Following a five-year stint serving as a paratrooper in the Australian Army, 25-year-old Antony Spano was looking for a way to turn his love of the outdoors and physical training into a full-time job. Mr Spano enrolled in and completed a Certificate III and Certificate IV in Fitness at the Australian Institute of Fitness, St Leonards, a Punchfit personal training course and a Punchfit sports nutrition course.
Dave Drayton asks Mr Spano about his education in sports fitness, and how it prepared him for a job as a personal trainer.
What is your current job?
I'm currently a mobile fitness trainer, which in official terms is a personal trainer.
What courses did you complete before working as a personal trainer?
I have completed a Certificate III and Certificate IV in fitness, which is compulsory in order to work as a personal trainer, and also completed a Punchfit trainer course and sports nutrition course which helped to broaden my skills and add variety in the sessions.
What do the Certificate III and IV involve?
They involve subjects dealing with customer service and communication skills, writing and developing programs, the body systems, joints and levers of the body, muscles and bones of the body, Energy systems, Training specific populations, older adults and children, programming for cardiovascular, resistance and flexibility training, nutrition, assessing fitness and posture, starting and developing your own fitness company, prevention and rehabilitation of injuries, dealing with group training and legalities in personal training.
What were the pros and cons of the course?
The best thing about the course is learning the science behind the human body and the way the systems work together and so efficiently, it’s fascinating. The worst thing about the course is the legalities involved when dealing with clients and the processes that are in place to rectify and issue a client may have, that was tough.
Would you do something differently looking back? Was there another course or study option better suited to your role?
I wouldn't do something different looking back, the course is a great start, then you can build your skills around whatever niche of sports fitness you decide to work in.
How well did the course prepare you for professional work?
The course had intense testing and assessments to make sure that you were fully prepared for the workforce, whether you work in a team or on your own.
Any advice for people looking to follow a similar career path?
My advice to anyone looking to do the course is make sure your heart is in it, otherwise those early mornings and late nights that come with personal training just won't seem worth it.