Thursday, January 10, 2008

Bob-o Coach to the Stars...

Well it's getting down to crunch time and the financial gods are smacking me across the head for good measure. Credit cards, loans, my flight, a bike case, car insurance and a late registration fee, books all these crazy expenses are coming to a head, also the fact that I need to register for some of my summer events, are pulling my check book to pieces. All will be well when I get my loan check at the beginning of February and I get my Huge ass Income tax refund check sometime in February, which will take care of some of the other expenses so I will have money, it's just I just never seem to get cash fast enough. All right my rant on finance over....



My parents put yet another crazy idea in my head: Should I become a personal trainer/ coach?

As usual here is my pros/cons or benefits/risk dichotomy:



Pros/Benefits:

I have been involved in competitive sports for the last decade, mostly self trained and I have yet to experience major bonkage or injury.



I'd get to work with something I have passion for.



The ladies love a guy with a ripped chest in wind pants......ok so I don't have the ripped chest but I have the wind pants......half way there.



I speak fluent tri/runner/swimmer geek.



Title of Triathlon training guide: The Gospel according to Bob.



Extra income $$$



Cons/Risks:

Might not take off



Cycling my Achilles Heel!!!!



Never WON let alone COMPETED in Kona/ Boston/ Le Tour/ USS or USMS Nationals/ the Olympics...how can we EVER take him seriously .



What the Hell does a History Major know about Anatomy, and Exercise Physiology?



What works for me ( an insane amount of long distance with some speed thrown in for flavor) may not work for the general masses.



So I'm officially on the fence leaning toward no on this idea.....I do give tips and have advice for aspiring triathletes/ runners/swimmers, but there is a difference between " hey why don't you do this drill to improve your stroke." and " Here's your Ironman training plan, go get em tiger."

Keeping with the marathoning going on this weekend I will post the top 10 do's and don't's of Marathoning/ marthon training ...granted it might be a little too late.

R.D.

1 comment:

Speed Racer said...

You would need some kind of certification to work out of a gym of any kind, even if it's your own PFT business, you still need to give the gym a cut. ACE is easy, but ISSA is more respectable. You'll need to learn the basics of anatomy and physiology to pass the exam. Keep in mind that you will probably have to start with fat housewives who want nothing to do with triathlon and just want to lose weight before you build enough of a name to get into what you really want.

The other thing you could do is talk to your local TNT chapter and see if they need coaches. It won't pay much, but it's a good way to get your foot in the door and start making contacts.

The hardest thing to do while personal training is to listen. Listen to what the athlete/client says, but also what they're not saying and what they don't know how to say. It's harder than you think, because the tendency is to imagine that they're in YOUR body, but you have to imagine yourself in theirs.

However, I think it's a good idea if you can make it work. You need a better paying job to support your triathlon habit.