InShape
This page will describe my experience as a personal trainer through our school program, InShape. It will highlight what I have learned and my overall experience within this program.
My Experience
InShape gave me the opportunity to experience one-on-one personal training through a class setting. We discussed goals and expectations at the beginning of the semester, and then I worked meticulously to create weekly exercise prescriptions to help my client achieve her goals. We worked together twice a week for one hour, and then I provided her with home workouts to complete on her own each week. We also performed pre- and post-assessments to measure various aspects of her goals. My client was able to successfully achieve all of her goals by the end of the semester, and I was able to gain vital hands-on experience for my major.
"Abigail was incredibly motivating and she pushed me harder than any trainer has in the past. She believed in me more than I did, and kept raising the bar on what was possible. The progress I made was far beyond what I hoped for."
Reflection
Before InShape, I had never had any experience with personal training or creating an exercise program for an individual in the gym setting. I was very nervous that I wouldn't meet my trainee's expectations or that I wouldn't have enough confidence to make a difference for my client and her goals. However, most of this stress went away after our first session. I realized that my client's goals and mine were very similar, and she matched my energy perfectly. My client and I worked so well together throughout the semester, and I pushed her just as much as she pushed me to be a better trainer. I learned a lot from this experience, but the biggest takeaway would be to "fake it until you make it" because even though I was nervous, I had to have confidence in my abilities so that my client could have confidence in me. Eventually, as the semester went on and I got to know my client better, my confidence did truly grow, and I felt more comfortable in the trainer position.