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There’s More Behind the Word “Trainer”
Eric Belliveau • Feb 27, 2019

In this field of health and fitness, there are many different types of professionals all of which carry a specific title. These include “athletic trainer”, “personal trainer”, and “strength and conditioning coach” all of which are very different from each other. It is so common for the individuals that work in this profession to be called “trainers”. There is more behind the word and it’s important for you to know, at for us that work in this field.

Athletic Trainers

These professionals are experts in recognizing, treating, and preventing injuries. They prevent, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate injuries whether they are acute or chronic injuries. In order to be an “AT”, you must have your bachelor’s degree in athletic training, meet all qualifications that are set by the Board of Certification as well as follow the requirements for the state licensing board. You would see an “AT” in schools, colleges, professional sports, clinics, and hospitals.

Personal Trainers

These are professionals that develop and monitor changes in an individual’s specific exercise programs. They asses fitness needs, design an appropriate exercise regimen, and work with these clients to achieve fitness goals. In order to become a personal trainer, you may or may not have a higher education in health sciences. You may obtain certifications through several different organizations and can work as a fitness trainer without having formal practice or experience. You may find personal trainers at health clubs, wellness centers, and other locations where fitness activities take place.

Strength Coaches

These professionals are more advanced. They are tasked with improving not only just health and fitness, but with improving human performance and athleticism. They have the knowledge and understand the science behind human movement. These professionals may also assist with the rehabilitation of injuries. When it comes to athletics, strength coaches analyze the sport, positions, and players to be able to design a program that will increase strength, power, speed, stamina, and agility.

Injury prevention is also a major part of these program designs. In order to be a strength and conditioning coach, you need to have at least a bachelor’s degree as well as pass specific certification exams. You would find these coaches at schools, colleges, professional sports settings, performance facilities and fitness facilities.

We coach you through your journey as a team, we support you, we educate you, we go above and beyond than just telling you what to do in a workout.

Obviously there is more detail that goes into these job descriptions. These are just brief explanations. It’s important to know what you are describing and labeling someone as such in this career. It is very common in the college setting for an athlete to call me their “trainer”, when I am not their “trainer”, I am their strength and conditioning coach. The college athletes have their “athletic trainers” and they have their “strength coach”. In the setting here at CPC, we are your coaches. We are all highly educated in our field and we hold specific certifications and standards that surpass one of just a “trainer”. We coach you through your journey as a team, we support you, we educate you, we go above and beyond than just telling you what to do in a workout.

I know it may sound silly, but it’s important for us to have our labels to be as legit as possible in what we give and offer. When you’ve done those extra credentials to earn the title that you want, you would want your title to be as accurately described as possible. An example in the world outside of the health and fitness industry would be that you wouldn’t call your dentist a dental hygienist, or even call your nurse your doctor.

This is not to say that one of these are better than the other, or more important than the other, or to degrade any of these titles. If one was an athletic trainer, they would prefer to be called your Athletic Trainer or “AT”, same as personal trainer, and strength coach.

You can’t accurately describe these professionals simply by using the word “trainer”.

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • 07 Oct, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • 23 Sep, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.

The Meat Hangover

By Eric Belliveau • 07 Oct, 2020
When it comes to taking meat out of your diet, some people have the idea that they will only see positive changes immediately following this choice. While those positive changes are definitely part of the deal, so is an adjustment period for your body.

We're Trying

By Eric Belliveau • 23 Sep, 2020
We were all thrown on this crazy ride together. Emotions were running high but so were patience, empathy, inclusion, and respect. Most of us could rally behind the #WeAreInThisTogether manta. We wanted to do right by each other - donate to charities, lend a hand, check-in on one another. Do our part. As the days turn to weeks and the weeks into months these dispositions decayed rapidly. I know that this Quarantine order has been going on for a long time. I know that a great number of us do not agree on the why. I know an even greater number of us are “over it”. I am painfully aware of the difference of opinions surrounding the pandemic. It is impossible to NOT be aware of this. This leads us all to frustration, anger, resentment, and the feeling that you are not being heard. Very real and very human emotions! It is okay to feel this way. I am not only writing this from the perspective of a fellow struggling human. I do find myself struggling with everything I mentioned above. Not just daily but multiple times a day. My ability to focus has been challenged by my worry. My ability to create time for myself and focus on self-care has been derailed for fear of other things becoming more pressing. I work on this every day. I am not only writing this from the perspective of one of the business owners who were never given a playbook for this. For weeks on end I thought WTF happened to the business and how would our model need to change and remain viable, how each business owner had to either weather a period in which we were completely shut down or allowed to operate under capacity restrictions, etc. The unknown of what the timeline would bring and whether we would be able to continue our dreams or make an extremely difficult decision of not continuing. This still haunts every one of us daily. I AM very much writing this as a service provider! I am writing this as an impassioned human who genuinely loves what I do for a living. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have built a career surrounding something I get excited about every day. I am making a stand for all of us that make their living in the service industry. To the receptionist, hostess, waiter, cook, dry cleaner, teacher, technician, barista, utility worker, automobile service technician… It is truly impossible to be inclusive of everyone here.  No one human mentioned above asked for this ‘situation’ we are in. We are sure as hell trying to provide a level of normalcy, service, care, and happiness to the lives in which we choose to serve. With added restrictions, added expense decreased capacity and the fear of being fined or shut down for doing it incorrectly, everyday.
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