Garrett Gymer

Responsibilities

My responsibilities included really anything a gym manager would typically be in charge of, as well as training group and personal training clients. I did a bunch of cleaning and was tasked to keep it tidy throughout the day. I was also in charge of some membership stuff like helping people set up their payment information. Along with both of these things I helped those looking into our gym decide if they were a fit for us and if they needed training whether it was group or personal.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my training experience I would say is helping everyone move closer towards their fitness goals. I had many clients who I helped achieve a healthier lifestyle. My best example of this was a client of mine whose goal had been to bench their bodyweight. Not only did we achieve this but we got their bench press to 225 which well exceeded their body weight. There of course were other clients whose lifestyles improved for the better through better sleep, less aches and pains and just being more active in general but I think the 225 bench was the one I had to help them achieve the most.

Learning experience

The greatest lessons I learned from my experience is that in this field you can't be passive. If someone is coming to you for help regarding their health. You should do everything within your power to help them. Even if they ask for advice in an area you aren't certified in, you should at least give them all of the information on the topic you have that you know is correct. During the beginning and middle of my internship I was too afraid to touch on the topic of my clients diets and I think that led some of them down a lazy path of only taking the training seriously. In the role of a trainer it is that trainer's job to ask the hard questions and make clients see their own faults. If you don't do this you aren't helping anyone get closer to any goals they have. At the end of the day that's your main job, so to not achieve this basically means you are wasting your own time and the clients.

What advice would you give?

My advice for future students in my major would be to go into your internships with confidence. As someone who is very interested in the kinesiology field, I looked towards only those who knew more than I did and used that as the basis for how much worth I gave my training and advice. They need to realize that while there will always be someone smarter than you and better at what you do than you, you are still the expert in this field. Anyone who comes to you will benefit from their interaction with you even if you aren't the most qualified person on the topic. You know enough to change people's lifestyles and you should present yourself as such. Don't be afraid to present yourself as an authority figure to even those much older than you. You've done the work and gained the knowledge, just don't be afraid to use it.