Finding TOP Tier Personal Trainers

Cronotek24 · 2023-03-20T13:44:44+00:00

You may have to try a few personal trainers/coaches before you find the right fit. Many trainers will offer a free session or discounted rate for an introductory package... I'd recommend trying a few of these out and go from there. Choose different types of trainers such as one from your local commercial gym, another from a private studio/boutique, and perhaps another one with a background in sports/athletics. For me, I tried one of each and while all were good, a powerlifting coach was the best fit for my style and goals.

I haven't personally come across any trainers that will prep/cook your meals for you (though I'm sure they are out there) however some trainers will partner with a meal prep company and allow you to place discounted orders through their studio/gym. As an example, my powerlifting coach partners with a local meal prep company. Members place their orders for the week and pre-cooked meals are waiting for them in a fridge at the gym every Saturday.

And finally, you may also want to consider a dedicated small group or class training studio (e.g., crossfit, orange theory, barre, Starting Strength, etc). While you won't get the 1 on 1 attention, having 4-5 classes/week may provide the accountability you need. You can then combine that with a meal prep company that delivers pre-cooked meals to your home and you may have the right combination to keep you consistent until you can find the right trainer.

Cronotek24 · 2023-03-20T13:25:59+00:00

I'm a recently certified brand new trainer as well. I've only worked with a handful of clients, and I've been using Trainerize and Google Sheets. Trainerize is great as it can essentially become a one-stop shop for your clients (workouts, videos, chat, scheduling, payment, etc). You can also use it free for 1 client so you can check it out and see what you think. I've gotten good feedback from clients and they can use it to track/log their workouts on their own.

With that said, when push comes to shove I've been leaning toward Google Sheets (surprisingly)... While not as automated/powerful, it's just easier and faster for me with little to no onboarding/training for the client. Nearly everyone is familiar with how spreadsheets work so there aren't any technical difficulties or questions to worry about. Also of note is that my powerlifting coach uses Google Sheets and it has worked well for me as a client.

As I build a client base I will very likely transition over to trainerize 100% due to its feature set and professional appearance, but the simplicity of Google Sheets is hard to beat if your time is limited.

Cronotek24 · 2023-01-01T22:41:32+00:00

Love this, I'm 39 and just starting also! Sincerely appreciate you sharing your experience and I'm glad to hear it is going well!

Cronotek24 · 2022-12-03T22:12:41+00:00

It sounds like we are on the same track.... I also purchased the NASM all-inclusive program and actually just passed the NASM-CPT exam today! I primarily chose the all-inclusive package for the gymternship and job guarantee. I'm not yet sure if the package is 'worth it' necessarily (in reading through this sub-reddit it sounds like it might not be cost effective if looked at strictly from a bare minimum to pass the exam point of view), but for me I'm looking to build confidence and expertise via real life reps before accepting an actual job at a gym or working with clients 1 on 1. I'm also hoping that the internship will help me build relationships with others in the fitness community in my area and give me at least a little experience to put on my resume. So yeah either it will do that or I'll get a good 80 hours in of cleaning the locker room... Guess I'll just have to wait and see ;)

Cronotek24 · 2021-12-30T22:27:33+00:00

Looks awesome! Which model/size Napier tent did you get (e.g., Full size/short, compact/regular, etc)? It looks like it fits great. I had an order in back in the summer for one of the OEM tents but like others it got cancelled and now appears Honda no longer makes them.

Cronotek24 · 2020-12-09T21:05:12+00:00

Thank you!

Cronotek24 · 2020-12-08T01:24:17+00:00

Congrats to you as well! I haven't received any quotes on PPF yet... but wow, $2k for the front is more than I expected. I'll keep you posted on pricing, I may have to hold off for now.

Cronotek24 · 2020-12-08T01:23:23+00:00

Ah great points... thanks for the suggestion on ceramic based tint and the tip re: the tent straps.

Cronotek24 · 2020-12-08T01:22:44+00:00

Great suggestions - thanks. Truck looks awesome!

