I can’t tell you how many former students and athletes over the years that have said to me, “I want to be a PE Teacher or a Trainer. It looks like so much fun.” My first reaction is always, “Good for you. It’s a great profession.” Little do they know how much work actually goes into the job.

I can honestly say in just the past 5-6 years there have been roughly 10-15 athletes that I have trained who went into the exercise science, physical education, athletic training, or physical therapy fields. Before entering college many of these athletes, along with their parents, meet with me to discuss what to expect when entering these fields. One of the first things I tell them is to understand the roll of a good professional in any field. It is not what you see on the surface that makes these jobs challenging. It is all the work done behind the scenes that makes them challenging.

I want to specifically share my thoughts on the job of a trainer. If you take your job seriously, research and learn the latest methods, follow the principles, and give a lot of effort you will have some challenging times. I have listed below some of the most difficult areas of being a trainer:

  1. Fighting common beliefs. How often do you have a parent or client come to you and tell you they want to work on something like: “I want to work my abs?” As if they should simply isolate and do crunches. Having to tell this person you will not just focus on doing “Abs” is like telling them there is no Santa.
  2. Getting them off machines. This is a tough one. Keep in mind my normal population are youth. It is absolutely wrong to have kids using fixed machines as their primary strength training method. When I explain to parents I don’t want to see their child on machines they just can’t believe it.
  3. Explaining that working hard doesn’t always mean having pain, extreme exhaustion, and nearly throwing up. It has been drilled into our heads from a young age that if there is no pain there is no gain…WRONG! We need to be smart on how we approach training. Doing things just to cause a physical distress signal doesn’t mean we are getting results.
  4. The dreaded nutrition talk. Having to tell parents or athletes that soda, fast foods, and other junk foods are counter productive to the workout is difficult for them to understand. They may know these foods are not the greatest, but to get them to stop consuming them is another thing.
  5. Designing programs. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them I document every single workout. I still have plans from the early 90’s. This is a practice from my PE background and the because I understand the fact any of us could possible be sued at any time. I always have documentation of a workout.
  6. Mental preparation. I work with youth in groups as well as privates. I don’t just start thinking of my training session when it begins. I am always thinking of the possible adjustments I will need to make if something isn’t working well. Or I may have an athlete will a slight injury and modifications are needed. There is a lot of mental energy being spent prior and subsequent to the workouts.

These are six areas I believe non-fitness professions don’t realize occupy our time and energy. Being good at anything takes effort. Although training and teaching are a lot of fun and I would never trade it in. I believe it is my responsibility to share this information with my interns, athletes looking at the field, and parents interested in knowing more about the field.

What do you find is difficult about your job that most people don’t realize?