Singapore Personal Trainer » Personal Training

Fitness Personal Trainer Certification – which one?

sharm — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:12:03 +0000

I have one of the best professions in the world – I help others change and improve their lives as a fitness personal trainer, teacher, lecturer and consultant here in Singapore. If you love fitness and want to pursue a job like this – you’d want to first get yourself certified by a reputable academic institution – one that provides you with the education that covers all aspect of fitness and wellness. These courses usually take 3 to 6 months to complete, and there are both theory and practical exams.

Being in the fitness industry here in Singapore since 1998, I’ve been approached by many younger ‘trainers’ asking me how to get more trainers – my answer to them is (1) Education and (2) Results from your current clients.

While having a Basic Exercise Course certificate is good – it is not enough. You’re on the right track, but please continue with the next certification. You’ll need to learn more in order to prescribe exercise to the different populations here. Breadth and depth – learn as many areas that’s related to fitness (general, biomechanics, motor skills, exercise phsysiology, exercise psychology, theories and practice of fitness coaching / instructions, etc) and learn deep enough. Learning how to do 100 types of crunches is not enough.

First, get yourself CPR and AED certified.

Here are some that you can *start* with, if you’re on a tight budget.

Local

Singapore Sports Council

In addition to the certificate in fitness, I strongly recommend that you take up the NCAP courses – they teach you pedagogy and coaching skills that you can employ when you meet the different types of clients.

Diploma and Degrees

ITEs and polytechnics have sports and fitness related courses. Google it and find the one that you like to pursue.

I personally like the one that is offered by Nanyang Technological University, National Institute of Education. You’ll need to sign a bond of 3 or 4 years with the Ministry of Education as a Physical Education Teacher though. They not also teach you all things fitness, you’ll also learn pedagogy and sports (lots of them).

Nanyang Technological University

Initial Teacher Training Programme (with Bond)

Higher Degree By Coursework with Dissertation OR By Coursework only (part-time) (with

Master of Science (Exercise & Sport Studies) (I’m undergoing this one right now – 70% done!!)
Master of Science (by Research) (Full time / Part time)
Doctor of Philosophy (Full time / Part time)

New courses by NTU (No Bond)

Sports Science and Management

Overseas certifications

In order to be an expert, you’ll need to be a specialist – save some money and invest in these certifications overseas. My suggestion is to aim to take one certification every two or three years.

My top choices for US based fitness education providers.

ACSM – American College Of Sports Medicine
(Founded in 1954, ACSM’s members’ diversity and expertise makes it the largest, most respected sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world – their exams are also known to be very difficult)

ACSM Certified Personal Trainer
ACSM Health and Fitness Instructor (You’ll need a degree to sit for this)
ACSM Exercise Specialist
ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist

NSCA – National Strength And Conditioning Association

Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT)

NASM – National Academy Of Sports Medicine

Performance Enhancement Specialist

ACE – American Council On Exercise

Group Fitness Instructor Certification
Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant Certification
Clinical Exercise Specialist Certification
Specialty Certification – Peer Fitness Trainer Certification Program

Other US fitness education providers

ISSA – International Sports Science Association

Certified Fitness Trainer (CFT)

CI – Cooper Institute

NCSF – National Council On Strength And Fitness

NFPT – National Federation Of Personal Trainers

There you have it. So many to choose from – the key is to choose your certifications correctly. Choose one that makes you an expert. There are other degrees offered here in Singapore via distance learning – such as those from ECU and Blackburn Uni – check them out and do some research before committing. Be careful though – there are some other ‘certifications’ online that’s US$49.90 – these certifications require you to do a mini survey and within minutes, you’ll get your certificate! What a joke.

True fitness professionals who serve their clients well spend years upgrading themselves cognitively. Stand on the shoulders of giants.

Join me

Yours in health and fitness,

Sharm
TeamFitnessGuru.com

Sharm (Hisham Musa) is a fitness consultant in Singapore to many high profile clients since 1998. He is equipped with a Master of Science (Exercise and Sports Studies) degree from Nanyang Technological University, (NTU) with 7 distinctions. He also has a Bachelor’s degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Postgraduate in Physical Education and Sports Science from NTU. Armed with international certifications, memberships and affiliations with the American College of Sports Medicine & National Academy of Sports Medicine, he stays current with the latest in the fitness and nutrition industry. He is NCAP 3* certified and is undergoing TRX Master Trainer development. His expertise have been featured in ChannelNewsAsia’s documentary – Vanity the Slim Society, Ch5 & Ch8 Lose To Win Reality TV, The Straits Times, & The Sunday Times. Magazines: Shape, Timeout, Women’s Weekly (Panel of Experts), The Finder, Her World. He is the owner of FitnessBootcamp.sg – the most creative fun group fitness workouts that has more than 500 individual signups in 5 months, with clients losing 10kgs of FAT in 3 months. Sharm shares how you can lose weight and get fit fast at Teamfitnessguru.com

