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The Alumni Spotlight is on Joseph R. Chaney
1. What is your official title?
Fitness Coordinator for UNT Rec Sports
2. Describe your average day.
A typical day deals with running fitness programs including personal training, group exercise, and weight room operations. Specifically, I oversee the PT program including fitness assessments, exercise Rx, workshops, trainer evaluations, and client retention. With Group Exercise, I assist with class audits, workshops, and evaluations for new instructors & potential new class formats we can offer for the program. For the weight room, I oversee the WR staff with daily operations including customer service, cleaning, and safety. I also oversee preventative maintenance operations, and repair of equipment that may not be under the manufactured warranty. The UNT fitness program is also active within the UNT community through providing a variety of lectures, health fairs, and programs regarding healthy living and fitness. As with many fitness positions, there rarely is a “typical” day, but often it will include a combination of each duties for these areas, and even some things that may not be the norm.
3. What is your favorite part about your position?
I enjoy working with the students, faculty, & staff of UNT and providing safe & engaging facilities and programming for everyone to pursue some form of recreation. Although I’m an advocate of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle, I enjoy being a part of a group that promotes recreation for all. It is very rewarding to see the UNT community continue to utilize the facilities & programs through Rec Sports to better themselves physically. I am extremely fortunate to be able to do what I love and work with dedicated and passionate staff.
4. What is the most challenging part about your position?
The most challenging part is being flexible within what the day may bring. This could include giving a lecture early in the day to faculty & staff members, to repairing a piece of weight equipment, to a budget & marketing meeting, to conducting staff workshops, or even teaching group exercise class, all while making time to respond to emails and managing additional program obligations along the way. For this position, you must be good with time management, flexible within your program area, and be prepared for anything.
5. Name two courses that you completed that contributed to your success in your position.
Exercise Testing & Prescription has proved to be very useful for our fitness assessments and personal training exercise programs. This class was critical to not only demonstrate how to execute various exercise tests, but how to interpret the results and understand the benefits & limitations for each test. It has also proved beneficial in planning specific, safe, & effective programming for each a diverse client demographic. Also, classes such as Exercise for Special Populations & Senior Populations have helped to better understand challenges with exercise for these populations and how to provide safe exercise testing & programming. Specifically, the Administration courses have also been useful when dealing with program budgets, marketing, and facility management areas within our fitness program.
6. What skills would you advise students to have for this position?
For this position, students should have experience in personal training, small group training, and even some group exercise experience. Although I may not actually train on a daily basis, it is critical to understand the responsibilities and challenges specific to training and be able to oversee the program. This is done on a daily basis, and we continue to provide monthly workshops in each area, pulling from current trends & previous experience, to continue professional development for our student staff. I would also recommend a solid background in Exercise Physiology & understand conditions associated with exercise prescription & programming. As with many other positions, a desire to learn is also critical to continue personal growth and professional development.
7. During your collegiate career, what extracurricular activities did you participate in that assisted you in this position?
During my collegiate career, in addition to majoring in Kinesiology for both BS & MS, I worked in the fitness areas within campus recreation. This provided the real-world experience to understand the daily operations & processes of running a major fitness program, and solidified the importance of customer service in the fitness industry. I also participated in clubs such as KPEM (Kinesiology & Physical Education Majors) to start the fundamental networking with my student peers. Even if you aren’t sure of your future career path in fitness, it is always good to have a wide and diverse professional network of professionals you can reference down the road.
8. What words of wisdom would you have for current students who want to pursue this career?
Continue to strive for academic success & develop a strong work ethic, even if you’re not in the position now that you want to be. Be flexible & open to traveling or possibly relocating to find the job you love. You might be surprised at the opportunities that are out there if you are willing to put in the effort.