INTERNSHIP SITE 1
AT-HOME PERSONAL TRAINING
ABOUT
A large portion of my internship was spent with an independent personal trainer. My main task was attending and shadowing daily training sessions that would take place at clientβs homes or on zoom. During any downtime, I would learn about the background of independent personal trainingβmarketing, insurance and certifications, financial organization, and how taxes are filed.
One of the biggest lessons I learned during this internship is that there is a balance between teaching, motivating, and selling exercise to these clients. The average client is not an athlete and they do not prioritize exercise the way we see sports professionals do. They are busy individuals with highly-involved careers, and we should keep that in mind when we are programming and suggesting lifestyle modifications. The ultimate goal in this population is to help people reach their fitness goals and get them to live a healthier lifestyle. Simply having them make small changes to their current habits is enough to make a large impact on their long-term health.
FINAL PROJECT
My final project at this site consisted of creating a mock training program for one of the clients, along with a session and payment tracker. To make the training program, I picked one client I wanted to focus on. I learned about their training history, current goals, and their injuries and limitations. I created a 10-week training program for a 63-year old female who was recently diagnosed with osteoporosis. I got to have this client perform a few of the workouts on the program and get feedback from the client and my site supervisor.
In individuals with osteoporosis, the goal is to reduce the rate of bone loss and lower the risk of fractures. Resistance training and low-moderate impact exercise are ideal for addressing this risk and is the basis of the program. By following the ACSM guidelines for populations with osteoporosis, I created a 8-week program that uses bodyweight, free weight, and resistance band exercises. The client already had an aerobic exercise routine of walking 2-3 miles 4x/week that I suggested she continue.