Hello, my name is Valerie, and I've been contemplating studying to be a personal trainer because when I think about it, it feels like the right direction for me.

I want to help people in some way. I'm always talking about nutrition, health and fitness to people and I notice that while I'm far from being very knowledgeable or perfect in my habits, I see that lots of people just put their health on a low priority. Then they feel bad about themselves. If I could just help one person feel good about herself, choose wholesome foods to put into her body, exercise regularly for cardiovascular health, and especially resistance/weight train, I'd feel better about myself and I'd make money, too! Meanwhile, I'd learn more and do better for myself in the process.

From being on the Forum I learned that a lot of P.T.s out there are very poor in their advice or training. I don't want that. I also noticed there is a lot of conflicting information out there--so it's going to be a challenge to decide what bits of knowledge to reiterate and what to throw out. Also, different things work for different people. Another challenge--basically I have no idea what I'm in for, exactly And this is a huge commitment, even this very thread, in addition to my OWN diary.

The Purpose of this Thread:
I bought the National Strength and Conditioning Association's textbook for the essentials of personal training. I plan on studying the textbook and eventually taking the exam to become NSCA certified. There are other requirements as well (CPR and AED certification). I have no time frame in mind right now. I have no idea if I actually want to be a P.T. yet, for certain. But this diary is basically notes for me, like a big study guide as I go through the book. I'm hoping experts from the forum will pay attention and give guidance when they can, because I'll probably have questions that will come up. I'm not interested in this thread becoming a chatty type place, I'd prefer to keep that to my other diary, but hey, shit happens, who really knows where this is going to go?

OK so I need to start studying and get ready for my first (second I guess) post: here goes.

Awesome Valerie! I am here to tell you that you can do it!!! I went from 316 lbs, to 220 and am an ultra runner now running trail races of 31 - 100 miles in length. I also enjoy many other activities but am a trail runner first at heart. None of it comes easy, but it is always worth it.

One of the best messages you can keep in mind, and give to others is that for sometime while you "shape up" you will be like a celebrity, getting all kinds of attention, but after you have been in shape a while, people stop commenting, because they get used to the "new" you. Expect that and you won't fall back to the old habits....

Find things that you can do for life and you will succeed....whether it is running, spinning, swimming, whatever! I have a blog with my story if you are ever interested...and a book now too....

Good luck. Isnt essentials for the CSCS, or for both CPT and CSCS?

*Objectives in bold, notes from the text following.

The structure, role, and function of skeletal muscle

--Skeletal muscle accounts for 35-45% of total body weight and is comprised of 600 different muscles
--Muscles usually work in groups to produce bodily movement, the agonist initiating a desired movement and the antagonist stretching to stop or slow the movement.
--Muscles are elastic, extendable, and contactable--they can shorten to nearly 50% of their resting length and stretch up to 150% of their resting length.
--Concentric Action: when a muscle overcomes a load and shortens, as in the upward phase of a biceps curl exercise.
--Eccentric Action: when a muscle can't develop sufficient tension and is overcome by an external load and progressively lengthens; walking down stairs involves an eccentric action of the quadriceps muscle group as it decelerates the the flexion action of the knee.
--Isometric Action: when a muscle generates force against a resistance but does not overcome it and therefore doesn't shorten, lengthen, or cause joint movement; many of the body's posture muscles work isometrically to hold or restrain the skeleton in an upright position in opposition to the force of gravity.

--Muscle fiber: the structural component of skeletal muscle-a cylindrical cell containing hundreds of nuclei
--Endomysium: layer of connective tissue that surrounds the muscle fiber and and separates the fibers from each other
--Fascicles: bundles of up to 150 muscle fibers
--Perimysium: connective tissue surrounding the fasciculus
--Epimysium: a dense protective sheath of connective tissue surrounding the entire muscle, forming a strong connective tissue of tendons that fasten to the outermost covering of bone
--Periosteum: outermost covering of bone

