Blog 15 Last blog

Becoming a trainer is not an easy thing to do. In order to become a trainer, a person has to not only get certified, but be extremely knowledged in the field. Because of this necessity for experience, the likelihood that a trainer would be of the age of eighteen is highly unlikely. As much as I learned from mirroring trainers, I almost wished I had taken the time to intern in something that I possibly would have a future in. While I’m very interested in exercise, weightlifting, and athletics; I know now that a trainer simply is not the right job for me. Because I love exercising, I thought I would love having others experience too, but it’s much different and definitely is not the same kind of feeling. When someone exercises, the release of endorphins and adrenaline make it so enjoyable that it is almost impossible to replicate unless you are the person who is exercising. Although I would like to help people learn what they need to do in order to better themselves, I feel that I wouldn’t need to always train them in order for them to do that. Even though I may know the exercises that a person needs in order to strengthen desired parts of the body, everyone is different so I could not possibly know the exact perfect workout for another person. Every one themselves needs to understand through experience what is the maximum and minimum levels of output they can commit to a workout.

Blog 14

Now that I’m done with SCORE, I can’t help but feel weird when I go back to the MAC. It’s honestly a strange phenomenon that occurs with in me that I can’t explain, but I am inclined to do the work I did while working at the MAC. It’s not that I even mean to, but I start to pick up weight that other people left behind, look for bottles that need to be refilled, and also pick up other equipment and put them where I know they belong. I hope this doesn’t last very long because people definitely notice and look at me strangely. Because the trainers that work there are almost always there during the morning, in the afternoons and at night, there aren’t any people there to do the work of the trainers. So people actually are slobs and don’t clean up after themselves at all. While I don’t want to, I simply feel inclined to clean up after them because of the work I have been doing for the past 6 weeks. Maybe I should simply keep working there because I have become simply computed to do the work. The problem is, I love the MAC. I go basically every day because it’s such a great spot for exercising. Not only do most of the kids I know have a MAC membership, there are always people there that you know because of it. Because of this it’s easy to find people to play basketball with or just talk with about how things are.

Blog 13

It’s crazy that the people you see at the gym seem to be the ones who always go there. The reason that the people who go to the gym are always at the gym is because working out actually gives people energy. So, because those people always workout, they always have energy to continue going back to the gym. Still though, the dedication and time that people put into workouts or going to classes is unreal. This one woman who goes to the gym will get trained by a trainer, then do her own separate workout, and then go do spin class basically every other day. Even though the gym is a place where you see a lot of meatheads, it’s also a place where you can see some of the most dedicated and hard-working people around. Another guy I talk to comes to the gym every morning before work to get in a workout and then proceeds to his executive job at some huge electronic company that is so complicated he couldn’t get me to understand when explaining it to me. The truth is, the most successful people find time to work out because in most cases, success and intelligence are often related. If a person is intelligent, they will understand the importance of exercise and thus work hard to find time for it. Without these people, I probably wouldn’t have seen what true motivation and dedication looks like. There are simply some people who do everything to the best of their abilities and never even think of doing otherwise.

Week 5 Blog 3

SCORE is coming to a close and one of the toughest parts is saying goodbye to all the good people you have met. Even though six weeks seems like a decent amount of time, it really does fly by at the end of senior year. I can’t believe that we have two weeks until we graduate and there is basically only our presentations, (and a couple more of the blogs) standing between me and leaving high school forever. Anyway, the people I’ve met at the MAC are really great. However, besides for Ray, I really haven’t gotten to spend any time with them outside of working there. I just feel like I could get to know so much more about all of them if I only had more time there. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for SCORE to end because I’m excited to start making money and for summer to truly begin; but it would have been nice to get to know the trainers more than I do. Hopefully I’ll still hang out with Ray over the summer, but goodbyes are never easy. I know I’ll still see them at the MAC as well because I am always there, but it’s not like I’ll be able to really hangout with them or get to know them any better. It will instead be standard hello and goodbyes and maybe the sometimes small talk. I guess I just have to look at it as another life experience and hopefully I will get to meet plenty of new people this summer.