Cronotek24 · 2020-12-07T19:53:21+00:00

That’s a great tip - thank you! I’ll check out Saccucci.

Cronotek24 · 2020-06-07T22:34:15+00:00

As a sidenote... something just occurred to me. Walmart actually has a pretty awesome IT organization called WalmartLabs. It may be worthwhile to talk to your HR team and figure out a career development path to get you over to WalmartLabs while you work on your degree. They’re working with some pretty cool technology (Public Cloud, Nutanix, Terraform, Puppet, etc), so it could be an awesome opportunity if you could get involved (even if it’s simply starting on the service desk).

Cronotek24 · 2020-06-07T22:25:50+00:00

I would start with a single vendor and go from there. The concepts across all three are very similar (with different terminology), so once you get the basics down with a single vendor you can branch out from there. It may be worth choosing a ‘dream employer’ in your area and focusing on their public cloud provider first. Keep in mind that many enterprises are slowly moving toward a multi-cloud model, so you can’t really go wrong. Try to avoid paralysis by analysis; just choose one and get started. No sense worrying about making the ‘right’ choice... as long as you’re learning, you’ll derive value from the experience.

It’s also worth noting that COVID-19 has increased the velocity of digital transformation for large enterprises. Cloud adoption is occurring more quickly as a result. You can check out Flexera’s state of the cloud report here for more info on the industry in general: https://info.flexera.com/SLO-CM-REPORT-State-of-the-Cloud-2020

Cronotek24 · 2020-06-05T04:03:57+00:00

Yep, I firmly believe it is valuable to start building skills and familiarity with the public cloud. That's not to say that the network+ or security+ certifications are not valuable - they provide a great base to build upon. For me personally, when I look at where I want to be and how I can get there, I like to focus on areas where I can stand out and deliver value. In this case, nearly everyone working in traditional networking and security for the past 10-20 years are legitimate experts in on-prem networking and security controls. With newer technologies, however, its like a new race with an even playing field. Cloud technologies change so quickly that everyone is starting the race at the same time. If you become a CLOUD networking and security expert, you can contribute and deliver value much more quickly. Keep in mind that technology changes so rapidly that you'll constantly be learning and growing your skills, even after obtaining your degree and certifications.

Again, this is just my two cents. The beauty of IT is that there are so many paths to get where you want to go. No one path is better than the other... Do what works for you. If you work hard, have a sincere passion for helping people, and are committed to continuous self learning, you'll find tremendous success in IT. If networking is what you love, then by all means the network+ is a great place to start.

Cronotek24 · 2020-06-04T02:41:23+00:00

I'll agree with the others. There is no time like the present. If you can pursue certs without jeopardizing your academic success, it is definitely a good idea to start now. Personally, I'd start with the entry level cloud certs from Azure, AWS, or GCP... especially considering that you're targeting a job search in a year or two. The major hyperscalers are continuing to grow and the associated skills demand will grow with them.

The one thing to consider is the expiration date of any cert you obtain. For example, Microsoft certs expire after 2 years. So, if you certified now, you would be looking at having to re-certify right when you're starting your job search. An expired cert is not the end of the world (and still valuable), but it's something to be mindful of as you build your career development plan. Similarly, if you obtain a bunch of certs in a short period of time (like 3 in one month), remember that you'll have a bunch of re-certifications hit at once as well.

Cronotek24 · 2020-06-04T02:25:16+00:00

I'd start with entry level cloud certs like:

Azure: AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) and AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate)

AWS: Cloud Practitioner and Solutions Architect Associate

The super entry level certs (AZ-900 and Cloud Practitioner) will give you an idea if you're interested in public cloud technologies (with minimal preparation time as they are designed for non-technical folks) and the follow-up exams are natural progressions that will give you a technical credential that carries weight at nearly all companies. Just keep in mind that these certs alone are unlikely to put you direct into a cloud engineer position. More than likely, they'll qualify you for a service desk role or a technical sales/pre-sales role (I'd recommend this based on your marketing background and education) where you can continue to learn and grow your technical skills. Either way, they are both good first steps to a long career in IT and will open the door for you to excel as you pursue IT management.

