By Chelsea Zizzi
Student personal trainers at Ferrum College work one-on-one with student-athletes on specific areas that coaches do not get the opportunity to help with.
(Ferrum senior Raekwon Parker educates student-athletes on exercises in an individual manner. Video by Chelsea Zizzi.)
Raekwon Parker, a senior at Ferrum College, is a student personal trainer. Parker educates student-athletes on exercises in an individual manner and he ensures that they are confident and comfortable while doing them. Parker was a psychology major in his freshman year; he switched to health and human performance in his sophomore year and has been majoring on that ever since. Parker fell in love with fitness and found his passion in 2018. He has been a personal trainer for two and a half years.
Parker breaks down specific areas that the student-athlete needs to improve on. Parker teaches the exercise on a deeper level; he shows what muscles are being worked on, how to do the exercise correctly, and how to breathe properly during them. He wants to ensure that his clients leave in the best physical and mental health so that they can continue on their own. Parker watches student-athletes physically work themselves to become better every day.
“That is what makes [me] smile the most about my job is to know I helped someone make a change for the better for themselves,” Parker said.
Parker values quality over quantity. He tells student-athletes that it is better to do a single push-up that is correct than 30 push-ups that are incorrect. Parker is also an affable trainer who wants students to be sincere so that they have a judge-free and stress-free zone when working out.
“I always wanted to help people,” Parker said, “being a personal trainer can let me achieve that because I can help people with life-altering changes and help them feel better about themselves.”