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Profile -- Tim Fox
The holiday Season has come and gone for another year and resolution time is in the air. Like many people in this day and age, a healthy lifestyle typically becomes a priority, especially after all the Christmas cheer. If you're finding it hard getting motivated to stick with a steady workout schedule, don't worry, you're not alone. Jeff Osadec is a strength and conditioning trainer for the Talisman Centre, the second largest fitness facility in North America, and has a passion for helping people achieve the best results they wish to attain.
When Jeff was sixteen years old while reading a Mens Health Magazine, he thought "this would be a fun job, you not only get to come to work in sweats and runners everyday, you also get to help people in a positive way." As he got older he did more research in the field and decided that if this was what he wanted to do he'd have to go to university to do it properly He graduated with a degree in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Manitoba, a four year degree. His technical working title is Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), a designation he attained from the National strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). "The CSCS is a test you take but you must have proof of a degree to take the test."
On top of these programs offered at the post-secondary level, there are other certifications to obtain at a provincial level. The Alberta Fitness Leadership Certification Association (AFLCA) offers a variety of different certificates. According to Jeff, "the more certifications we have brings more justification to our profession; it means we're keeping up with the constant change this industry goes through, we're staying at the top of our game."
Jeff explains, "There are ongoing learning opportunities and upgrading courses in order to be CSCS certified throughout your career, and workshops you have to attend to make these certifications viable. You get so many credits, you have to maintain credit hours... it's like professional development for teachers." These workshops and learning opportunities take place all over Canada and the United States so there is opportunity to travel.
Regarding his thoughts on certifications Jeff states, "There are so many certifications out there. What are the good ones? PFLC, CSCS. With a lot of them, someone can go and say 'oh look I'm going to become a personal trainer' but you have to ask yourself, are they recognized outside of certain areas."
Jeff has been working in fitness facilities for six years. Through university he worked at the YMCA, first as a weight room attendant and then he taught some fitness classes to children and teens. "This gave me the chance to see what the industry is like and a good way to get my foot in the door. It's an atmosphere where you see trainers around so you have someone to talk to, it was a nice place to start." He adds that, "another way for anyone to get a taste of the industry is to volunteer, you're not going to be doing a lot but any type of exposure to the industry will benefit your experience."
"There are opportunities to go on your own and become an entrepreneur but you need to build a solid name and background for yourself because, really, who are you? I found it was easier just applying to the gym because your population base is already there."
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"It's all about making a difference in a person's life one day at a time."
Jeff Osadec, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
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"I like coming into work everyday, it's just a more laid back atmosphere, still professional but you have more fun. I also have a degree in education and lost my way towards this. I could have gone to teach high school Phys Ed. I look at this as still teaching, I educate my clients on how their body works and how to become healthy and how to live a better active lifestyle. The difference between teaching and this is my students come in motivated to be here on most occasions sometimes you have to be a motivator as well."
An athletic trainer can have a wide age range of clients. A clients schedule really determines when a trainer is working; "you have to accommodate to their schedule, the morning clientele that I have tend to be older business types, as the day goes on it turns into a younger crowd." A trainer does not have a typical work schedule, Jeff explains, "while most people work a regular 8-5 shift, I start my job at 6 in the morning till about 10 or 11 then I'll usually break and sometimes I'm back at 3 till 9 at night. Again, it really depends on your clients schedule, at times I work through the day if I have clients who are self employed or stay at home moms."
When it comes to work, Jeff does not only focus on training. He's constantly planning as well. "I look at the big picture, I don't look at, what are we doing this week or next week, I look at, what are we doing six months from now because if you could see the big picture you know where you want to take them. So that's another big thing, you have to be very organized to work in this profession. You learn this all at school. Its called a training plan and to anyone else it looks like a mess of spreadsheets but to us (personal trainers) it's like a beautiful work of art. My professor said it best: fifty percent of your job is going to be science, what happens to the body, how its going to adapt, when its going to adapt. The other fifty percent is art, how to get this across to the client and present it in a way that is fun, they understand it and it is effective. You're an artist, you can take from other artists and their concepts and ideas but you have to build your own philosophy about how you want to train."
