A long time away

I'm sorry that I haven't posted here in a long time. And a lot has happened since I last let you guys (whoever you might be) know that I had opted to leave my philosophy PhD program once and for all. I successfully studied my ass off in preparation for my NSCA-CPT exam and with Ishani's father's help, I passed with an 87% on July 19th, 2010. I immediately knocked on a bunch of doors in Bloomington but the only one that opened was at the IU SRSC. Since then, I have only managed to finish training and work through a three-session package with a client. Somehow, I thought I'd have more clients through the university by this point, but it just hasn't materialized. Classes start up next week though, and I'll probably be inundated by assignments from Megan Amadeo, my boss.

The good news, though is that I've been able to train several clients on my own. I began back in September with a girl named Anne and though she signed up for a month worth of training sessions, her schedule soon became too hectic and she discontinued training (until the new year?). I've also completed a few sessions with a Saudi Arabian mother of two. My best client to date, though, is Connie (Hong Yi Liu) from Hong Kong and while she only signed up for 6 sessions before returning home over break, I believe she fully intends to train with me through spring break.

The other very good bit of news is that I've decided to begin to take the necessary steps to pursue a career in physical therapy. After spending some time thinking about what I like about personal training and a bit more time mulling over what I dislike, I came to the conclusion that physical therapy will afford me much more control over the progress of my clients. The problem with personal training is that it's characterized by a lot of uncertainty. Uncertainty on the part of your clients when it comes to what they really want ("weight loss," "to look good in a swim suit," to improve endurance"). Uncertainty when it comes to what they'll do when they're not with you. The uncertainty of whether your services will continually be in demand.

Put simply, and as bad as it might sound, I want more control over my clients - well, actually their progress. In physical therapy, someone comes to you with a particular problem - an ache/pain/imbalance capable of being treated with an exact regimen. And that's not to say that you can't do this in personal training. It's just that a systematic approach is a difficult sell to cost-conscious consumers trying to achieve weight loss/ hypertrophy. Unfortunately, its only the most financially affluent of clients who can afford the number of sessions it would require to see significant results. A physical therapist in most cases can see a client through to a recovery and can demonstrate clear progress to the client. And this returns me to my earlier point. The goals of physical therapy are much more definite/quantifiable than those which personal training clients often have. Measuring improvements in shoulder ROM is a much easier task than determining the satisfaction of client at how "toned" his/her abs are.

I could say much more, but I'll save it for another post. Suffice it to say that I'm very happy to be taking this new path and that my life will be changing come this fall. I'll use a different post to talk about my educational plans as they stand now.