MY STORY
While attending college for PTT (physical therapy technician) I was introduced to the NFPT certification as a result of my college requiring a personal training class as part of the PTT program. I was a little over weight and not very physically active. This personal training class and certification test was just something I was required to do – at first.
Once I was certified I had learned so much about fitness and health that I decided to switch gears altogether and I transferred to a different campus, which offered a Fitness Technician program. I drove 600 miles a week to school, worked full-time at a gym during the week and ran my boot camp on the weekends. During this time, I lost 30lbs and got really fit, all because I was a certified with NFPT.
Immediately upon getting certified I decided to open my first business, Shape Up! Boot Camp and In Home Training. Eventually my boot camp business was replaced by full-time In Home Training. Now my business consists of going to people’s homes and training them while using their in-home equipment. When I became a personal trainer I knew that In Home Training would be the most lucrative with the least overhead.
Even after I started my business, I continued working at a gym to get more experience and network through my clients’ family and friends who weren’t already under contract at the gym and could benefit by hiring an In-Home Trainer. The gym I chose to be employed allowed me to schedule myself whenever I wanted to work so at first my business was ‘supplementing’ my income, but eventually, after a couple of years, the gym was the ‘supplement’ and my business was taking most of my time! Finally, I was able to quit working at the gym because my schedule was so full.
I then started to hire other trainers to work for Shape Up Training, started a paperless system where I have created an online database that my clients can use to track their sessions, progress, etc, called StayFit, and my new goal is to expand into the entire Phoenix Metro.
If I had not been introduced to NFPT’s certification program, I would not be where I am today.
My Advice to Personal Trainers
I advise you to work at a gym to gain experience fast. I worked at a gym that scheduled 30 minute sessions back to back and they also had a sales team to get our clients for us, so I only had to focus on training and NOT SALES.
Wendy Allen is a NFPT Certified Personal Trainer in Chandler, Arizona where she resides with her husband, Joe and 10-month-old, Zakary. She is the owner of Shape Up Training. Her motto: Health is the groudwork for happiness!
