We were lucky enough to interview George Guerin, CSCS for Exercise.com’s Blog. He is the editor of NJ.com Health & Fitness Blog and is an expert in all things fitness.
George is the President/Founder of Professional Personal Training Systems. PPTS helps people love fitness and accomplish healthy lifestyles.
Even with his busy schedule of transforming average people into the ultimate fitness machines, he was able to answer a few questions for our readers!
Before we get to the interview, let us tell you a little bit about how important of a personal trainer George Guerin really is. Here is a little about George Guerin, CSCS.
About George Guerin, CSCS
President and founder of PPTS, George obtained his degree in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University School of Medicine. His background in academics and athletics provided him with a strong foundation for extensive work in the fitness industry.
As the former head trainer of CASA Spa and Fitness, George developed and implemented his training philosophy: safe, effective and enjoyable exercise programming.
He has educated other trainers on such practices, authored user manuals for exercise equipment and contributes articles regularly to the NYC-based Web site www.womanaroundtown.com.
Gran Crea magazine recognized George as a Global Top Trainer for his methods and the 15,000+ hours spent training. George volunteers in the community by coaching summer soccer programs that have received rave reviews.
As a way to continue his own education and understanding of training, George attends mentorship programs with the best trainers in the country and has studied with fitness industry VIPs Mark Verstegen in Tempe, AZ and Mike Boyle in Boston.
George has established his dedicated client-base by training royalty, celebrities, socialites and corporate titans from around the world.
George is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the American College of Sports Medicine and by the American Council on Exercise.
Now that you know a little more about George, and how great of a personal trainer he really is, take a look at his exclusive interview with Exercise.com.
See for yourself - Meet with the Exercise.com Team today
Train Anyone, Anywhere in the World.
What is your favorite type of personal workout?
I certainly practice what I preach, more than anything I love being active. Most of my working out is to enhance performance in the many athletic hobbies that I participate in. Some of my favorites are playing soccer, kayaking, running, biking and skiing.
My personal workouts are a big super-setting combination of suspension training, CrossFit, Olympic lifts and bodyweight training which are tailored to my current athletic goal.
I usually run to the gym (1.5 miles each way), get in 30 minutes of resistance training using the above methods to enhance my performance.
As a trainer (who isn’t getting any younger at age 36), I want to be able to keep up with my clients for the long haul, so a part of each workout definitely has its share of corrective exercises to keep me healthy for many more years.
What is your funniest story from your personal training experience?
That is a tough question, I’ve been a trainer full time for 13 years and I have spent much of the time laughing (I think entertaining clients is certainly part of training).
I can go into some of the craziest excuses I have had like my cat is sick or I have to do my child’s homework, etc… I’ve had some funny requests such as “I need exercises to lift certain parts of my body (I usually refer to a popular plastic surgeon).”
I have had offers to move my family to Europe and the Middle East to train clients there. I’m not going anywhere!
What are 3 Pros and 3 Cons of being a personal trainer?
We thought this would be an interesting question for George. Like always, he gave some great insight!
The pros:
- The entrepreneurial model of training – Whether you train for a big organization or are an independent contractor, you get to build your own business within the organization.
- Location – Because I am in NYC, there is great opportunity to meet amazing people. I consider myself lucky because I have such a great client base consisting of royalty, corporate titans, celebrities, and athletes.
- Schedule – I can train six or seven clients and be home by 1 pm, of course, you must be willing to get up early.
The cons:
- You need the right market – In my opinion, you can make a great living as an independent trainer in upscale locations around the US. If you live in a blue collar rural area, it might be more difficult to sustain a living as a trainer.
- The economy has a major effect on the industry – There are many box gyms selling lifetime memberships for as low as $15/month. I think this devalues the industry and will eventually lead to many big gyms going out of business.
- Reputation – When people think of personal trainers, unfortunately, they think of Arnold, Jillian Michaels and now Bob Harper. A lot of people are misinformed through television. We have an obligation to educate and change that image!
What advice would you give to people just starting their personal trainer career?
Education and customer service is key. Get as many accredited gold standard certifications as possible and never stop learning.
The more education you have, the more you will be able to help your clients to establish loyalty. Customer service goes a long way as well, almost as far as education.
There are so many great trainers and we are all competing for clients. Letting the client know how special they are, how great they are doing by sending a card or making a simple phone call can really solidify your relationship with that client.
I’ve had the same clients for over 10 years with literally no turnover.
What is your view on technology and fitness (i.e. apps, workout trackers, online personal trainers, etc)?
If technology helps us reach the masses and provide motivation than we are on the right track.
We would like to thank George publicly for taking the time to answer some of our reader’s questions! f you would like to stay updated with George’ personal training endeavors, follow him on Twitter @PPTSWellness.
We hope you enjoyed this, and we look forward to bringing you more interviews in the future! Don’t forget to continue reading Exercise.com’s Blog and keep up to date with all of the latest fitness news!
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