ed2go Success Story: Becoming a NASM Certified Personal Trainer
IT specialist Timm Carper never expected to run a successful personal training business, but that’s exactly what he does thanks to ed2go’s NASM Certified Personal Trainer course.
“When I became a NASM-Certified Personal Trainer, I was able to create new training programs, add new clients, and even partner with Onelife Fitness as an Athletic Performance Coach.”
Getting Started as a Football Coach
When he’s not running drills with his athletes, Timm works in information security and has over 15 years of experience in the IT industry.
He hadn’t considered coaching until a friend asked him to help with his youth football league.
Timm had plenty of sports experience as a high school and college athlete, so he gave it a shot.
Right from the start, Timm loved helping kids grow their athletic abilities.
“About five years ago, one of my players asked me to help him prepare for a playoff game,” Timm said. “He wasn’t in a position that I coached, but I put him through some basic drills and it really helped him!”
This experience inspired him to start his own company, Skills n Drills Institute, where he works with athletes to “refine their technique, elevate their skillset, and dominate at their position.”
Becoming a NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Getting his client list to where it is today didn’t happen overnight.
“In the beginning,” Timm said, “my buddy let me use his youth league field when they weren’t using it on the weekends.”
Timm stood on that field for eight hours on his first day in business, but no one showed up. He tried to market his business through social media, renting an indoor facility, and even putting up fliers.
Slowly, he gained a handful of clients from recommendations. But Timm wanted to keep growing his business.
Timm knew that if he was getting clients by word of mouth, he needed credentials to prove his expertise.
A friend of Timm’s was training at a facility that spoke highly of The National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT) credential. So, Timm went on the hunt for more information about NASM. He even enlisted his wife to help him assess different NASM training programs. She found ed2go’s online NASM course, offered in partnership George Mason University, and suggested that he check it out.
Timm did check the course out, which had everything he needed to prepare for the CPT exam, better understand the science of personal training, and set him up for career success.
He was all-in on his course.
Timm had never taken an online course before he enrolled in ed2go’s NASM program. Even with a degree from James Madison University, he found that the new learning experience required discipline. But it also gave him the flexibility he needed, when he needed it.
“It was up to me to read, study, and take the tests on my own. No one was standing over my shoulder,” Timm said. “I had several family issues arise while working toward certification, including my mother-in-law passing away. But, I could stop and start as needed and still complete everything in six months.”
After enrolling in February 2019, Timm completed his coursework in August and passed the CPT exam in September.
“I passed it on my first try,” he said.
Elevating His Personal Training Career
Timm said that the course helped him better understand the anatomy of the body and how different muscle groups work together.
He used this knowledge to develop new, highly targeted training programs.
Timm expanded his training programs from four player positions (defensive back, running back, wide receiver, linebacker) to include a cardio conditioning and intensive footwork drills.
“I can train multiple positions and muscle groups at the same time with different movements,” Timm said. “And I started a conditioning program tailored to athletes at different skill levels.”
Timm also had the idea of partnering with a gym to reach new clientele.
“I showed one of my new training programs to some of the trainers at the local OneLife Fitness gym,” he said.
The trainers were so impressed that they invited him back for a second interview.
Timm now works with their Explosive Performance team.
“I’m just happy I listened to my wife’s advice to check out the ed2go course,” he said. “Getting certified wasn’t even on my radar when I first started this journey, but I’m glad I did it.”
Timm plans to earn additional NASM certifications — the Performance Exercise Specialty in 2020 and the Corrective Exercise Specialty in 2021.
“I still have a lot to learn,” he said, “but I love training.”
To learn more about our online NASM Certified Personal Trainer course, click the link below.
LEARN MORE: NASM Certified Personal Trainer
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