The personal trainer career path is new and has recently been pioneered. Obviously, the ancient Greeks and other cultures of the past had their athletic traditions, but most of this athletic training was actually meant to keep people fit for war. Exercising for the sake of health and going to a professional expert in physical training is a new practice that just began in the 20th century.
There were destination spas in the late 1800s that were concerned with exercise alongside general bodily health, but these destination health centers often used questionable health procedures that had little to do with actual fitness. . Jack Lalanne is known as the godfather of all fitness and for good reason. Born in California in 1914, Jack was the first sugar-addicted child that he felt was “bad and weak” as a result.
After a nutrition lecture he saw as a teenager changed his life, Jack launched into a nutritious sugar-free diet, exercised, and soon played on several high school sports teams. In 1936, at the young age of 22, he opened the first gym in history. By opening the club in Oakland, California, he earned a reputation among conservative-minded physicians as a “health nut” to be avoided.
He walked the streets to find clients who claimed he could recondition their bodies and get them in the best shape of their lives. In the process of opening his club and personally training his clients, he basically invented the career of personal trainer. While continuing to shape his approach to exercise instruction, he also invented a series of exercise machines that are common today.
The cable pulley weightlifting systems you see in every gym around the world are his invention, as are the Smith machines you see everywhere, too. Soon Jack opened more clubs, each staffed by people who could provide instructions on how to use the machines, eat well, and get enough rest. Jack Lalanne eventually sold his chain of exercise clubs which were renamed Bally’s.
In 1954, the American College of Sports Medicine was founded to promote fitness, health, and certify fitness professionals. This organization began to certify the first personal trainers, but in the 1980s the personal trainer career became popular and sometimes even lucrative. Fitness celebrities like John Basedow, Gilad Janklowicz, and Jack Lalanne himself have made millions selling fitness videos since the 1980s.
Vocational training companies are everywhere these days, offering help with getting in shape, whether it’s at your local gym or even in your own home. Thanks to pioneers like Jack Lalanne, it’s very possible for anyone to learn about fitness, become certified, and find a job as a personal trainer.
