Over the years I’ve had a few people ask me what made we want to become a Personal Trainer.
The short answer is I kind of fell into it.
If that’s all the info you need then great, however if you want a bit of context then keep reading – it’s a pretty interesting story.
As some of you may know I did a degree in Sport Psychology. When it came to applying for university my main thought process was ‘Yeah that module of sport science was pretty interesting, I’ll study that’.
I enjoyed the course but I needed to do a masters degree if I wanted to become a Sport Psychologist. By that point I’d had a gutful of education so that was out of the question and I had no idea what I wanted to do next. I had begun the application process to work in a hotel gym in Thailand for a year through some company but I eventually decided against it (I genuinely cannot remember why).
So, when coming home from uni in May 2018 I had no plan and no job lined up. I updated my CV and went around the local pubs hoping that one would take me in whilst I figured out what I wanted to do with my life.
The very first pub I walked into offered me a trial shift that Sunday, I must’ve done alright as they hired me off the back of it. My plan was to stay there for a couple of months whilst I figured out my next move…
Fast forward 22 months and I was still there.
Within the first 4 months of me joining, the entire leadership team had resigned due to the landlords wife being a complete lunatic. Despite me being there for a very short amount of time I was the one who was given the responsibility to help steady the ship. I didn’t mind the work at the time & still had no long-term plan so I stayed.
However, after almost 2 years I’d had enough.
I was discussing this with my dad one day and told him how I wanted to do something with my degree. He suggested becoming a Personal Trainer.
“Yeah that sounds good” was my response. Later that night I was looking at online courses & within a week I’d enrolled on one.
I could’ve done the course alongside work but at this point it was starting to have a negative impact on my health. So, I decided to resign and throw everything into completing the course as quick as possible…
This was mid-March 2020. Excellent timing.
I should have used lockdown to complete my coursework for the L2 Gym Instructor portion of the course, however I lost motivation due to the grim circumstances we were in with no end in sight.
When everything started to reopen later in the year I reluctantly trudged back to hospitality which gave me the kick up the arse I needed. If you’ve never worked in the industry then it is incredibly hard work. I have the utmost respect for anyone who works in pubs, bars, hotels etc. but returning confirmed that I didn’t want to be in that line of work anymore.
Future lockdowns again put everything on hold but I eventually passed my L2 in May 2021. The owner of my local gym in Killay, which is now sadly closed, was kind enough to offer me a few hours of work per week teaching classes.
I did this alongside my pub job until a full-time Duty Manager position came up at Simply Gym in September. I applied & got the job. My L3 qualification still needed to be completed but I put that on the backburner as I got familiar with my new role.
The job wasn’t as hands-on as I had originally thought. By this point I had a real desire to help people make positive, long-lasting changes but I was limited in what I could do.
So, at the beginning of 2023 I chipped away at my coursework, assessments and exams. By May I had qualified & I switched over to my PT role in July.
2 years later and I’ve got a growing business plus I’m studying for my L5 Diploma in Advanced Nutrition Science. Once completed I’ll be a certified nutritionist & I’ll be setting up my own consultancy to run alongside my PT work.
Hopefully I’ve got a long career ahead of me!
