For Interns Part 1

If you’re trying to break into the fitness field, you need to intern or volunteer with a qualified Coach. With that said, I plan to make this a series for future interns to learn from my own dumb mistakes. I’ve done MANY intern/volunteer positions, so to say the least I’ve made many mistakes. Make sure to learn from my mistakes and others so that you don’t make a jackass out of yourself…

1: Choose Wisely

As stated, I’ve done my share of volunteer work and internships, most were an amazing experience. The one really bad experience I had was a mandatory internship though my university, because of this they limited my options. Which actually was a horrible job by them and my advisor at the time. To make a long story short, the facility I interned didn’t have any set standards of training, nor did they really take the time out to really teach me, mainly because of their lack of training education.

So choose wisely, if you have a bad feeling of the facility, of the coaches, trainers, and/or supervisors don’t seem to be helpful, I wouldn’t waste your time. Remember while you’re volunteering your time and work, you should be gaining valuable experience learning how to Coach/train, and not just wipe down equipment and training on your own, It should all be structured and organized.

2: Be Prepared

I remember my first volunteer position in the college weight room at East Carolina University, Go PIRATES! I called up Coach Whitten to ask if I can come in to talk him about what they do there and learn from them. I was so nervous I had written out notes on what to say to him and/or what I was going to leave on his voice mail (in case he didn’t pick up) AND reviewed what questions could come up so that I can answer them without sounding like a complete idiot. Yep, I was completely neurotic BUT I was prepared!

I was very lucky to get a call back to come in and talk to the guys at the Murphy Center. It was intimidating and exciting; I got to go where only the athletes and Coaches were allowed in! I prepared myself with what I wanted to talk about and looked up their bios so they would take me seriously.

On a side note, all the Coaches at ECU really shaped me, I can’t thank them enough for helping me throughout my career and opening the doors for me. GO PIrates!

Going back into the post….While I may have been overly prepared, I do appreciate a potential intern that has done his/her own research on what I can offer and my bio. It shows characteristics that I would want representing my company.

In short, at the bare minimum do research on ALL the Coaches and prepare any questions that you may have or maybe asked of.

3: Be Humble!

You got to be pretty dumb to have an ego as an INTERN! Remember your role as an intern is to LEARN. You are getting years of experience in a short period of time for FREE! So if you’re weekly duty is to wipe down the equipment, take out the trash, or some random task, you need to DO IT and do it right!

I was lucky to have some good interns but you’ll always get those ones that slip through the interview process and develop an ego half way through the internship. Pathetically I had to sit down and talk to one like a damn kindergarten teacher about his lack of performance.

I won’t go any further because I can’t stand pretentious people! You know when to be humble so do it and remember the benefits you are gaining.

3. Shut up and listen

“A professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor enthusiastically talked about Zen. He kept talking and talking about his knowledge of Zen, as the master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor was rambling on and on, while the Zen master poured and was overflowing the cup. The professor finally took notice and screamed ‘Zen Master, It’s overfull! No more will go in!’ The Zen master replied “You are like this cup, how can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.”

This “Tea Cup” story is pretty well known but hits the nail directly on the head! People need to  learn to shut their trap and listen!

The problem I’ve found with some young coaches including myself (back in the day), is that they are so eager to show their knowledge they forget to shut up and listen.

I learned the most when I shadowed the coaches. I remember just watching the subtle cues they did- whether it’s a pat on the back or a “Man the F’ up” look, these little non verbal cues are just as important as anything else, don’t forget that. If you focus on learning and not so much trying to show what you “know”, you’ll benefit far more.

That’s it for today, if you’re interested in breaking into the fitness field, whether it be strength and conditioning at any level to becoming a personal trainer, I hope this was helpful!