Lost My Clinical Nutrition--Dietitian Job

I got fired from the job I had at nursing home as a clinical dietitian.

I feel both sad and happy at the same time. I feel sad because my work was suffering and I chose a job that I wasn’t made for and didn’t truly like or love. But I’m excited as hell to embark on new things and not have to go to a place that I FUCKING HATE working at.

I have to finish one more class either next semester or in the summer semester for my MS in nutrition and exercise. I also order the study materials for the CSCS exam.

So… I’m taking the plunge and following what I really want to do: get a job as a trainer at a commercial gym. Yeah, that’s right, at one of the very “un-T” gyms like Equinox (had an interview yesterday, another tomorrow), Bally, and Town Sports International. I might even apply to a 24 Hour Fitness… because I have to start somewhere and I DON’T look down on the trainers who work in these gyms as some of them are very competent and make a nice living (50 to 100+K). Plus there is much room for advancement. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be able to develop a dietetics/nutrition program one day for the place where I work.

The next goal is to FINALLY stop talking, and actually build the website that I wanted to develop last year. Last year, I wanted to develop a blog on exercise and nutrition, but now that I’ve had more time to think about it, a content-rich, theme-based site is MUCH MUCH better than a blog-based site. Granted, any information site can and should have a blog, but I don’t think making money from a blog is the right way to go, unless you have LITERALLY ENDLESS shit to write about (I know I don’t; no one in nutrition and exercise does). I’ve made a list of many ideas for the site. Of course the themes will be nutrition and exercise.

I’d like to know if any of you trainers on here can give me a few tips for working in a mainstream club. What were your mistakes? What have you done that is successful with the REGULAR public in getting in shape?

Any ideas that you’d like to see on a website?

Good luck Brick.

Don’t be that guy…

That makes the pudgy kid do shoulder press on a bosu ball; too much jiggling.

That goes on and on about soy milk and shots of wheat grass. If I wanted to go down that road I’d go lick a microwaved plastic bowl and gnaw on my front yard. It’s cheaper!

Just don’t be that guy.

Do be that guy…

That makes the vixen do high rep good mornings and jump squats… Yeaaaa be that guy.

you definitely don’t come across (at least on here) to be the type that would be working at a nursing home, lol.

good luck. you’ll have struggles at a commercial gym working with people who want results, but may not always follow your advice, but the ones that listen make it all worthwhile.

Nothing wrong working there either, you can make a difference in people’s lives, and no matter if it’s a “T” level type of gym or not, you’re spreading good info and helping people cut through the BS

From working in a commercial gym for a few years and going to end up in one for quite some time to come (my chiropractic office is in one) I feel I have a few tips.

  1. Do not compromise your beliefs in diet or exercise regardless of what you see the other trainers doing. I came into a gym that was all about the bosu ball and “core” exercises and I came in with my old standards; squats, deadlifts, pushups, body rows, push press, chin ups, planks, etc and i did not give in to what was “working” for them. It took me a good four months to make them notice, once I got my clients to drop 20, 30, and 40 pounds while getting more muscle and stronger. But the approach I took made an impact and altered the training philosophy of those around me.

  2. Don’t give in to making shitty programs that are one exercise per body part all on machines and long slow distance cardio. This follows number 1 but make what you give people worthwhile and beneficial.

  3. Do not undervalue yourself. If you are good at something do not do it for free.

  4. What gets any person in shape will get the average people in shape you are just doing it in much less time, spending 30 minutes to 3 hours with these clients every week.

  5. Do not undervalue nutrition, if you do not get that across to your clients from day one then they will not be as successful as they want to be.

That’s all I can think of right now.

P.S. do not down play the effectiveness of jumping jacks and squat thrusts for cardio in the general population.

Thanks, JF. Well, at the time of choosing that job, (stereotypical line to come) “needed a job,” the typical American reason of getting a job these days. At the time I would’ve MUCH rather have worked in a public relations firm with a nutrition practice or an outpatient counseling center within a hospital. I didn’t want to do inpatient or nursing home work, but NEEDED to work. For now, I want to personally train and the dietetics/nutrition work can be done on the side for myself if it comes up.

My long-term career goal is to have my own business with exercise and dietetics/nutrition. And not just sports nutrition – medical nutrition therapy too, typical dietetics stuff.

[quote]PunisherHCK wrote:
Don’t be that guy…

That makes the pudgy kid do shoulder press on a bosu ball; too much jiggling.

That goes on and on about soy milk and shots of wheat grass. If I wanted to go down that road I’d go lick a microwaved plastic bowl and gnaw on my front yard. It’s cheaper!

Just don’t be that guy.

