Internship Opportunities
Our strength coach internships include over 500 hours of field time. Interns start by observing the various approaches and strategies our staff uses to build rapport with individual clients. With time, interns are given an increasing amount of responsibility, progressing from helping clients with warm-ups to coaching both semi-private and team-training sessions. Interns also support the day-to-day operations of the business by assisting with cleaning and general office tasks.
Additionally, interns are expected to attend weekly educational in-services and develop a strong understanding of our assessment and program design process. Finally, we invite interns to actively think about how they can leverage their personal skills and interests to make THIRST better. We expect interns to be passionate, show initiative, obsessively read (strength and conditioning, psychology, physiology, business, marketing, anatomy, etc.) and ask lots and lots of questions.
In short, we expect our interns to leave THIRST being able to assess clients and write training programs better than the majority of personal trainers in the country.
What You Can Expect
We take pride in knowing that our internship program will be challenging, but highly rewarding. Please expect to be able to do the following over the course of your period with us:
- Weekly Continuing Education In-Service Meetings
- Implementation of FMS, Assessments, and Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) Principles
- Program Design and Defense
- Daily Upkeep and Cleaning Responsibilities
- Personal Training and Sports Performance Coaching in a Dynamic Environment
- Understanding of Equipment, Exercises, and Methods
- Required Team Training
- Potential to Help Run Competitions and Charity Events
- Potential to Attend Seminars and Clinics
- Understanding of Business Responsibilities, Purchasing, and Point of Sale System
- Free THIRST Apparel, Membership, Programming
What Previous Interns Have To Say
“My internship experience at Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) was life changing. Not only did it help me to develop skills to be a better trainer, but it also taught me valuable life lessons. THIRST is a friendly and inviting gym that treats you like family. I was welcomed with open arms and felt accepted from the first time I stepped foot into the gym. The clients and members are friendly and caring. The owners Brandon and Adrian Smitley really helped me to understand the concepts and notions when it comes to being a trainer.
Each week you will learn new and different concepts such as, warm ups, basic fitness, training programs, etc. The knowledge I gained at this internship helped me to secure a job as a fitness specialist. I can’t thank THIRST enough for everything they’ve done for me, and I highly recommend this internship if you are interested in the fitness field.”
– Evonta Kimmons, Indiana State University
“I began my internship at THIRST in August of 2019 and can say that nothing but good things about this opportunity. Brandon and Adrian allow hands on coaching/training of clients right away. This makes this internship different, you get to immediately begin gaining legitimate experience coaching, sometimes with more than one client at a time. The experience you get here will rival anywhere. You get to coach nine-year-old athletes to 60+ year old clients. No amount of classroom hours can replicate this. From the student standpoint, I was very aware that the school requires far less hours than THIRST does. Do yourself a favor and invest your time that you are not scholastically required to invest in your future if you are serious about becoming a strength and conditioning coach/personal trainer. This internship is going to elevate your education in strength and conditioning as well as teach you how to think critically about why certain things are programmed. If you are a student of Indiana State, or a nearby school, and are working towards an exercise science degree and don’t at least consider applying for this internship then you are doing your future self a disservice. Words of advice to a future student, don’t miss out on this opportunity because it could very well be the best experience of your college career.”
– Andrew Utterback, Indiana State University
“I have been a follower of THIRST gym for some time. I have always admired their dedication to community and education because those two traits are what is most important to me in a gym. Luckily, I had the opportunity to intern over the summer and was able to experience this firsthand. Brandon, Adrian, and Andrew are all phenomenal coaches and even better people. Throughout my time there they challenged me to become a more diverse coach and left me with the tools to be successful in the field of Strength and Conditioning. The internship is incredibly hands on while also entailing continued education as well. I have no doubt that I am better off having spent my summer learning from them at THIRST. If you are looking for a great place to train or learn, you have found it!”
– Justin Hegg, Illinois State University
My experience interning at THIRST gym was the best thing I have done to prepare myself as a strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer. No other school or internship experience I’ve had could compare. This internship is hands-on from the moment you start, has built-in weekly continued education, and prepares you in every aspect of coaching, business ownership, and more. Brandon and Adrian have created a safe space for interns to practice their coaching and interpersonal skills and grow as individuals. My biggest takeaways from this internship were being able to think critically about exercise selection, creating strong coach-client relationships, and being able to step outside of my comfort zone to improve as a coach. The more you put into the program, the more you get out of it.
The community they have created at their facility is hard to come by. This facility caters to everyone, from powerlifters to sports performance to lifestyle clients. As an intern, you help coach various personal training clients and youth athletes. In the same hour, you can be coaching a 60+-year-old Gen Pop client, a 10-year-old soccer player, and a D1 baseball player; that is a coaching skill you didn’t know you needed to have and is just a fantastic way to learn how to adapt to different clients.
From this internship, I have not only grown as a coach but also created lifelong friendships with my fellow interns and the THIRST team.
– Lilly Cash, Purdue University
Internship Dates and Deadlines
Our internship program provides three options each year based usually on college and university semesters. Exact dates will be discussed during interviews and per individual.
Spring Internship
January to May
Application Deadline – November 15th
Summer Internship
May to August
Application Deadline – March 15th
Fall Internship
August to December
Application Deadline – June 15th
Application Process
Please read thoroughly.
Please send your cover letter, resume, three professional references, and letter of intent to thirst.training@gmail.com with the subject line “THIRST Internship Application [internship period you are applying for] [year]”. Example – “THIRST Internship Application Summer 2020”.
Our internships are competitive and demanding. Serious inquiries only, please.
Business Hours
Monday-Thursday: 6-10am; 4-8pm
Friday: 6-10am; 4-7pm
Saturday: 9am-1pm
Sunday: CLOSED