My Guru is Better Than Yours!

Hey there, hope you are well :-)

I found this video on youtube thanks to my friend & bootcamp superstar Georgette Pann.  It is really funny and get's at a fundamental problem us trainers, and really all human beings, face on a daily basis. Do you own your knowledge, use it, test it, challenge it, explore it, and really make it our own, or do you hide behind someone else's thoughts and ideas,  popular name/brand or certification without ever really investigating? *Please note, this video is a SATIRE, meant to poke fun, not an attack on the industry!

Context Changes Everything

I've been lucky enough to learn from some very successful & wise people.  Tom Purvis, who created the Resistance Training Specialist Program (which is a must for any serious personal  trainer) taught me the value of being able to shift perspectives and understand context, which changes everything.  He illustrated this with a story.  "I once yanked my daughter's hair as hard as I could."  Sounds pretty horrible, doesn't it.  Except his daughter was about to talk in front of a truck & that was all he could grab in that moment.  Now, all of a sudden, hair pulling is a life saver because of the context. If you can't use multiple perspectives with your fitness clients, even if you have great information, you may not apply them in the correctly because of the context.  We live in a culture that loves to take things apart and zoom into them to a high degree, but you can get lost in the details if you don't zoom out and deal with how everything fits together.  Widening your perspective with different kinds of experiences, certifications, internships, and seminars is the key to being able to take a step back and zoom out.

Don't Put All Your Eggs in 1 Basket

My friend Joe Dowdell has always lead by example, learning from the best & the brightest in the industry, not just sticking with one certification or way of training.  I've done the same, with over 10 certifications and lots of other educational experiences to my credit, including a particularly eye opening cadaver dissection  with Chris Graney (also part of the RTS program.) Both Joe & I are very fond of the the Bruce Lee quote: "Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own."  Lee created his own style of martial arts called Jeet Kune Do, which was not the same for all who practiced it and emphasized finding your own way & not trying to fit into a certain pattern or style. He explains "I have not invented a "new style"... On the contrary, I hope to free my followers from clinging to styles, patterns, or molds. Remember that Jeet Kune Do is merely a name used, a mirror in which to see "ourselves."

So What is the Best Personal Trainer Certification?

This is a common question most  personal trainer's ask, but the key is to understand that there is no clear winner for all people.  It really depends on what knowledge you already have, what kinds of clients you want to serve, and what kinds or exercise & types of science excite you. And more importantly, make a commitment to learning from different people in the industry and widening your perspective, don't just stick to one certification because they all excel at different things. Y0u don't have to pick the best certification, because it is not your last stop on the education train, it's the first stop. But even with a wide perspective, you have to make sure you question the knowledge, make it your own, test it; don't take anyone's words as truth without investigating them thoroughly first.  Especially mine ;-) Until next time, keep your business fit. Johnny Fitness