Do be that guy…

That makes the vixen do high rep good mornings and jump squats… Yeaaaa be that guy.
[/quote]

I’ve been at this since 17 years old and reading T-mag since '99. So I won’t be that sort of bizarre trainer you speak of. I’m pretty advanced in training for someone who has never competed in bodybuilding or powerlifting.

I only like the Bosu ball for pushups to work the core: position the Bosu ball “ball down” and use the base as a platform and have the feet elevated. That’s it! I’ve never seen another Bosu ball exercise I’d remotely consider using either with myself or a trainee. I don’t like the Swiss ball much either.

Having eaten up to 5,000 kcals per day in the past, I’m not one to push soy milk and wheat grass.

On the training end, I’m fine. I’m open to many forms of training and although I’ve gotten very strong in the core lifts (I used to want to compete in powerlifting and bodybuilding), they are not a good idea for many people. I’m not for the functional-crazy crowd and I’m not for the “thou must deadlift, squat, bench, and good morning no matter what” crowd.

MANY – maybe even MOST – out-of-shape middle-aged folks are so deconditioned and inflexible that they are not ready to squat and deadlift properly. Refer to Eric Cressey’s and Mike Robertson’s articles. I think this crowd is far better off focusing on single-leg exercises, leg presses (gasp!), mobility drills, corrective exercises, core exercises, activation drills, and dumbbell bench press variations.

THEN you can introduce the other exercises, maybe even slowly. You can start with a rack deadlift and as time goes on, decrease the rack height until you are left with a regular deadlift. You can start with high-box squats and decrease the height of the box over time.

Granted, those that started athletics, powertlifting, and bodybuilding at a young age don’t need to go through that. But those aren’t the people who wind up in a commercial gym looking for a personal trainer. The clientele is nearly always middle aged folks who want to look, feel, and function good.

The same goes for dietetics/nutrition. I really wish I can start a business with nothing but sports nutrition, but that’s VERY difficult to in a short time. The average person who goes to an RD is overweight or obese or someone who’s seeking medical nutrition therapy for a condition (eg, diabetes, celiac disease, renal disease, gastroparesis, etc.)

Not to burst your bubble but what you learn in the classroom, (this site) is not always realistic and applicable in a commerical setting where you are getting clients based off of results and renewal percentage.

I have yet to have clients do strict typical powerlfting or Olympic squats but you can bet your bottom dollar they will be doing some form of a squat, deadlift, row, and postural exercises from day one. Real world is somewhere between idealistic and your worst nightmare and it will shift one way or the other depending on how effective you are at what you do and how successful you become.

Really sorry to hear about your job, man.

[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
I’d like to know if any of you trainers on here can give me a few tips for working in a mainstream club. What were your mistakes? What have you done that is successful with the REGULAR public in getting in shape?[/quote]

Sir, I deliver unto you three years and seven pages worth of trainers answering those questions:

I’d give that a readthrough and see what clicks.

A few quick general points:

  • Document client’s transformations (get before and after numbers, plus pictures whenever possible) to build your portfolio starting with client #1.

  • Be open to, and actively seek out, clients with different goals. Seems like everybody wants to train the pro athlete, bikini model, or bodybuilder, but nobody wants to deal with training the 38-year old mother of twins, the 54-year old overweight smoker, or the underweight high school sophomore. Diverse clients force you to develop a diverse skill set.

  • This might be redundant to tell you, but don’t underestimate the influence a client’s diet can make. If they show up at the gym to train with you even four hours a week (pretty much unheard of for personal training in this area), that’s still a lot of time outside the gym they have to be in charge of their own progress.

  • Be patient. I know you have some experience, but it sounds like you might want to jump from zero to 100 (not even working in a gym straight to building your online empire). Goals are awesome, but pace yourself or you’ll end up doing several things poorly, rather than doing one thing well…followed by another thing well… followed by another.

[quote]D Day wrote:
Not to burst your bubble but what you learn in the classroom, (this site) is not always realistic and applicable in a commerical setting where you are getting clients based off of results and renewal percentage.

I have yet to have clients do strict typical powerlfting or Olympic squats but you can bet your bottom dollar they will be doing some form of a squat, deadlift, row, and postural exercises from day one. Real world is somewhere between idealistic and your worst nightmare and it will shift one way or the other depending on how effective you are at what you do and how successful you become. [/quote]

I appreciate your information, but I don’t see where a bubble was burst. I don’t understand your first paragraph at all.

I’m well aware that what I learn on a site or in a formal academic setting has SOMETIMES little to do with real world settings. If I sat around online for the past 13 years like some eternal newbies do, I would’ve never worked up to a bodyweight of 240# at 5’10" (not sloppy), 500 pound squat and deadlift, and 350 bench.

Chris,

Thank you VERY much for that info!

