How to succeed as a Personal Trainer
Personal training is one of the most sought-after jobs within the fitness industry – however, it isn’t always an easy career to pursue. It is essential that you have the qualifications, skills and right personality to be able to carry this role out to a high standard. This article will detail some of the necessary traits you need to be a great personal trainer.
Invest in Education
The more you know, the better, and although you may already have obtained your initial certifications, it is always a good idea to continue investing in additional education. By doing so it will keep you current and up to date with any new fitness trends worth knowing. You don’t just have to take fitness related courses, even something like further first aid training is great to get under your belt. Remember, during your coaching sessions, you have responsibility for another person’s safety and as they say, knowledge is power!
Be aware of your personality
When working one on one with people – who are, more often than not, strangers – it is incredibly important that you make them feel completely at ease in your presence. As a client, it can be very daunting coming into a gym and working alongside someone you don’t know. It is absolutely crucial that you come across as approachable and friendly, and most importantly, they need to be confident that you are passing absolutely no judgement on them or their fitness abilities.
Stay in the know
There are always new and often questionable health, nutrition and fitness trends popping up on social media platforms and both on and offline publications. You need to be sure that you are keeping up to date with these – your clients are going to look to you for conformation when it comes to the credibility of these trends.
Understand your Clients
Understanding your clients and their needs is a large part of your job as a personal trainer; everyone is different and requires different training programs. You need to able to understand their specific goals and abilities in order to tailor a workout that suites them.
Build a steady client base
It is easy to lose momentum when you are a personal trainer. High client turnover and low client retention can make things very difficult when you are self-employed, and if you aren’t working, you’re not earning. A few easy ways to make sure your clients come back are to make sure your clients are seeing results from their sessions with you, and that you are taking all their goals into consideration.
A balance of understanding will ensure they believe in you, and not being too lenient on them missing sessions. If you are too laid back and let them to skip sessions, they will quickly get the sense that you are not invested in them and their progress, which could lead to them dropping out.
Set an example
It’s all well and good telling your clients what to do and pushing them to their limits but by getting involved in the workouts yourself, it shows that you are in this with them and passionate about helping them achieve what they originally set out to do. Not only this, but it will make them feel more comfortable and confident in the fact that they are performing all exercises correctly and with the right form.
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