I'm now a Certified Personal Trainer & An Exercise Therapist in Study: My Rationale

Let me preface by saying that this decision was brought about over a period of months and not without careful thought and consideration for myself as an athlete, my time, my career goals, and my competitive goals in pole sport. But I think it is time to take a leap and do something that I think is so natural for everyone else around me but not for myself. Therefore, like the title specifies I am officially a CPT (Certified Personal Trainer) and most likely by the time you are reading this I'm currently prepping to take the exam for a certified nutrition coach (CNC) and almost ready to take the exercise recovery specialist (ERS) exam. Then a few more certifications to go (Strength and Conditioning, Corrective Exercise, Exercise Therapy) culminating to my final months studying for my two accredited exams NCCPT-CPT and NCCPT-CSTS exams which are proctored exams.

Over the last year I've mentioned my thoracic extension journey. If you haven't read that yet please look at my blog post on cross-training for pole. It's been painstaking, a roller coaster, and my biggest challenge yet as an athlete. But I've had this unwavering calling to go and do THIS thing.

It started to eat at me around July after my local gym I attended closed out of the blue. I met up with friends at my new home gym and randomly after telling one of my buddies on the MyZone app "you rocked your workout today" in response was "It was fantastic. You would make an amazing trainer honestly." And then all of sudden the wheels started to turn. I thought, "maybe she was right."

Frankly imposter syndrome had me in a tussle. Hence why it's been a bit of time since July 2023. I look back at the trainers I have had including my own boyfriend with awe and think - I don't have enough years on me to be taken seriously. But it's finally time to just pull the trigger and see what happens - so yep here we are. A dancer's best friend in training! Ha! It will take another few months to get everything else done but if you're reading this post, I have passed my exam as a CPT and am able to take on clients while I get my supplemental certifications completed and get some hands on experience while I study for my big exams coming up. Including required hands on practical's that need to be recorded - and a videographer recording content? Easy Peasy lol.

What's even more awesome is that I am getting more studying in dance anatomy and calisthenics movement pattern anatomy so that I can design programming specifically for pole dancers. That and my studies specifically in mobility & conditioning for pole to supplement my exercise therapy training to get ideas specifically for my own sport to help other dancers that need it.

WHY A CPT?

Working on my back taught me so much about dedication, persistence, focused (and specific) training modalities, and quality of movement. To the point where I am holding conversations about technical aspects of exercise to the annoyance of my boyfriend and probably everyone around me. I feel like I know the concepts well, but I needed to get the actual medical terminology and technical jargon out of the way and that is why a certification was the next natural step. So I can best communicate my rationale on a particular exercise with authority and confidence. Something that I feel at times I lack in my personal life.

Studying for this exam was both encouraging and humbling. I learned that the practical applications of concepts and program design I slayed without hesitation. Medical terminology, Anatomy, and Movement Systems? - We could do it with notes with flying colors but I'll need to study it more for the proctored exams as I was constantly second guessing myself and checking my work!

My coworker told me the other day that one of my greatest qualities is being objective and asking people "what do you hope to get from... (insert whatever)" and then use that answer to offer the proper suggestion. This got me thinking about how easy this trait would transfer between a personal trainer and a client. I especially like hands on labs and that's pretty much all of what personal training is, personal and involved. A perfect way for me to drastically impact people around me and get them more excited about movement, improving the performance of young beginning adult dancers, and frankly getting paid to talk about things I geek out about on the daily. I also love to tinker, and personal training is a constant tinker - every body is different - nothing is ever the same - and there is no easy solution for anything. PERFECT WHEN CAN I SIGN UP?

I can look at a frustrating situation and see the strengths underneath. I have had to deal with horrendous squat form (I know Tia), lack of balance/coordination, an immobile back, and starting exercise as a young adult. I have experience with dealing with food sensitivities, depression, body image hatred, burnout, lack of motivation, family stressors, fast food addiction, restrictive eating, over exercising, physical therapists, chiropractors, a billion different exercise modalities and formats, and postpartum recovery. I think I am well rounded enough to be relatable to a wide demographic of people and be understanding and helpful to the specific demon they are facing at the moment and how that relates to the way we move. I also have found incredible value from my own experience with being a client and what that experience can be like when the right trainer is paired with the right client. Synergy.

