be a plus when applying for a health sciences degree such as physiotherapy or exercise science - although a good academic record is more important.
"If you are interested, you can keep moving higher and higher on a career path and gain new expertise," says Linda Tapsell, an associate professor in health and behavioural sciences at the University of Wollongong.
STARTING OUT
Vanessa Porter
Title Personal trainer and fitness instructor at Healthland Fitness International, Sylvania.
Age 22.
What you do? I see about four clients a day, either setting a fitness program or working out with them. A typical session involves weights, a bike or cross training machine workout and stretching. I assist the centre's physiotherapist and take "aerobox" classes.
Salary It varies - from $300 to $800 a week.
Qualifications Sports science degree and fitness leader core course (both UNSW).
Job history Trained Ian Thorpe's Aquadot swim team at Sutherland for three years and also took primary-school children for fitness training for a year.
Highs The satisfaction of helping somebody achieve a real change in their life.
Lows Lack of sleep at this time of year - everybody wants to get fit for summer.
Ambitions I'm part of an innovative new idea that's going to change personal training. I'd like to stay and grow with the company.
TOP JOB
Hugh Black
Title Personal trainer, head of promotions and marketing for Regenesis Health and Fitness, Double Bay.
Age 37.
What you do? Design and conduct personalised fitness routines for up to eight people a day, six days a week. Typical sessions include a warm-up, stretching, weights and an aerobic workout. Madonna, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Barnes and Mark Lizotte have been clients.
Salary Up to $100 an hour.
Qualifications Fitness leader core course and fitness instructor elective (Fitness Institute Australia).
Job history Trainee police officer, porter, concierge, actor and model. Worked for Healthland, Frogs For Fitness and Regenesis before going into personal training.
Highs The variety - every day's different because every client is different. I also love the people contact.
Lows I don't have time to train myself and I don't really want to train because it's not like taking a break - it's like taking my office with me. So I have to work hard not to get fat and lazy.
Ambition I want to keep working as a personal trainer, expand on the promotions and marketing side of things and perhaps do some more acting.
COURSES
TAFE
phone 131 601
www.tafensw.edu.au
Fitness courses cost $105 each.
Australian Fitness Network
phone 9908 4944
www.globalfit.net.
Fitness Institute Australia
phone 9212 7185.
phone 9908 4944
www.globalfit.net.
Fitness Institute Australia
phone 9212 7185.
UNSW
phone 9385 2557
www.unsw.edu.au
Bachelor of Science (Health and Sports Science).
University of Sydney
Phone 9351 9612
www.usyd.edu.au
Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise and Sports Science).
University of Wollongong
Phone (02) 4221 3881
www.uow.edu.au
Bachelor of Science (Exercise Science and/or Nutrition), Bachelor of Exercise Science and Rehabilitation and Master of Science (Nutrition/Dietetics and Exercise Science).
Upfront full-time HECS fees for undergrad degrees range from $3,700 to $4,932 a year.
© 1999 Sydney Morning Herald