…But I Have Dissected a Human Cadaver

I always knew I wanted to help others and I knew exactly what I wanted to go to college for when I was 16.    I went to college for my bachelors in Music (piano) and my masters in occupational therapy. I thoroughly enjoy my job.  I work with everyday people that sustain an injury to their upper extremity.  I work with kids, young athletes and professional athletes, factory workers and senior citizens to help them regain function in their shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand.
When I was 16, I also developed a love for fitness.  At that time, I was set on my career choice and chose to keep fitness as a hobby.  As I am now comfortable in my career and have continued my love for fitness, I have chosen to take on another endeavor, personal training.
I researched various personal training certifications.  There are a lot out there, some require a high school diploma and a CPR card and others require a bachelors degree in a similar health field like Kinesiology or Exercise Science.  I don’t have a bachelors degree in an exercise related field, but I have dissected a human cadaver and had to learn every muscle in the body, where it attached and what was it’s function.  I just wanted a certification and I wanted it quickly. There were just a few things I needed to learn – various testing and nutrition.
So I decided I’d start with the ACE exam.  I ordered the ACE Personal Trainer Manual and the ACE’s Essentials of Exercise Science.   I have been out of college for 5 years, so finding a study routine was extremely difficult.  I probably spent about 3-5 hours a week looking over the books and studing for about 12 weeks.
I felt pretty confident going in to the exam and was ready to get it over with.  I was nervous, not because I worried I did not study properly, but because I am a slow reader and often skip over words in sentences.  I often find myself reading a question 4-5 times prior to confidently making an answer.  There were some challenging questions. I had to calculate (without a calculator) body fat percentages, know the amount of grams of carbs an endurance athlete requires, how many ounces of water should be consumed before, during and after a workout, how to calculate a 1RM, know the actions of specific minerals and drugs, etc.  There were also quite a few questions that to me, were common sense.   I confidently answered any muscular or movement pattern questions and questions on how to progress a client.  I was allowed 3 hours to take the exam.  I used 2 hours and 45 minutes.  It was a relief when the exam was over and after clicking “submit exam” it read out, “PASSED” in capital letters.
So now, the new adventure begins.