Week 5 Blog 2

One of the biggest upsides of being a personal trainer is the perks that come along with it. Not only is it good money, but many trainers do it for the free membership that comes along with it. If a person has chosen to be a personal trainer for their profession, then obviously that person is big into exercise and working out. The downside of gyms is that they are usually really expensive. Because the MAC is so nice and luxurious, it’s definitely pricey. The ability for people who are really into working out to go to the MAC for free whenever they please is definitely a nice perk to have. Another perk of being a trainer at the MAC is literally having everyone ask you where everything is. I know it sounds like it could be annoying, but I like people thinking that I play a specific role in their ability to enjoy the gym. When you feel like you know what you’re doing or are the “head haunch,” you feel more confident about your ability to your job and do it well. Other perks of being a trainer that I can see is that the woman love you. All the guy trainers in the MAC are pretty jacked and because of their job title, women are just naturally intrigued to flirt with them. That depiction as the jacked personal trainer doesn’t seem like that bad of an option because women clearly are into the idea of a man who works out all the time and knows his way in the gym.

Week 5 Blog 1

If there’s anything I’ve really realized about myself being at the MAC, it’s that I simply do not have the patience to be a personal trainer. Not only are some of the clients rather difficult to deal with, some are just lazy. If I was a personal trainer, I would obviously work clients to their limits because that is what they are paying for. If trainers wanted to put clients through easy workouts that never pushed them, they would never see results or feel as if they were getting better in shape. It would almost be like ripping them off. However, so many clients complain or try to talk to give themselves breaks that they don’t realize that they are only really hurting themselves. The other aspect that personal trainers always have to deal with is patients showing up late or not showing up at all. Simply because they are paying for training sessions, some of them will show up basically whenever they want, even though the trainer has been waiting there for them. Dealing with people constantly not showing up or canceling last second would get frustrating. I’ve even seen one trainer who lives in Haverhill show up for one client and the client just didn’t even show up. While a lot of the clients aren’t that difficult or are ever really cool and nice; some clearly would be a pain to deal with on a regular basis. While being a personal trainer might not be difficult for some, it would for me because I lack patience.

Week 4 Blog 3

The funny thing about carrying around Dunkin Donuts is how much people feel the need to acknowledge you. I seem to always get somebody saying something like, “Dunkin’s Run!” or “Where’s mine”, etc. The truth is people love Dunkin Donuts. Not only does a nice coffee wake you up and get you ready for the day, it brings people together in a passion that is clearly felt throughout all of the north shore. Anyway, once I get into the MAC, all eyes turn to me. However, I refuse help and feel determined to do it myself and make it to the workout room without spilling a drop. When I finally make the trek to the workout room, the trainers are all very excited to get there coffees. While I walk around and handout everyone’s desired coffees, I also get to drink mine. The trip is completely worth it because I love ice coffees. Not only do they taste delicious, if you drink them really fast you get an energy rush that can be nice if you are not a morning person. The infamous, “Dunkin’s Run” is also fun if I can get Ray Syron to come with me and we can bump some tunes on the way. Although there aren’t many kids my age there, Ray is eighteen and therefore we get along really well. When you’re the youngest workers at the gym, you don’t necessarily get taken super seriously, but at the same time, nobody really gives you a hard time.

Dylan: Week 4 Blog 2

Today Ray and I made the ever important “Dunkin’s Run.” Even though I love Dunkin Donuts and there ice coffees, I guess I never really knew that people loved it even way more than I do. Now that I’ve been at the MAC for four weeks, I’ve started to become close with the other trainers. Close enough that they let me take their credit card and go pick up Dunkin Donuts for the whole staff which helps everyone get through the long and tiring workdays. Now, this might sound easy, but I can assure you it’s no easy task. First off, I have to go around to every trainer and ask them if they want anything from Dunkin Donuts. While some simply ask for an ice coffee regular, others go as far as to ask for medium ice mocha regular one pump skim, one pump sugar, and so on. Once I have taken down the orders, I make my way to Dunkin Donuts. I don’t mind the drive because it gets me a chance to be outside when the day is basically at its peak. Once I get there, the people are always really friendly until I give them my extremely long order which more than often, confuses the heck out of them. However, after explaining the orders multiple times, I retrieve the coffees and then comes the next challenge. The most difficult part of the Dunkin Run is probably holding the coffees in my car, while not spilling them. Since I am carrying multiple coffees, I have to be extremely careful not to spill. To be continued.

Week 4 Blog 1

SCORE this week was not that much different. I actually don’t really understand the whole journal three times a week thing because I feel like it is just going to repetitive. I mean, isn’t a job supposed to be consistent? When a person has a solid career going, he/she doesn’t want it to be constantly changed because then that person can never actually master his/her craft. A job has to be consistent or people would be thrown off guard and not be able to execute at the top of their game. So, writing a journal three times a week about the job you’re doing to me sounds kind of pointless. I wish that the journals had specific questions about your SCORE project. Good questions would be what has the hardest part of your SCORE project been? Another example would be what has changed, if anything, since you started your SCORE project? If I had specific questions to answer, I feel like I would be able to say a lot more about my SCORE project. But, overall things are still going well. I really like working at the Mac and definitely want to get a job there for the summer. Not only do they treat their employees well, everyone is really nice and accepting. I would love to be a trainer because a lot of it is personal skills and the other part is applying the knowledge you know about fitness/exercise. I will continue to enjoy my time there until SCORE is completed.