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How to choose a good Personal Trainer?

sharm — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:52:50 +0000

In most countries, there are no regulations for the personal training industry, ANYONE can be a personal trainer. As such, you need to be very careful in choosing one. Having the wrong personal trainer can be dangerous (read: Permanent long term injuries). My team and I have had new clients getting us as their trainers as the ones that they had were either not producing results or causing them injuries.

We’re not biased – yes we’re good, qualified and experienced, but there are many good trainers out there too. Read on and learn who you should choose.

Testimonials - Get genuine testimonials from their existing clients. As above, anyone can put a before and after photo (which they can buy online) on their website. You’d want to find those that are unscripted and unbiased

Certifications - Anybody can call themselves a trainer, as such you should be very careful in choosing one. Find one who is preferably certified internationally -such as those from American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) or National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). These certification bodies are reputable and trainers need to put in a lot of hours studying before getting certified. Their exams are usually stringent. Good personal trainers usually have multiple certifications to their name.

In house certifications from private gyms may be good – but nowhere close to certifications from neutral fitness bodies.

Diplomas and Degrees - Choose one that have a diploma or better still a degree in sports science or exercise. These trainers are serious about exercise and devote lots of time learning about physical fitness and exercise. Check which institutions their diplomas from – get a personal trainer from a reputed college.

Ability to teach the exercises & Teaching Certifications -National Coaching Accredition Practice (NCAP) – Anybody can learn and get certified. Get one that can use what they learn and TEACH you in an effective manner. This is a national program and is run by the Singapore Sports Council. There are also personal trainers with teaching diplomas and degrees too, look out for these. Your personal training sessions would with him/her will be of higher quality as he can impart and share his knowledge better that the average trainer.

Experience - The longer the experience in personal training and coaching the trainer has, the higher the chances that he is mature in this field and able to work with you, especially if he has experience in working with different populations (different types of people – body types/injuries/goals). Beware of fly by night trainers who try to make an extra buck. Get full time fitness professionals to give you professional advice. Remember, part time trainers means you’ll get part time service!

Trainers in Big Fitness Centres – Many trainers start out from these big fitness centres as they do not have a client base to start a career. So by joining a gym, they get referrals and personal training assignments by members who sign up at the gyms. What’s disturbing is that there might be some who are not qualified in fitness but are employed in these gyms – they go through a 1 or 2 weeks crash course in fitness and gets certified by the in house senior trainer.

These new trainers published rates at these gyms may also be very high – starting from $80 to $100 per session. A little secret to share – most in house trainers get 25 to 45% of what you pay them – the balance goes to the fitness centres.

The trainers who are confident in their services usually move out of these gyms and have slightly higher asking rates. They also do not share with any mega gyms and the payment you make to them goes to them straight. Which means, you pay the same amount but your trainer gets a higher pay than those working full time in gyms – the amount they deserve.

Professional development: Scientific researches happen everyday. In the process of selecting your trainer, ask him what he is doing / will do about this professional development. How updated is he with regards to new knowledge?

Cost: You get what you pay for. Here you can hire trainers for $20 an hour. Please think before signing up with them, and check if they have what it takes to be one. Professional trainers earn $80 to $500 an hour. That being said, be careful when choosing trainers who overcharge – rates should match level of education, experience, clientele profile, etc.

Knowledge about how to adapt a training program to special populations, and to work around injuries. Exercise prescription skill in a trainer is essential if you want to see your results fast without getting any injuries. Ask him how to work with the current injuries (if you have any). Usually personal trainers who are certified as mentioned above are able to work with different populations as they are trained to do so during the certification process.

Creativity - A personal trainer who is able to give you multiple programs will add variety to your workouts. If not, they can be quite mundane and the possibility of you losing interest in your exercise program.

Professionalism and courtesy -Every trainer should abide by a code of ethics – check out his website or ask him about ethical issues that he believes in. Proper personal training is about achieving your fitness goals effectively, efficiently and professionally.