--Sarcolemma: thin plasma membrane surrounding each muscle fiber, under the endomysium, and it conducts an electromagnetic wave of depolarization along the surface of the muscle fiber. Also serves to insulate muscle fibers from one another during the depolarization occurrence. Also fuses with the endomysium
--Satellite Cells: found within the basement membrane of the sarcolemma and have important regulatory functions for cellular growth.
--Sarcoplasm: fluid resembling gelatin found in the spaces within the muscle fiber; contains lipids (fat), glycogen, enzymes, nuclei, mitochondria, and other cellular organelles. Sarcoplasm is analogous to cytoplasm in other cells, but is a storage site for large amounts of glycogen (for energy utilization) and myoglobin (for oxygen binding).
--Transverse Tubules: extensions of the sarcoplasm that pass through the muscle fiber and serve as transport vesicles for certain substances, such as ions, oxygen and glucose.
--Sarcoplasmic Reticulum: Highly specialized complex within the muscle fiber that stores calcium ions; longitudinal system of tubules.

* Damn I am so glad I remember a lot of things I learned from high school physiology class--although I think it was endoplasmic reticulum that I learned about! Good thing I got an A in that class!

Thanks, Jetfuelburner.

Tony: Yeah well I think so, although there are more things you can buy to prepare for that exam.

On to microscopic muscle structure and order, and the theory behind contraction. Oh joy! I remember this from Physiology class--thank GOD because I'd be reeling if this was all totally new to me.

--Myofibrils: elements of skeletal muscle that allows muscles to contract; consist of two primary proteins: actin and myosin, which are referred to as myofilaments. Actin is the thinner protein, myosin the thicker, and under a microscope the arrangement of the myofilaments create light and dark striations. They exist throughout the muscle fiber and thus skeletal muscle is also called striated muscle.
--A Band: term for the darker zone of the striation
--I Band: term for lighter zone
--Z Line or Z Disk: bisects the I band, attaches to the sacrolemma to bring stability to the ultrastructure

Ok this is getting confusing here for me!

--Sarcomere: Um....the repeating sequence from Z line o Z line that delineates the functional unit of skeletal muscle--the functional and contractile unit of skeletal muscle. Also, the basic functional unit of the myofibril and the specialized order of actin and myosin fliaments
--H Zone: region in the center of the A band, a gap where only myosin is present and within its center is a darker area known as the M line, the center of the sarcomere. Produced by proteins that link adjacent myosin filaments.

Actin-Myosin Alignment:
Actin is a double helix with two protein constituents, tropomyosin and troponin (I am so glad this book has pictures!!) which help with actin's function in muscle contraction. Tropomyosin is a long, rope-like protein that spirals around the actin double helix, lies in a groove formed by the actin strands, and blocks the binding sites for actin-myosin interaction or coupling. Troponin is a globular molecule that attaches at regular intervals to the tropomyosin. It has a strong affinity to calcium ions and is crucial to muscle action and fatigue. Myosin is a thicker filament with distinct components--a molecule with two globular heads, S1 units, or cross bridges, that are attached to protein strands (heavy chains). The protein stands intertwine to form long shafts (light chains, or tails). In muscle contraction, the myosin globular heads extend as cross bridges and bind to specific sites on the actin filament, forming the structural and functional link between the two filaments.

OK I'm going to call it a night before I move to the Sliding-Filament Theory.

No Tony. There are seperate books for the cPT and CSCS.

This is going to be a long thread, lol. Glad to see you're getting under way Val!!!

Ya I agree. This is a great thread. You're going to learn lots of exciting stuff! Right now in my spare time I'm working through a couple books as well, but just for personal enjoyment. They are great distractions from schoolwork!

Michael

Steve: TELL ME ABOUT IT! But I'm not going to be as detailed with the rest of the book--this information is more difficult, so I need to study it carefully. With other parts of the book I may not need to reiterate word for word--this is a personalized study guide for MY memory.

Micheal: I don't blame you, and Steve was gonna recommend some more books after I finish this text.

Right and Essentials is for CSCS correct.

Tony, both books have "Essentials" in the title, HERE:
the one I have: NSCA Certification Commission:
And the one for CSCS:
NSCA Certification Commission:

Yea, what the soon to be PT and then CSCS said.

Ahh, thanks. I never checked out the book for CPT. I read the first 2 chapters in Essentials for S&C. Got it from the library.

Again, good luck and absorb you sponge

I wish I liked my law books as much as I do exercise physiology books

Michael