Westside Barbell Certification

[Clifford Gillmore]

I just stumbled upon this on the www.westside-barbell.com website, and I'm curious to see if anyone has done it or is thinking about doing it. As I go further into my personal training and diet management stuff for the VERY rare client I get (I do a little PT, I'm not certified in the slightest - but I get results) I'd like to have some kind of certification in case some one asks.

Australia doesn't really have an ACE or NASA style certification test, just an Australian Institute of Sport Degree or a 8-week community college short course cert. And neither of them mean anything. So I'm looking at something a little more challenging/appreciated.

Thoughts?

[Cricket_Fire]

So I'm looking at something a little more challenging/appreciated.

tbh man the only people who will really appreciate a WSB Certification are people who likely won't need personal training anyways

[Travis Bell]

tbh man the only people who will really appreciate a WSB Certification are people who likely won't need personal training anyways

Not really true. Our interns do a lot of learning how to work with athletes and expand their training abilities beyond just powerlifting.

The problem for most people though is that to go through the Westside Cert. program, you have to come and live here for I think it's 6wks. Might be longer I can't remember.

Honestly, it's not really easy lol. Louie made those tests really hard!

Plus we abuse our interns miserably. It's lots of fun

[Travis Bell]

I should add, if someone is considering going through this program, you might want to do it soon. I know Lou has considered getting rid of the program as he's found it to be kind of a pain in the neck. Some of the guys we've gotten have been real brain trusts lol.

[Lones Green]

Not really true. Our interns do a lot of learning how to work with athletes and expand their training abilities beyond just powerlifting.

The problem for most people though is that to go through the Westside Cert. program, you have to come and live here for I think it's 6wks. Might be longer I can't remember.

Honestly, it's not really easy lol. Louie made those tests really hard!

Plus we abuse our interns miserably. It's lots of fun

I saw the abuse first hand, LOL

[Clifford Gillmore]

I saw the abuse first hand, LOL

Well thats a shame, I never heard about it!


Looks like I'm going through the Australian Institute of Sport, I'll just go in and sit the exam for it - Another fantastic system where there is NO physical prac. work.

[Lones Green]

The certifications where you have to get a bachelors are usually a little bit more credible.

However, the CSCS says the best exercise for football players is leg extensions

And yeah, even the small girls boss the interns around

[C-Sobrino]

Travis, what do you mean by brain trust?

[Travis Bell]

Travis, what do you mean by brain trust?

haha I just mean that we've had a couple that were a tad goofy.

They are all good guys though and take the abuse really well.

Except one foreign guy I kept calling chicken legs, I don't think he knew how to respond.

[Cricket_Fire]

Not really true. Our interns do a lot of learning how to work with athletes and expand their training abilities beyond just powerlifting

Oh I would deffinatly think it's an awesome course Travis; what I meant was a huge % of people won't really appreciate the certification for what it is (they'll just see it as another peice of paper); the people actually understand what it is, probably aren't the kind of people looking for personal trainers. Just imho of course

[Travis Bell]

Oh I would deffinatly think it's an awesome course Travis; what I meant was a huge % of people won't really appreciate the certification for what it is (they'll just see it as another peice of paper); the people actually understand what it is, probably aren't the kind of people looking for personal trainers. Just imho of course

ohhh I totally misunderstood what you were saying lol. Apologies for that

I would agree with you in that respect. The majority of people looking for personal training in a commercial gym would give you a very confused look when you told them you were certified by Westside.

This is a very common misconception that maybe I'll talk to Doris about giving more explaination on the website about, but the program isn't intended to make people into personal trainers. What the program started out as is a way for people who typically run their own business or train a lot of athletes, to come to Westside and get very intensive training on how Louie does his stuff, why he does it and how they can implement this into their own training scenarios.

It's not intended to be something that gets you a job at a university or a commercial gym.

In my honest opinion, personal training certs are a complete waste of time. I have 3 different ones, all of which are certified cow pucky, but I only have them so my insurance rates were lower. I will never renew them or further them.

Being a good trainer will not be learned in a book. It's learned by properly applying principles in the gym, accurately looking for progress in the right way and then learning, reforming and doing it all over again.

If you just want to be a trainer in your own gym, don't waste your time with certs or degrees even. I have a BA in psychology because I felt it had more correlation to training athletes than my exercise science degree did.

Louie is a good example of someone without any type of cert, Shelby Starnes is another one, Mark Bell does not (to my knowledge, correct me if I'm wrong Mark) and the list goes on.

Certifications are neither a gateway to success as a trainer, nor a indicator of knowledge.

Like I said though, if you want to work for a commerical gym as your job, or a university, it'll be a means to an end as you can't get those jobs without one.

[C-Sobrino]

Sounds like a cool programs. Do the interns get to train with you guys? Is the treatment more like hazing or what?

I'm not going to sign up, just sounds like a cool concept.

[Travis Bell]

Sounds like a cool programs. Do the interns get to train with you guys? Is the treatment more like hazing or what?

I'm not going to sign up, just sounds like a cool concept.

Well the interns do train at the same time we do, but usually in a different group.

LOL think you're misunderstanding the treatment. We're just a bunch of guys goofing off. Our sense of humor is just a little rough around the edges, but we're good guys.

[slashkills]

oh so you dont beat the interns with hammers

[Clifford Gillmore]

The certifications where you have to get a bachelors are usually a little bit more credible.

However, the CSCS says the best exercise for football players is leg extensions

And yeah, even the small girls boss the interns around

Haha!


Unfortuneately I cannot go back to university/college, I've got other commitments in life that do not allow that kind of time, lest till I start working off-shore.


Travis, the insurance was the main reason I'm getting a cert. And it looks pretty on paper

[shawno]

Risk, have you thought about this organization:
http://www.issaonline.com/certificat...certification/
Dr. Squat is a co-founder, so for me that adds credibility.

Has anyone taken their S & C Cert course?

[AJ Roberts]

The certification and the internship are two totally separate things. The cert is an online exam. You can get full details here - http://www.westside-barbell.com/westside-certification/

[musclemick]

Risk I'm doing a pt course through www.ptnetwork.com.au - cost $2450 for cert 3 gym instructor and cert 4 personal trainer.
At the end of each course you need to do 3 or 5 days prac work at some gym in Perth.

I've learnt **** loads off wannabebig about training etc. but I need certification to work in a gym and for insurance purposes.

Dunno if your intersted but thought I'd link ya. If ya want any more info just hit me up