What Makes RTS Unique?
Resistance Training Specialist: A World-First.
RTS has been unique since the day it was launched.
When it was conceived as part of NASM in 1989, it was literally the world’s ONLY international personal training certification.
Hard to imagine these days, when online weekend courses can be created by anyone who decides they’re an authority on the subject ...
When RTS became independent in 1997, it was the only education & certification program built around all the information that an exercise professional should know to better serve their clients …
NOT just the most commercially viable syllabus that would give students a formal qualification.
For decades, RTS was the only international syllabus on exercise mechanics.
Despite being the very essence of the science of exercise - the fundamental, unbiased, inarguable approach to movement - the subject was ignored and even ridiculed by those who didn’t understand or appreciate its value.
The fitness world simply wasn’t ready for it.
By 2017, the industry had matured and was growing rapidly. Top-level PTs in affluent markets could charge well over $100/hr, and social media had made free information more easily accessible than ever.
Clients had also become more knowledgeable. They had greater expectations of their PTs, and a greater appreciation of those who know their stuff.
Bodybuilding was also making a comeback, after the “Functional Training” movement of the 2000s and the Crossfit craze that really kicked off in 2007 with the first Crossfit Games.
Unlike those training methods which are ‘externally focused’ on hitting weight or distance targets, bodybuilding requires deliberate attention to technique to ensure the intended internal adaptations.
Often imitated. Never duplicated.
It was time for exercise mechanics and the “body transformation” industry to kick off.
Positive physical transformation requires highly efficient exercise selection that is tailored to the structure and abilities of the individual. Turns out “WODs” weren’t serving the general public or offering sufficient value for high-paying clients.
Suddenly, there were plenty of “experts” on exercise mechanics all over social media.
Copying and repurposing and (often incorrectly) interpreting the source material as their own – with no credit.
They couldn’t really use the term ‘exercise mechanics’, because that’s effectively owned by RTS, and they’d be giving their game away.
And while, in fact, many of these courses do have great things to share with the market – and it’s better than nothing at all – there are huge issues with delivering advanced exercise education with only limited experience in its application.
It’s like a university professor trying to teach a personal trainer how to do their job.
RTS: Question Everything.
At RTS, however, we have our own version of an experienced university professor.
Tom Purvis, RTS Founder, has over 50,000 client hours under his belt.
Known as the “Trainer to the Trainers”, he has taught several thousand exercise professionals over the years, fielding their feedback and questions about their own processes of applying the RTS principles to their professional practice.
All RTS Instructors are experienced personal trainers or medical professionals who use, assess and apply this information on a daily basis.
The RTS syllabus is constantly evolving. The Exercise Equation and Exercise Continuum have each gone through about 14 different iterations.
Even RTS ‘Mastery’ students are constantly going back to RTS HQ for updates, learning about new processes and approaches in relation to professional problem-solving.
It’s easy enough for social media gurus to create charming, engaging content that regurgitates information about exercise mechanics.
It’s impossible for them to know how applicable their own perspectives are, compared to how well-tested the RTS approach has been.
It’s common to hear categorical statements about “the best way to train X” or “doing Y will cause injury”.
This just tells us they haven’t worked with enough people to realise that this is simply not the case.
Not only is RTS the only source of Exercise Mechanics science and philosophies on the planet that has been around for almost three decades …
It is the only source that has been continuously upgraded and iterated in that time.
RTS doesn’t just question the science and methodologies of others – but of itself.