Uncertified Personal Training

[theuofh]

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
You would probably need to get them to sign a contract stating that they are aware you aren’t certified and are following your advice at their own risk. Even if that’s not required it’s probably a good idea anyways if you aren’t certified.[/quote]

While always good practice to CYA. I bet that wouldn’t hold up in court.

[/quote]

I do believe you are correct on this one. I think a bunch of the formal certifications will offer insurance through them if you choose to freelance it and not work for a gym.

As a side note, this is the waver Rippetoe has in his gym. He figures anyone who signs it, would not be the kind to sue him anyway.

ALL MEMBERS/GUESTS OF WICHITA FALLS ATHLETIC CLUB MUST READ THIS!

Wichita Falls Athletic Club is populated by unstable, unsavory and unpredictable people. Dangers are everywhere. You may fall, be injured or die. There are hidden dangers. You could break your leg. We do not inspect, supervise or maintain the membership, grounds, building, equipment, lavatories or other features or equipment. _______

Real dangers are present everywhere. Treadmills are not sidewalks. They can be, and are, dangerous. Treadmill features such as reading racks, control switches, and railings can break, collapse, or otherwise fail catastrophically at any time. We don’t promise to inspect, supervise or maintain them in any way. They may be negligently constructed or repaired. They are unsafe, period. Live with it or stay away. _______

Wichita Falls Athletic Club, in addition to being dangerous, is surprisingly poorly equipped for your comfort and safety. Bring your own first aid supplies, because we donâ??t provide them, and donâ??t know how to use them anyway. Barbells and other objects can fall from the racks down onto the platforms. This can happen spontaneously, or may be caused by other members or by the staff, who may be unqualified and/or stupid. Barbell plates can shift, move or fall with no warning. Use of helmets is advised for anyone approaching the squat racks. They cannot be purchased or rented at WFAC, so youâ??ll need to bring your own. But they won’t save you, especially if you get hit by something big or on another part of your body. Don’t think it can’t happen. Even if you know what you’re doing, lots of things can go wrong and you may be injured or die. It happens all the time. _______

The heating and cooling system can be dangerous, regardless of the thermostat setting. Be prepared with extra clothing. Hypothermia, heat stroke, lightning, hot coffee and tea, etc. can kill you. Rain can turn the parking lot into a deathtrap. _______

WFAC does not provide supervision or security personnel. The other people in the gym, including other lifters, our employees, agents, and members, and anyone else who might sneak in, may be stupid, reckless, or otherwise dangerous. They may be mentally ill, criminally insane, drunk, using illegal drugs and/or armed with deadly weapons and ready to use them. In addition, you may experience what you perceive to be sexual harassment, from other members, the owner, or members of the staff. We aren’t necessarily going to do anything about it. We refuse to take responsibility. _______

If you lift weights or exercise in any way, using any method, you may die or be seriously injured. You may develop rhabdomyolysis as a result of any workout, either immediately following the workout or days later. This is true whether you are experienced or not, trained or not, equipped or not. If you donâ??t know what rhabdomyolysis is, it is your responsibility to find out. We may not explain it to you correctly. It’s a fact: lifting weights is extremely dangerous. If you don’t like it, DONâ??T JOIN. You really shouldn’t be doing this anyway. We do not provide adequate supervision or instruction. We are not responsible for, and do not inspect or maintain, the facilities. As far as we know, any of them can and will fail and cause your death. _______

There are any number of extremely and unusually dangerous conditions existing on and around the gym, and elsewhere on the property. We may or may not know about any specific hazard, but even if we do, don’t expect us to try to warn you. You’re on your own. First aid services are not provided by WFAC, and may not be available quickly or at all. Local rescue squads may not be equipped for or trained in gym injuries. If you are lucky enough to have somebody try to resuscitate you or treat your injuries, they may be incompetent or worse. This includes doctors and hospitals. We assume no responsibility. _______

if you decide to train at WFAC, even for a day, that’s your choice. Don’t do it unless you are willing to assume all risks. By joining the club, you are agreeing that we owe you no duty of care or any other duty. _______

We promise you nothing. We do not and will not even try to keep the premises safe for any purpose. The premises are not safe for any purpose. This is no joke. We won’t even try to warn you about any dangerous or hazardous condition, whether we know about it or not. If we do decide to warn you about something, that doesn’t mean we will try to warn you about anything else. If we do make an effort to fix an unsafe condition, we may not try to correct any others, and we may make matters worse! We and our employees or agents may do things that are unwise and dangerous. Sorry, we’re not responsible. We may give you bad advice. Don’t listen to us. In short, join WFAC AT YOUR OWN RISK. And donâ??t forget about the Rhabdo. _______

Printed Name __________________________________________________ __________________________________

Signed____________________________________________ _________ Date ____________________________

[toaopuck]

To the original Poster:

It sounds to me like your heart is in the right place and that you love to workout, like me. That’s good and I respect that.

It’s okay to show some friends and family the basics like proper form and the ideal amount of reps/ intensity for weight loss/muscular strength, but if you try to train a person and receive compensation for it, then you definitely want to:

1. Get a certification ( AFAA, ACE, NASM, etc). As Jersey kevinm said, sit for a certification. When you earn your certification, you are usually provided with resources which can help you get the right type of INSURANCE for you needs.

2. Have some general knowledge of responses to exercise

3. Have some form of insurance to cover your ass in case some one gets injured DURING OR AFTER training with you. There are many cases on record of people filing claims against personal trainers because they started to experience pains that they never had until they started to workout. The last thing you want is for one of your clients to suddenly and mysteriously come down with a severe case of SYAO ( Sue your Ass Off).

4. Make damn sure you are aware of any health conditions or previous injuries that your clients may have to avoid point no.3

5. Know the joints and the proper ways in which they move.

6. You have to definitely know the muscle in the body and the ways in which they work together (synergise). Muscles will work differently depending on the movement that you’re performing.

7. You absolutely have to know how to properly spot the movement your client is doing.

8. You definitely need to think long term when you’re training a client (1 year at least).

In a nutshell, If you’re going to be training people without a cert. anda receiving money as compensation, you have to pray each night and day that you remember the rules of safe training and that you’re clients are honest enough not to blame that cervical spine damage which was caused when they did a kegstand on YOU.

There’s lots more, but having listened to what you said I think this is more than enough to answer your original question, don’t you?

Anyway, Earning a certification is a good way to jump into the personal training business. In the process of studying to earn a cert., you learn just how much you DON’T know.

Or at least I did.

God Luck to you:)

Puck