This past weekend, Woodside Director of Training, Faron McNeal, visited the Telos Fitness Center in Dallas, Texas, along with Woodside Personal Trainers Lee Clark and Kerstin Florman. Telos is the home of the Ortho-Kinetics®Institute. Woodside Ortho-Kinetics® Trainers have completed more than 100 hours of hands-on training in Ortho-Kinetics® Assessment protocols, corrective technique, modifications and progressions from this industry-leading, nationally recognized program. In addition to constant continuing education and specialized training, Woodside Personal Trainers are mentored in order to foster their professional development, and ensure that they are providing Woodside members with the best possible service available.
This is Lee Clark’s narrative of his experience at Telos:
One of my greatest fears moving into the fitness industry as a trainer was laid to rest upon meeting and shadowing some of the Telos staff.
I was initially worried about my growth as a trainer. Would I be able to learn new skills and grow professionally as the years progressed? Would I be able to refine my skills and establish myself as a fitness and nutrition authority? Would I be at a fixed hourly rate for years to come, never able to grow my income? Would I end up a forty year old rep-counter?
In Dallas I met and shadowed employees who had been with the company anywhere from six to 13 years. Some of the upper management had been there even longer. That alone blew my mind. During their tenure they too were invested in. They were educated. They were given room to grow their business and hone their skill sets. Expectations were high. But those that met the challenge were rewarded.
This gave me hope.
What we do at Woodside is rare to say the least. Seeing that there were others who met the call of a new standard of professionalism gave me hope for the future. In short, my visit gave me a greater appreciation for the Woodside culture I have come to know and the community I have come to love.
We all need different teachers. We all need to step outside our bubble from time to time and see the world from a different point of view. This helps me to learn problem solving from a different angle. Shadowing elite trainers outside of Woodside was extremely helpful. Every tip or trick regarding hand placement, activation techniques, or vocal cues is another tool on the utility belt so to speak.
I’m excited for next year and my continuing education classroom.
Everything I have learned I will bring back to the table and share with my colleagues in order to strengthen our team.
This weekend, Woodside invested in my future. I will never forget it, and I will always continue to thirst for knowledge, personal growth, and team development, and I’m thankful for the ability to work in an environment that not just allows that, but encourages it.
Lee Clark, Woodside Ortho-Kinetics® Trainer