It’s OK I lost this job; I got fired rightfully so. It was becoming so boring (and I’m serious about this) that the boredom was affecting my work. I felt like a zombie while working! Sometimes I’d have back-to-back meeting spanning 4 to 5 hours in which I shared less than 15 minutes of dialogue for the entire time. I once had an interdisciplinary meeting in which I shared less than 3 minutes of dialogue in 2.5 hours. I don’t know how this can’t wear on an energetic young man’s nerves! Not to mention ENDLESS paper work. Actually, about 98% of the job was paper work. Imagine that, a full work day of shuffling papers and information from point A to point B!

I’ve never been so bored in all the years I’ve worked since 14 years old cleaning dishes. Actually that was more exciting. Folding clothes and buttering bagels was more so too.

In fact

I didn’t even know there was a thread for trainers on here.

  1. Yes, documenting a client’s progress is very important. At least we do that for near-death nursing home patients with nutrition status.

  2. You’re right. Personally, I don’t have ANY thoughts of training athletes, models, or celebrities. I want to train people that attend an Equinox, Bally, or New York Sports Club: 35 to 65 year old in average to poor shape. Get 'em into GREAT shape!

  3. Oh yes, totally. But there’s a limit on how much nutrition advice can give AS a trainer; that is, even if they are an RD otherwise.

  4. I thought about that right when I was coming home on the LIRR today: there’s no way I can be successful with two demanding goals at once.

However, I wasn’t planning on building an empire while I train. I don’t want to sell ANY products or private services UNTIL I’m an expert, until I have COMPETENCE in getting people in shape!

I just wanted, for the time being, an information-based website with nutrition and exercise information and videos and a blog that I can work on here and there, perhaps a few hours per week. Get some spare money from advertising and affiliate marketing.

I was going to post a bunch of advice re: consulting services but decided against posting it publicly. I will send it to you in private.

Such information should only be intended for serious eyes and there are too few of those around these parts.

You’re a good guy. You WILL be successful if you don’t revert to using a microscopic (near-sighted business lens) every time things don’t go your way; stick with the telescope (long term goals).

I want you to be successful so when I fly out to NY to see you and elusive, you will throw down some bank for good food and fly hunnies.

[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
Chris,

Thank you VERY much for that info!

It’s OK I lost this job; I got fired rightfully so. It was becoming so boring (and I’m serious about this) that the boredom was affecting my work. I felt like a zombie while working! Sometimes I’d have back-to-back meeting spanning 4 to 5 hours in which I shared less than 15 minutes of dialogue for the entire time. I once had an interdisciplinary meeting in which I shared less than 3 minutes of dialogue in 2.5 hours. I don’t know how this can’t wear on an energetic young man’s nerves! Not to mention ENDLESS paper work. Actually, about 98% of the job was paper work. Imagine that, a full work day of shuffling papers and information from point A to point B!

I’ve never been so bored in all the years I’ve worked since 14 years old cleaning dishes. Actually that was more exciting. Folding clothes and buttering bagels was more so too.

In fact

I didn’t even know there was a thread for trainers on here.

  1. Yes, documenting a client’s progress is very important. At least we do that for near-death nursing home patients with nutrition status.

  2. You’re right. Personally, I don’t have ANY thoughts of training athletes, models, or celebrities. I want to train people that attend an Equinox, Bally, or New York Sports Club: 35 to 65 year old in average to poor shape. Get 'em into GREAT shape!

  3. Oh yes, totally. But there’s a limit on how much nutrition advice can give AS a trainer; that is, even if they are an RD otherwise.

  4. I thought about that right when I was coming home on the LIRR today: there’s no way I can be successful with two demanding goals at once.

However, I wasn’t planning on building an empire while I train. I don’t want to sell ANY products or private services UNTIL I’m an expert, until I have COMPETENCE in getting people in shape!

I just wanted, for the time being, an information-based website with nutrition and exercise information and videos and a blog that I can work on here and there, perhaps a few hours per week. Get some spare money from advertising and affiliate marketing. [/quote]

Where school are you attending for your MS in nutrition?

Undergraduate and pending MS at Long Island University-CW Post Campus.

Dietetic Internship: Stony Brook University Department of Family Medicine (rotations done for clinical, community, sports nutrition, outpatient and foodservice-institutional management).

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
I was going to post a bunch of advice re: consulting services but decided against posting it publicly. I will send it to you in private.

Such information should only be intended for serious eyes and there are too few of those around these parts.

You’re a good guy. You WILL be successful if you don’t revert to using a microscopic (near-sighted business lens) every time things don’t go your way; stick with the telescope (long term goals).

I want you to be successful so when I fly out to NY to see you and elusive, you will throw down some bank for good food and fly hunnies.[/quote]

Thanks Ponce. Tell us when you’re visiting.

take a economics micro(macro as well but micro more so) and accounting 101 and 102 at your local community college if you really want to pursue your own business endeavors IMO.