National Council for personal trainers about Boris Part 2
Interview of Boris Prilutsky by the Director of Education for the National Council for Certified Personal Trainers Back in the days when Boris worked in the Eastern Europe the specialty closest to a personal trainer was called an instructor in therapeutic and physical culture. The job responsibilities of such specialist included not only fitness goal but also, and equally importantly, therapeutic and preventive efforts goals. In general, instructors in therapeutic physical culture, used to utilize most or all techniques that American personal trainers are using, but at the same time used to focus on rehabilitation from exercise stress side effects, correction of bio-mechanics, etc. A part of their educational training was the knowledge of medical and sports massage, which included also post isometric relaxation-stretching techniques, stress management, etc. Certainly here in America and back in the Soviet Union, doctors and other health care practitioners advise people to participate in physical activities and in many cases advise them to have private instructors. Because of this, personal trainers here, as well as back in Russia, are in position to be leaders in fitness fields. But in Russia their role is also to lead in preventive and therapeutic efforts. Their foremost goal is to educate athletes and gym enthusiasts and thus to enforce safety and reduce amount of injuries in the fitness world. In a way, they are like field doctors, especially if we will remember that …