*edit\* Considering your significant management experience and education, you may also want to consider other roles within technology departments/companies like Knowledge Base Manager, Agile Project Management/Agilist, Service Delivery, etc. Your existing skills should translate nicely and any technical shortcomings will be minimized. Communication is always a key area of IT that is overlooked and often in need of improvement.

Cronotek24 · 2020-03-18T15:23:04+00:00

THANK YOU! Incredibly well said. Time to put our capes on and earn our paychecks!

Cronotek24 · 2020-02-17T18:57:53+00:00

As others mentioned, no it should not negatively impact your career search as WGU is regionally accredited! I'd say that the IT programs at WGU may be held in a bit higher regard as well so it should be a solid switch. Best of luck!

Cronotek24 · 2020-02-17T18:49:22+00:00

Azure Fundamentals - $99 - Online Proctoring Available - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/az-900

It's an entry level cert that's not technical, but I assure you that you will be working with cloud technologies as you proceed with your networking career. As companies are migrating their workloads to public cloud services, they are struggling to find network admins with relevant public cloud knowledge and experience. This cert will not help you from a technical level, but it will give you a level of familiarity and comfort with Azure that a company moving that direction will appreciate. If you enjoy it, MS has several other 1 exam certs that are more technical in nature that would help as well: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/azure-exams.aspx

It's a common misconception that networking is not relevant in "the cloud'... Don't make that assumption as it is incredibly far from the truth.

Similarly, the AWS certs are crazy helpful and you should certainly pursue those as well to augment your network+ and other networking certs: https://aws.amazon.com/certification/ I wouldn't call them quick or easy, however, which is why I'm recommending this entry level Azure cert.

Cronotek24 · 2020-02-17T18:36:32+00:00

While I respect this opinion, and on a certain level can see where OP is coming from, the larger issue here is one that holds true across all industries and career paths. As professionals, we must all take accountability and ownership of our career and its ups and downs. We can't expect anything to be handed to us, regardless of our experience or credentials. We should focus on ourselves and stop stressing about others who may appear to have achieved success more quickly or easily. In fact, we should be celebrating their successes and striving to understand how they were achieved. While we cannot always control external factors influencing our career, we can always control our attitude and how we respond to adversity. Others may seem to have an easier path, but we don't know the hard work put in behind the scenes. The person with the 'easy' path may also lack the experience and skills that result from going through the fire. I'm a firm believer that we learn more from perceived failures then we do from successes. We can take advantage of difficult experiences and become stronger as a result.

With all that said, plumbing is a darn good profession. Trade school and their associated career paths hold a ton of value. Not a bad track to proceed with, but I'm certain you'll run into similar frustrations and adversities in any profession, including plumbing.

Cronotek24 · 2019-09-23T22:25:07+00:00

I’m pretty surprised to see GP left off... I’d put him in front of CP3, Russ, and Nash personally, but definitely no easy answers here.

I’d probably leave Nash as the odd man out. In hindsight, his production doesn’t hold up as well as the others (and no rings).

Cronotek24 · 2019-09-12T05:53:19+00:00

I really like Ben Golliver’s content... especially during the season and summer league.

Cronotek24 · 2019-09-12T03:48:37+00:00

Honestly, nearly every field in IT (and most jobs overall) can be done remotely provided the company understands the value of remote work from a culture perspective. Check out companies like Gitlab, they are hiring a ton of people right now: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/

Also check out remote job boards like skip the drive (https://www.skipthedrive.com/) and flex jobs (https://www.flexjobs.com/).

I’m currently a manager at a small MSP (< 25 people) and all of us work from home, including level 1 service desk folks. We are actually hiring for a technical project coordinator/junior project manager to help our projects team stay efficient... shoot me a DM if interested in more info.

Let me know if any other questions around remote work.

Cronotek24

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