Talk the talk and walk the walk – Your trainer should practice what he preaches. Be careful though – there are trainers who look good but are on steroids – huge biceps and body by injecting harmful substances in their bodies. As steroids help increase the body’s adapation to exercise, many ineffective and dangerous exercises may seem to work for them – but not for you. Different strokes for dfferent folks.

These ‘trainers’ may be doing contraindicative exercises (such as over the shoulder lat pull down and jacknife exercises) and teaching them to you. Be careful!

Champions / Winners – With all due respect to my friends who are Champion athletes and bodybuilders, you have to be careful in your selection. You’d want to hire the trainer or coach who created these champions. Champion athletes are excellent (read: The Best) in their sport, but may not have the pedagogy skills necessary to work with you. Ensure he/she has a valid fitness trainer / instructor certification and a track record of the clients that he’s been successful with. I know there who have them, but there are those who don’t.

“I was fat, now I’m thin – if I can, so can you”- Yes and No. Dietary and exercise intervention could be different for you, and may not work on you. A good trainer will be able to prescribe the right exercises that takes into account your needs and situation – body type, lifestyle, environment, resources (time) and motivation level to name a few.

Doing and teaching / coaching are two separate things altogether

Written by Sharm.
Copyright TeamFitnessGuru.com™ 2009

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Bootcamp your way to Fitness

sharm — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:57:26 +0000

Originally written for Women’s Weekly Magazine, December 2009.

Bootcamp Your Way to Fitness. Written by Sharm.

Q1. How long have you been running bootcamp classes?

I’ve been running bootcamps since 1998. Back then, they were simply called ‘Outdoor Group Fitness Training’. Essentially the workouts are similar – I employ both resistance, aerobic and anaerobic exercises in my workout programs to get to my clients’ results fast. To complement that, I also helped others achieve their fitness goals by designing and conducting individualised fitness programs such as personal training and fitness consultation – which includes diet monitoring, exercise prescription, managing motivation and adherence to their fitness programs. Partnering with other fitness professionals and sports scientists with diplomas, bachelors, masters and PhDs, our workouts for our clients have proven to be both efficient and effective.

Q2. Have you seen an increase in interest in bootcamp training, especially among women? Why do you think this is so?

The fitness goal for most ladies I meet is to lose weight and get toned. Physiologically speaking, they want to lose the stored fat in their body, and gain some lean muscle. Needless to say, the workouts also improve strength, cardiovascular ability, flexibility, confidence/mental well being, while reducing the incidence of depression, heart diseases (including stroke and high blood pressure) and high cholesterol. While gym training is good, more women are going outdoors to get their results faster. With more variety in the exercises and luxury of open space, working out has never been so fun!

Q3. What advantages has this sort of training have?

a) Working outdoors means fresh air and the feeling of freedom as compared to the claustrophobic nature of gyms and fitness studios.

b) You’ll get to workout as a group, get to know people, have fun and network!

c) It’s affordable! By working out as a group means you are able to share the cost of having a personal trainer. You’re getting an expert at only a fraction of the cost.

d) No huge equipment and no gym memberships required! You just need to bring water and a regular sized towel.

e) Start your day healthy! If you start working out the first things in the morning, your workout is done before you know it, and you have the whole day to do other important things.. such as shopping!

f) Start your day on a high as you allow a rush of endorphins through your body and thus helping you face the day ahead with a great smile and yes, body! Get outdoors and start your adrenaline pumping!

g) Knowing that you’ve burned at least 500-1000 calories the first thing in the morning, you’d think twice of eating those sinful stuff. Get results fast! With alternating intensities in the workouts, you’ll get excellent results in the shortest possible time. Just stick to the program, and watch the inches go! The 5 day program a week targets 2-4 kgs of fat loss and 2-3 inches off your waist!

h) Working out as a group brings out the best in us. The group itself provides healthy competition and motivation!

Q4. Why do you think women prefer this form of working out to going to the gym (usually men’s preference)?

In the US, ‘boot camp’ refers to our local context of ‘basic military training’ or BMT. As we all know, military boot camps are usually strenuous and tough – but they burn lots and lots of calories. Fitness boot camps, take on this idea and trainers modify these ‘military training’ type of activities and convert them to Fitness Boot Camps – which makes them safe for the general pupulation, but highly effective.

