This SI Personal Fitness Training graduate has successfully completed his education, conquered the bootcamp, and honed his skills during the PFT externship. Now he’s ready to begin his journey as a fitness professional in an upscale Oakland County health club. NSCA CPT Adam Hassan takes time out to give us the inside scoop on what inspired him to choose this exciting new career path.

Q: Why did you choose to pursue the field of fitness & wellness?
From a young age, my parents would always encourage me and my brother to be active. We both played sports and were never allowed to sit in the house all day. After serving my time in the Army I really had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I didn’t want to work a 9 to 5 office job for 30 years. After 6 years of working out 8 hours a day, I started to think how I could turn my interest in fitness into a career in my civilian life. One night, I saw the Stautzenberger Institute commercial on television and was there the next day.

Q: Describe your educational quest at Stautzenberger Institute.
When I first started at Stautzenberger, of course I was excited about my new career path and I could not wait for it to begin. However, I had not been in school for almost 9 years and I had no idea how to study and take tests. It was challenging, but once I got to Fit Lab and began practicing the hands on stuff, I knew that I had picked the right career. After completing the program and now looking back, I am happy that I chose Stautzenberger because I felt prepared to go into the fitness industry and that I could be very successful.

Q: What did you enjoy most about campus life.
The campus life at Stautzenberger was the best part for me. I went into the program thinking I was really going to keep to myself. But I ended up meeting some life long friends and I really did not expect that. Everyone in my class ended up having a great time together.

The externship on the other hand was a complete culture shock for me because I joined the Army right out of high school and I never had a real job before. Being at a job at a certain time and staying 4 or 5 hours was all new to me. It was definitely good for me to get used to living a normal civilian life. I learned so much about how to run a gym and the business side of personal training.

Q: What does the future have in store for you?
My plans are to just start training as many people as I can and to get my name out there while building a clientele. I am willing to help anyone reach there fitness goals and I am confident that I can design a program for anyone who is willing to push themselves to their limits to get the results they are looking for.

Q: What are your favorite trends in the fitness industry?
The fitness industry is always changing, so I am always on the lookout for new equipment to try. When I first started working out, I gravitated toward the ”old school” way of training – push-ups, pull-ups, squats and running. These days I am all about functional training that’s why I love TRX suspension training, it is just so versatile and can be taken anywhere. Dumbbells and other equipment can just be so expensive and hard to transport a TRX can be used by male, female, young and old, and it costs about 190 dollars and weighs about 2 pounds.

Q: How will you inspire others to live healthier lives?
Some people find it hard to live a healthy lifestyle because they feel that it takes a huge commitment and/or they believe that living healthy seems to cost more. In addition, dollar menus at fast food restaurants and five-dollar pizzas make it difficult for some people to make the right choices.

One of the biggest problems in America today is lack of activity. We know it’s good for us but avoid it like the plague either because we’re used to being sedentary or afraid that exercise has to be vigorous to be worth our time. The truth is, movement is movement and the more you do, the healthier you’ll be. Even moderate activities like chores, gardening and walking can make a difference. People spend tons of money on things that they don’t need. I like to remind people to invest some money in the health of their body because you only get one!