Week 3 Blog 3

I’ve realized that as SCORE comes to its last few weeks, and that the weather is getting increasingly warmer, the last thing I want to do is be inside. I still really like my internship and the people I work with, I just wish I didn’t have to go and sit inside for at least four hours when it’s so nice outside. I wonder if trainers ever train people outside. Maybe they make them go out on a run or something with them. Anyway, I want to be outside and live it up with my bros. The other tough part about SCORE is not getting paid. I know some people who are actually doing SCORE with their jobs and they are basically just getting to work every day. I would absolutely love to be making money right now mainly because I’m running pretty low. When I make money, it just allows me to go out and eat all the time because that is basically my favorite thing to do. I can’t wait for summer to start so I can actually start making money and enjoying the time left before college. The other thing I don’t really like about SCORE is that the SCORE rough draft is due when you still have three weeks left in SCORE. I feel like there is a lot more I have to learn and that a research paper often reflects the knowledge you’ve worked to research but also the knowledge you’ve received from directly experiencing the field.

Week 3 Blog 2

One of the most interesting things about SCORE is that you realize how small of a world it actually is. Working in Manchester, I've met so many people that go to the MAC that know the same people that I know. For instance, I met a guy who played lacrosse at Brown and he was asking me all about lacrosse and the team. When the training session ended, he says, “Do you know Chris Dumont?” He happened to be really good friends with Chris Dumont’s dad and it made sense because this guy was a full out bro. Other people I’ve met have either been uncles or aunts of kids on the lacrosse team, or people who know me from basketball or people who have kids in other school systems who I know. Overall, making that connection with a stranger is a pretty cool feeling. Who knew that from doing a SCORE internship at the MAC, I would meet so many people who I have indirect contact with? Even though I have to answer the same questions over and over again from the clients who come into the MAC, they would never be able to ask me if I knew someone they did without that information. One of the trainers there even knows my dad from working out at the Fitness Center in Gloucester. SCORE is a great way to expand yourself beyond the little community of Manchester and really get to meet some cool people. SCORE has been great so far.

Week 3 Blog 1

Doing Score has made me realize just how much different it is when you have to do schoolwork, yet not be in school. Because I take two AP classes, I have to still go to school to attend those classes and do the assignments for those classes. Overall, it has not been easy. With this new freedom, it’s easy to simply get caught up in the ability to spend a lot more time doing the things you want to do. Of course I still go to SCORE four hours a day, but when I only have one AP class I have basically two hours of free time to myself. The most difficult part about that is that it is the exact same way with my friends. Ultimately, the ability to hangout and basically waste the time away has become much easier since SCORE happened. Because of this, it makes it much harder for me to revert back to real life where I have school and homework. The schedule that school presents is actually greatly taken granted for while you are in high school. You are able to basically attend all your classes, understand everything you have to do, and get your homework done. Now that I am given more time to operate with and balance the things I want do, it’s been difficult. The reason I talk about this is because it kind of opens my eyes up to what college is going to be like. In college, I won’t have teachers that organize my time for me and that will probably be the biggest adjustment.

Week 2 Blog 3

Even though I’m a physical trainer at the MAC, I decided I would do my research paper on physical fitness as a whole. Fitness is something I’ve always been really interested in because I have always played sports and loved watching them. So, I’ve seemed to always have exercise as a part of my regular daily routine and thus need it to keep at peace. I’ve always wondered whether all the things they say about exercise is true. Does it really keep you more awake and generally happier? Do you have more energy? It’s hard to tell because most people that are fit stay fit and most people that are out of shape, stay that was as well. However, being at the mac has given me a pretty good idea of the positive effects exercise can have. The main reason I think that exercise leads to more energy and overall happiness is because it inspires people to get motivated. Whenever someone creates a plan or a schedule in order to do something to better them mentally and succeeds, it truly makes that person feel great. I believe that simply succeeding in a goal that motivated you can create a whole plethora of happiness for particular people. Being a trainer at the MAC, I can see that no matter how beat up a person is, he/she is happier at the end of a workout than at the start. It is ultimately the satisfaction of pushing yourself to be better that creates a whole world of possibilities in maintaining a happy, good life style