Sometimes we really can't reach our goals on our own, or in the group exercise classes because there is something specific about YOU and the WAY YOU MOVE that needs special care and attention. I wanted to make sure that whatever certification I pursued gave me the opportunity to study areas that I knew were critical for me to be prepared to handle what an aerial dancer would require. A lot of it would require corrective exercise, core stability, exercise recovery modality's, strength & conditioning, advanced shoulder mechanics & stability, and MANY more things that I can tinker with later. I've found what I think is the right certifications for me and I'm officially on my way to getting everything done so I can be that resource for the aerial dance and pole sport community as quickly as possible.

There are not a lot of trainers out there that know the challenges and the body demands of a pole dancer - or even what it's like to be a dancer in general. My trainer (he will still be my trainer), bless his heart, has took the best crack at training a pole dancer I have ever seen and that's why I still go to him even though I'm now certified. Objectivity is super important as well as accountability and what is a better example of that than having a trainer myself?

I understand it perfectly well and I know I can be a trusted resource for studios because I have the hands on experience on the apparatuses upright and upside down. Spinning and Static. I started with no dance experience and now I'm moving more confidently and with more control. I want to be that person that you know understands perfectly well "where you're coming from" and I have a pretty good idea about how to cross-train outside of the studio environment but hopefully I'll be even more ironclad about it over the next year.

And the best part about it is I'm still constantly learning! I started working out a measly 5 years ago, and I will be working on advanced movements and struggling with my own things just as my own clients are. I KNOW how it feels to get the first pull-up. I KNOW how it feels to get your first push-up. I KNOW how it feels to get your first assisted handstand. I want that for everyone. I also know how long it takes from ZERO to DOING. Which may be more difficult from someone who was an athlete their whole life.

I have many loves in my life. My family (boyfriend included), my career in film (which I am not getting rid of just FYI), I love pole sport, and I love the fitness industry. My stepdad always told me "do what you love and the money will come." He's not wrong.

My boyfriend asked me, "Why didn't you just go and get a degree in Exercise Science and Kinesiology at a University?" Well frankly it's because I am madly in love with the film industry and I want to see my career through. I have zero regrets with pursuing the arts. Also at 21 years I hated the idea of taking any kind of psychology or anatomy class (omg I'm laughing at myself writing this) and I said in 2012 to my first semester roommate Sara (who got her BS in Kinesiology) that "I could never do that field because I hate anatomy." OMG how I think God at times as a wicked sense of humor!

I'm proud to be working towards this for all the side hustle girlies out there and those who really want someone to look closely at them over something specific. If you would like someone who wants to tinker with the performance of your body than I am the right person for you. I also want to be a trusted resource for physical therapists who I'm sure has dealt with a lot of injuries due to the decisions of "bad personal training." Because I know their methods, what they care about, and will make sure those methods are applied because frankly I believe in them myself. My entire training philosophy stems from the things I learned in a physical therapist's office. Thanks Tia!

WHAT WILL THIS LOOK LIKE?

I want to be the person you can ask, "should I see a physical therapist about this?" and get an honest response on what might be corrected with training and what may need the specificity of a physical therapist and try to connect you to the right people. I love all of you, and I'm so ready to share with you all everything I learn as I tinker in this amazing world of cross-training for the new adult dancers and the general population. This will be a fun little adventure and I'm excited to go on it with all of you.

I will not be taking on many clients so I will be prioritizing my referral list I currently have as well as requests from women when the time comes. I am finalizing the trademark process for my business name & logo and once all the legal is done, everyone will be notified when I'm ready to take on clients, my offerings (exclusive discounts for aerial dancers), and the fun additions to my space that are portable so that dancers can get excellent traveling service to expand my network across both the Green Bay and Appleton studios.

But expect offerings in the realm of one time fitness consultations (in person or remote), 1 on 1 mobility training, active flexibility & stretching coach sessions, 1 on 1 personal training, and buddy training (you and a friend!). Can't wait!

If you train at Western Racquet & Fitness Club, feel free to say hi to me and I can give you recommendations on the amazing trainers there. Western is my safe space and my happy place. It is also my lab space. I practice movements. I try training modalities. I meet with my personal trainer there. I trial out exercises before I would give them to a client. I run my own programming there. I would like this space to be a place where I can separate work from play as well as a safe space to fail. That being said, I would like the respect of training undisturbed or having fun working out with friends! The trainers (or my own) don't really know I'm certified and I'd like to keep it that way so lines don't get blurred and they can do their jobs to the best ability possible.