The world of fitness coaching is an exciting one that can provide a satisfying career for people who are passionate about health and fitness. Having the proper certifications, skills, and knowledge to help people achieve their ultimate potential take a lot of hard work to attain tho. Not only does this field require a lot of passion, but it also requires a lot of knowledge and test-taking.
If you are trying to become a successful strength and conditioning coach, here are three tips that you need to know about!
- Study Smarter – Not Harder For Your Certification Exam
It comes as no surprise that the first step to becoming a successful strength and conditioning coach is attaining your CSCS certification. In order to have a career in this field, you have to acquire a certain skill set and then prove that through licensure. The good news is that even though no one has ever called the CSCS exam easy – it’s not impossible to pass the exam and even do well on it.
Yes, big exams can cause a fair amount of anxiety, especially when they are related to licensure. Unlike other kinds of exams, these can have a particularly real-life effect on those who take them. Getting the score you want means that you can take on the next step in your career. If you fail the exam though, it could mean pushing pause on life goals until you can re-take the exam and pass.
One of the most important parts of taking an exam like the CSCS is preparation. As counterintuitive as it may sound, the best way to pass a licensure exam like this is to not just study 24/7. These exams are heavy, long, and require learning instead of simple memorization in order to score well on. The good news is that with the proper study schedule, and tools, you can learn this content and get the score you want.
One of the first tools to help you score well is a CSCS practice test. A practice test helps you in a couple of key and unique ways. First, it gives you a chance to hit pause in your studying, and assess your current knowledge of the material. This is very important because you should be changing your study rhythms as you prepare. If you take a practice exam and find that you are strong in one area of knowledge, it gives you the insight to leverage your study time to the weaker areas.
The second thing is a schedule. Preparing for an exam should never look like all work and no play. Anxiety can be encouraged through too much sedentary activity. So schedule things that promote your emotional, spiritual, and physical health! That means prioritizing workout time, good food, and decompression time with friends. Regularly getting your head out of the books for controlled, healthy, and constructive amounts of time can actually help support your memory and recall.
- Have a Personal Mission
This is a very important part of building out your success as a strength and condition coach. Yes, there are so many personal styles and ways to coach, and it’s important that you know what you bring to the table – but nothing can replace passion. When it comes to working with clients, they will sense the passion that’s inside of you, and that passion comes from a personal mission.
Why do you want to be a coach? Why do you want to impact people and help them pursue their fitness journeys?
These kinds of questions are important, no matter what part of the health industry you decide to work in. If you work with athletes, or you take on clients at a local gym, having a mission will help connect you to the people that you are passionate about. A personal mission is something that not only strengthen’s your resolve and determination, but also works to help people connect to you. This can greatly increase your success and ability to attain clients.
- Find a Mentor
Coaching is something that is deeply personal and requires a lot of drive, ambition, and passion to do well. When it comes to becoming a strength and conditioning coach, having a mentor that has been where you are can help a lot. These should be people you respect and work in the related field that you also want to work in. Gleaning from the relational wisdom of successful coaches in your field will only help to sharpen your ability to connect with clients and be successful.
Conclusion
Becoming a strength and conditioning coach is a deeply satisfying process that will teach you the necessary tools you need in order to be successful and have the impact you want to have. Following these three tips, you can become the coach that you’ve always dreamed of being!