Week 2 Blog 2

The other main job that I have as a trainer at the MAC is keeping it nice, clean, and working properly. Every day when I come in I have a checklist that I must complete in order to keep the MAC running swiftly. While the checklist is not that bad, it does contain some stuff that is very crucial to keeping the MAC at tip top shape. Most of the stuff is standard such as wiping down the equipment, making sure the TV channels work, restocking paper towels and cups, etc. Overall, the MAC is so successful because of the organization and care that the trainers and personal take to maintain it. Now many people would say that simply cleaning and wiping things down would get boring, well the truth is, it really isn’t that bad. All the trainers have to complete the checklist, so most of the materials have already been restocked or cleaned when I get there. When I’m not doing the checklist, I’m either hanging out at the desk or shadowing a trainer. Even though I mostly shadow Rob (the fitness director at the MAC), I also shadow the other trainers as well. Although I’m open to shadow any trainer, I’ve gotten to know the male trainers a lot more than the female trainers. It’s not for any specific reason except for the fact that the male trainers are much more relaxed and chilled out. The female trainers are just very serious and I’d rather not distract them from their training sessions.

Week 2 Blog 1

For my score project I am working at the MAC as a physical trainer. Even though I'm not actually training people (you have to be certified), I've learned a lot about what the profession actually involves. First of all, there are basically two types of people that get trained. There are the people who really need it because they are out of shape and thus like to talk a lot, and there are the people who do it to get a good workout that supplements the workouts they already do on their own. So while I do not train people, a lot of my score project has been simply talking with people who are being trained. People love the questions about sports, college, and the internship at the mac. Even though I do no plan it, a lot of my score project so far has been talking about myself. I think the main reason a lot of people talk so much is because it kind of gives them breaks in between sets, so that they can rest up a little bit. I’ve seen a lot of trainers train people so far, so I can tell you that some of them work the people hard for their own good. Overall, I have really enjoyed my time so far and really think that some kind of physical training job could be in my future. Especially as a job for college, physical training would be great where I would make good money which could ultimately help me in paying for college tuition.

 

Dylan Estes' Outline

Dylan Estes

3/14/13

 

Score Thesis and Outline

 

Thesis: Not only do people who frequently exercise maintain a better and happy lifestyle, it also directly relates to a person’s ability to succeed with relationships, jobs, and the overall obstacles of life.

 

Body Paragraphs/Ideas:

1.)    Exercise creates a physical appearance that a person is comfortable in

-Creates confidence

-Confidence leads to success

-Confidence will lead to opportunities

-Less self-consciousness

-Less fretful

-Able to go to places without feeling insecure

 

2.)    Increases social skills

-People go to the gym to socialize

-Being around people increases one’s ability to converse

-Talk of topics such as jobs, sports, relationships

-Become friends with other people who frequently attend gym

-Creates a confident social environment

 

3.)    Creates initiative and organization

-Strict schedule

-Advanced planning

-Rotating schedule

-Time management

-Carries over to workplace

-Desire to go workout, get things done

-Destroys desires for procrastination

 

4.)    Helps keep partners content

-Can heighten sexual experience/desire

-Keeps attraction strong

-Proven that continuous and changing relationships succeed

-Can be an activity which the partner does as well

-Spend time together

-Meet other couples socializing at the gym

 

5.)    Improves mental acuity

-Actually makes people more attentive

-More aware

-Attention spand increases

-Increases memory

-All tactical in the workplace

 

6.)    Improves immune system

-Less time spent ill

-Happier

-Less time spent missing work because of illness

-Sickness creates lack of initiative

-Working out offsets the natural immune system decline in older men

 

7.)    Exercise boosts energy

-Boosts endurance

-More energy to commit toward work/relationships

-More active

-Cardiovascular system works more efficiently

-Nutrients gained to increase capacity for storing energy

 

8.)    Exercise allows a person to find passion

-Try new and exciting ways of exercise

-Sports

-New activities lead to new excitement and enjoyment

-All forms of exercise can contribute to different aspects of enjoyment

-New and changing passion leads to initiative and a desire to keep trying new things

 

Works Cited

Fentem, P. H., N. B. Turnbull, and E. J. Bassey. Benefits of Exercise: The Evidence. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1990. Print.

Haupt, Deborah Kotz; Angela. "7 Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.

MacAuley, Domhnall. Benefits and Hazards of Exercise. London: BMJ, 1999. Print.

"Power Surge: The Hidden Benefits of Exercise." Fitness Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.

Reynolds, Gretchen. The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer. New York: Hudson Street, 2012. Print.

Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Exercise: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 23 July 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.

"Top 10 Benefits Of Working Out." AskMen. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.

 

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