"Adaptation is also key when training, you have to be able to read your clients and if something isn't working, change it, adapt, you have to be very versatile. Out of university you have to always learn and keep up with the industry, there's a lot of research involved and a lot of resources out there but you have to go and find it, you can't just sit back and expect it to come to you and be easy. It's a constant learning process."
As varying as the job may already sound its no different when it comes to salary. "Some jobs are commission based, some are hourly wage based where I've been paid as low as $13/hour, I've heard of some trainers that do at home visits and make up to $55/hour. There are varying scales of pay which are based on your experience, and word of mouth. If you're very good and people come to see you, you tend to charge a little bit more. "In the end it's all based on your discretion. Keep in mind that you want to build a strong clientele base."
Some temperaments or skills for this type of work are: you need to be a people person, have excellent organizational skills, and have patience. "You have to initiate fun into everything you do and be up beat. If you could exude positive enthusiastic energy and just really let people see that you're passionate about what you do here it rubs off on them. That's one of the biggest things that helped me out and has helped out other trainers. For us, it's not just another job it's a passion; they come into work and they love what they do, they're good at it because they're passionate. To me it's not just a career, it's a lifestyle.
Positive change is always good but hearing about it and feeling like you've contributed to that in some way is even better: "I get to see clients reach goals they would have never thought they could reach. You really feel good when you hear what people have to say and they express their positive outcomes to you." Jeff expresses his sense of pride about working with his clients: "if I can help someone else get to that next level, it's like living through them, and that's really exciting because you can help someone else fulfill their dreams, it's just a great thing." It's all about making a difference in a person's life one day at a time.
Athletic Trainer/Therapist or Personal Trainer?
There can be some confusion when you hear these two titles. It is important to understand the differences when deciding your career path, so you receive the proper education to meet your goals. Depending on credentials, or the title of the position at a particular place of employment, a variety of names may be used. There are, however, difference in duties. An Athletic Trainer for a health club would not necessarily find employment as an Athletic Trainer for a professional sports team. The opposite would also be true. Their areas of specialty are quite different even though they both employ physical conditioning. In general, Personal Trainers are more focused on performance enhancement, while Athletic Trainers/Therapists deal more with prevention of sport injuries and rehabilitation. Both may be involved in designing training programs, both involve a thorough knowledge of the body to achieve their goals.
If you like the idea of working in health clubs or sports/recreation centres you might consider a career as a Personal Trainer. As a Personal Trainer, you would work with athletes or individuals to increase strength, performance, and fitness by assessing needs and designing exercise regimens. You may be invovled in educating the public about active living.
If you are interested in working in schools, colleges professional sports, hospitals, clinics etc, with sports teams or athletes, you might consider becoming an Athletic Trainer or Therapist.
In this role, you would be assessing and preventing injuries, providing basic emergency on-field life support, as well as physical medicine and rehabilitation. You would coordinate care with physicians and/or other health care providers as well as with performance enhancement personnel (Personal Trainers).
Because of the medical implications, when considering your education options for this career, take care in chosing a program that is recognized by health professionals in the region you plan to work.
Resources
Alberta Occupational Profiles (OCCInfo) - Personal Fitness Instructor
Alberta Occupational Profiles (OCCInfo) - Athletic Therapist
Provincial Fitness Unit - Fitness Leadership Certification (AFLCA)
Professional Fitness & Lifestyle Consultant Certification (PFLC)
Canadian Athletic Therapists Association
National Strength and Conditioning Association - Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA)
Mount Royal College - Personal Fitness Trainer Certificate
NAIT - Personal Fitness Trainer Certificate
Red Deer College - Kinesiology and Sport Studies
Grande Prairie Regional College - Fitness Leadershp
Professional Institute of Massage and Fitness - Personal Fitness Trainer Diploma
Alberta Sport And Recreation Associations
Video Profiles
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