Patrick, give a little background history of yourself.

I was born in Oklahoma and moved to Austin a few years after I was born.  The first sport I played was basketball at the age of 8.  I attended high school at the LBJ Science Academy which is where I started wrestling.  I learned resistance training and conditioning from wrestling coaches.  After graduating high school I continued to be involved with wrestling by coaching and officiating young kids.  After high school I attended Texas State University but was unsure of what degree I wanted to obtain so I held off on college until I made that decision.  After a few jobs that were unfulfilling I decided to attend the Personal Trainer Certificate Program at ACC.

What made you decide to pursue this area of study (i.e. Personal Fitness Training)?

After almost 10 years of volunteering as a wrestling coach I realized that I wanted to have a career where I could teach people the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and guide them in the right direction.

What made you decide to pursue this interest in the Personal Fitness Trainer program at ACC?

I knew I wanted to be a trainer but I didn’t want to just get a certificate the easy way.  I wanted to be very knowledgeable in the fitness industry so I could perform very well and be the best trainer I could be.

What was the hardest part of the program?

I didn’t realize how challenging the program was going to be heading in. The program takes a lot of time, hard-work, and dedication.  I had to make a few sacrifices in order to finish the program but nothing worth achieving comes easy.

What was the best/most beneficial part of the program?

Best part of the program was the people that I met and completed the program with.  There were many people that had started the program with and finished at roughly the same time.  I now have friends and other well educated trainers I could turn to if I need some assistance.

Are you currently employed as a Personal Fitness Trainer?  If so, at what capacity?  If not, why not?

I currently work as a personal trainer at the YMCA and I also teach group exercises there as well.  I’m only working as a trainer part-time because I am still pursuing my Associates Degree.

If you had a single piece of advice for someone interested in being a Personal Fitness Trainer, what would it be?

Learn as much as you can and keep on open mind.  The more you are familiar with different training methods and working with different types of people the more clients you can train.

Back to Meet a Graduate Page