The gym can be quite intimidating to a lot of people, especially beginners. By being outdoors, the intimidation is reduced. Going to boot camp also ‘enlists’ you into a group that has the same goals – to get fit and lean. And as we know, working in a group allows us to synergize – in terms of motivation, discipline and energy levels during and after our workouts. We also share weekly reflections on our eating habits and physical activities – this keeps all of us in check.

Q5. How does bootcamp training work the body? Is it a complete body workout? Ie includes both cardio and strength training elements so you can boost cardiovascular strength as well as build/tone muscle?

Our bootcamp workouts work the entire body that results in a shapier you. It is definitely a complete body workout – includes cardiovascular, speed and endurance, partner resistance, strength training, stretching exercises, circuit training, running, power walking and agility activities – giving your mind and body the optimal fitness experience. The workouts will stretch your fitness horizons with fitness games, group challenges, wheelbarrow races, kickboxing, medicine ball drills, plyometrics, box drills, fartleks, obstacle course, guerilla drills, grass drills, and more than 15 versions of the military standard push-up and crunches! These exercises are modifiable and can be performed by anyone – from beginners to advanced fitness enthusiasts.

Q6. If women were to follow this workout that you have created, when will they start to see results?

Coupled with a balanced diet that produces a negative caloric intake (that means you burn more calories per day than what you consume) should result in a fat loss of about 2-4kgs a month. More importantly, you’ll be losing inches in 30 days. Do know that you need to eat smart and healthy too, in order to see results.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and American Heart Association (AHA) highly recommends that to lose weight or maintain weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity may be necessary (Negative caloric intake of about 1500 calories per day). They also recommend that we do eight to ten strength-training exercises, 10-15 repetitions of each exercise twice to three times per week. We champion ACSM and AHA’s recommendation and they have been proven to work!

Remember that weight loss will occur if energy needs exceed energy intake. Assuming a resting energy expenditure (REE) of one calorie per gram and a 2000-calorie per day, a realistic weight loss of one to two pounds per week can be achieved by reducing energy intake to 1000 – 1500 calories per day. You can now achieve this by eating healthier/lesser and doing the workouts shown below.

For best results, perform these exercises three to four times a week (with a day break in between). And increase the intensity for each exercise as soon as you can. Oh yes, please remember to eat healthy.

Sharm is a fitness consultant and personal trainer to many high profile clients since 1998. He is equipped with a Bachelor’s degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and postgraduate diploma in Physical Education and Sports Science from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Currently he is in the midst of completing his Masters of Science (Exercise and Sports Studies) program in NTU. He also has international certifications, memberships and affiliations with the American College of Sports Medicine & National Academy of Sports Medicine.

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Fitness and Diet Strategies for This Week (14th May 2009)

sharm — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:21:02 +0000

1. If you’re sick, REST. Exercising will only suppress your immune system. Start again when you’ve recovered.

2. Stretch to be flexible – it also reduces the chances of injury, and improve your fitness performance – for better form and range of motion.

3. Make daily notes of your exercise activities. Place them somewhere visible, such as your fridge. Aim to do better everyday.

4. To do a back exercise effectively , you’d first need to depress your shoulder blades (scapula), then execute the move.

5. Plan for a 29 minutes workout everyday if you’re pressed for time. Some movement is WAY better than no movement

6. Do fun activities (workout/sports/games) with friends – working out with peers/family brings about better exercise adherence

7. If ‘exercise’ turns you off, do ‘fun’ things instead – cycling, skating, playing catch, walk the dog. Get moving and start playing!

8. Top 3 suggestions from survey done by 1,000 ACE PTs on best techniques to get fit. Strength,Interval,Aerobic training.

9. Include protein sources to your meals – protein preserves muscle mass, keeps you feeling full and increases metabolism.

10. We’re easily confused between hunger & thirst – we look 4 food & calories instead of getting water (that’s what we need).

For more tips and strategies on fitness and fat loss, you can also add me on twitter @efitnessguru

Sharm is a fitness consultant and personal trainer to many high profile clients since 1998. He is equipped with a Bachelor’s degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Postgraduate in Physical Education and Sports Science from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Currently he is in the midst of completing his Masters of Science (Exercise and Sports Studies) program in NTU. He also has international certifications, memberships and affiliations with the American College of Sports Medicine & National Academy of Sports Medicine. His expertise have been featured in ChannelNewsAsia’s documentary – Vanity the Slim Society, The Straits Times, & The Sunday Times. Magazines: Shape, Timeout, Women’s Weekly, The Finder, Her World.

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