Internship 101

My experience at Adrenaline Sports & Fitness was everything I could have asked for and more. I’m a Health Promotion & Education major with a focus in exercise & fitness at the University of Cincinnati and interning at Adrenaline was part of my education. I wasn’t sure what to expect because gyms can be intimidating to newbies but I could quickly tell this was not like any other gym. From the beginning, Tony and the coaches took me under their wing and showed me everything from how to be a good coach to setting up strength protocols. Everyday, I observed athletes improving their strength and athletic ability while having fun. I participated in the M2 classes where the workouts pushed me to my limits and by doing that, I have more energy, stamina and I’m healthier overall. In the short amount of time that I spent at Adrenaline, I became a better person thanks to Tony and the coaches. Anyone who trains at Adrenaline knows how lucky they are to have a great atmosphere and caring coaches to push them to be their best!

-Claire Neiswander

From my time at Adrenaline Sports and Fitness, I have learned a lot about training athletes of different levels, ages, sports, etc. When working with these athletes you may have to slightly alter exercises, drills, and interactions to best suit each individual athlete. Building a relationship with an athlete is one of the things you cannot learn from a textbook, yet having this skill is key to this career. Highlighting strengths and addressing differences in the athletes are key to building a relationship and effectively instructing. Some athletes may be overwhelmed when first starting to train, so finding one or two things to work on at each session is more beneficial than having five or six things. In addition to learning about interacting and coaching athletes, I learned a lot of exercises and drills for various purposes (speed, power, agility, etc.). The training was more ideal for athletes, mimicking movements that would happen in the sport rather than performing movements that are not realistic. I believe that gaining this experience from ASF will benefit me in the future because I got to observe, participate and learn things I would not necessarily learn in a classroom or textbook.

 -Kaitlin Wiley
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These are direct quotes from the last two interns that have worked at ASF this year.  They did a great job and we know they will be successful in the health and fitness industry.  That is not always the case as there have been “questionable” interns that make me wonder what goes on between the ears.  The only way to make it in this industry is to network with as many people as possible, in the hopes of a door opening.  In fact, an intern’s journey may very well look like this:
Internship —> GA position —> unpaid position 1 —> unpaid position 2 —> low paying job —> higher paying job
This may take several years!  If you love the profession and have a passion for helping people, this is necessary for growth.  If you hate this aspect, it won’t take long before you are looking for a different path.  If you DO have the passion, and are patient, greatness awaits.  Case in point, Brian and Neil started at ASF as unpaid volunteers, not even interns receiving college credit.  Brigit, while not quite the same path, essentially did an internship here while she was playing soccer for the last eight years.  It is not a coincidence that they are here now, doing an unbelievable job.
At some point, a degree and a certification are not going to be enough; your network will be your biggest ally.

 

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