Make America Train

Today, Americans are fortunate to live in a free country. This freedom did not come by chance, but by the hard work and dedication of a particular group of individuals – our Armed Forces. Their fight for our freedom was won centuries ago and continues on in the pursuit of ensuring freedom reigns in America for centuries to come. The sacrifices they made and continue to make can never be truly rewarded or compensated for by the millions of people who benefit from their actions.The Council of Exercise Fitness and Athletics, in an attempt to give back in 2017, are providing 1,500 personal trainer certifications to the men and women who either are currently serving or have served in the Armed Forces. Their inspiration in this mission began when they met with Dustin Stepaniak, a ten-year Army veteran.

Get you lift on #gruntstyle

A post shared by SSG Stepaniak (@savage.american.fitness) on Jan 24, 2017 at 4:25pm PST

When Dustin first came to CEFA he was searching for a career that could parallel the depth of drive and leadership that he’d learned in the military, yet one in which the cost to attain would fit his financial situation. What he discovered at CEFA more than met his goal. He found an affordable career that allowed him to study, take an exam, and become a certified trainer all in one location. Through Dustin’s determination to apply himself, he has become the manager of a Snap Fitness location, does personal training, instructs group exercise classes, and oversees six other personal trainers. He is now also a Fitness Ambassador for Grunt Style. Dustin impressed CEFA with his drive and success, and made them realizing the impact CEFA made on his life. It was then that CEFA realized that if just one certification course could change a life so positively, there is no doubt Dustin’s experience could be replicated by others looking to become personal trainers.

Every day, soldiers are returning home from deployment after serving our country, but return to uncertainty. “I came home after my deployment to Iraq and just didn’t know where to start,” explained Dustin “I’ve dedicated 10 years of my life to the military, which I love, but I didn’t have a degree or technical training to quickly advance in any particular career field. I was jumping from job to job trying to make my mark on this world. Fitness, of course, was a major passion of mine that stemmed from all of my training in the army. I am a level 2 combative instructor which really gave me a great base for teaching. Personal Training was a natural career direction for me. The problem was that most certifications that I found cost nearly $1,000 and require a lot of time commitment, which I had neither the money nor the time to spare. Now I am running a gym, training clients, and teaching classes. Had I not found CEFA, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.”

The goal of CEFA is for many other members of the military to be able to share Dustin’s success. The skills that the military provides can easily carry over into the personal training field. CEFA’s goal is to make that jump into a career as easy as possible. For this reason, CEFA has committed to offering 1,500 military members and veterans the opportunity to equip themselves with the qualifications to begin a successful career in the fitness industry. The U.S. Military has done so much for the people of this country. We at CEFA feel this is just one of many small ways we can give thanks to the men and women of our Armed Forces. To find out more information about CEFA or to begin your path to becoming a certified personal trainer, visit their website.