As a REPs Registered Personal Training Contractor, I’ve often been concerned about new trainers working in the industry. When new trainers ask for work experience, I advise them to shadow me for a couple of weeks before they start any job around the gym - and I’ve been shocked to see that some new trainers have no idea about basic anatomy or exercise techniques.
An article published by Stuff highlighted the risk of underskilled personal trainers working with clients and putting them in danger, particularly when working with pregnant women:
"A lot of personal trainers don't understand the changes going on in a woman's body during pregnancy," says pre and postnatal exercise specialist Lorraine Scapens. "They are basically training clients as if they weren't pregnant. It's ignorance and it can be dangerous."
I’m currently 35 weeks pregnant with my second child. I’ve always been an active woman - before and after my firstborn - and I’ve always admired women who keep training up to the end of their pregnancy. Therefore, my biggest fear was training clients that were pregnant or postnatal, as I did not have enough knowledge about it. When I got pregnant with my first child, I used it as an excellent opportunity to train myself, and learn more about training pregnant clients. My goal was to be one of those ‘fitness mums’, and I’m happy to say that I have achieved the plan to stay healthy and active till the day my son was born.
Now in my second pregnancy, I have learned and understood more about what happens with a woman’s body when we are pregnant and postnatal. I became passionate about it, and decided to spend time learning, reading, and taking courses to know more.
My advice is after you finish your Personal Trainer course, learn more in whatever drives your interest. Invest in postgraduate studies, research what’s new in the industry, and you'll be impressed by how much information you will find that you didn't know! As a result, you’ll make a difference to others, and to your own career in the highly competitive fitness industry.
