Graduate Testimonials

Not many of us can claim to have graduated in the same class as Olympic athlete, Matt Shirvington, but that was before he completed the Master Trainer program with the Australian Institute of Fitness earlier this year. Shirvington's classmates can be forgiven for making the boast; after all, who would have thought that studying to become a personal trainer could see you sitting side-by-side with an Australian sprint record holder.

"I'd always had the idea of opening my own professional fitness business but it wasn't until I retired from competition last year that I've had the time to pursue it. Throughout my career I've accrued a lot of practical knowledge of the human body but I knew that if I wanted to be a personal trainer I had to learn how to consolidate and transfer this information on. I wanted an internationally recognised qualification and I got that from the Institute. I also wanted to bypass years of university study, so getting qualified as a personal trainer in just eight weeks was an attractive option. I did a lot of research - trawling through the internet and speaking to family and friends who have had a connection with a personal trainer - and I came up with the Institute as being the best in the industry. With my career I always aimed to be the best at what I did, so it made sense that I wanted to go to the best people for my own qualification. I'd recommend the Institute to anyone who is serious about a careers in fitness."

Adro Sarnelli became a household name in 2006 when he lost over 50 kilograms to triumph in Channel Ten's first Australian Biggest Loser contest. The year that followed was a world away from any that had preceded it and was, in Adro's words, the best of his life. In 2007 he made the decision to become a qualified personal trainer and enrolled with the Australian Institute of Fitness, NSW.

Graduate Elli Vukasovic, who completed a Master Trainer qualification at the Australian Institute, recently secured a job as a fitness instructor at a resort in the Maldives. The hotel is the flagship of resorts for the Hilton chain, which is currently in the middle of a US$36 million upgrade of the entire resort including updating the gym with state-of-the-art free motion equipment and a brand new Pilates reformer.

Michael Caruso established his outdoor training business SOLE Fitness in 2006 following his time at the Institute. He does everything from managing the business to marketing, advertising, sales and product development. Michael has received loads of positive feedback saying things like "Great workout Michael", "That was great fun", "That was fun and different" "I like your style of training".

Michelle Telford is one of the many success stories to come out of the Australian Institute of Fitness. She has established the Active-ate FITNESS program which came from her passion for working with children and her realisation that drastic changes were needed to improve their lifestyle. After a month of vigorous preparation, Michelle gave the program to a local school as a gift.

After completing her HSC last year, Rachelle enrolled with the Australian Institute of Fitness. Within eight weeks she had graduated with a Master Trainer Certification, enabling her to take on a full time personal training position with Fitness First Parramatta, Sydney."I love that my job is never dull?that every one of my clients has a different personality and a different goal," says Rachelle. "It's a great motivation for me that I can help make a difference in their day."

Fun is definitely what Tom has been having since he graduated in February this year from the Australian Institute of Fitness. After completing his Master Trainer Certification part time over 12 weeks, he started his own company: Physi-Fit Personal Training and Fitness Solutions.Five months into his business he decided to take a position with Fitness First Wanda Platinum as a one-on-one personal trainer. He has scaled his printing job back to part time and now juggles his Fitness First clients with his clients outside the centre.