Should You Become a Personal Trainer?

In recent years, awareness and interest for physical fitness and healthy eating have increased tremendously. More and more people now turn to personal trainers and health consultants to improve their overall health and fitness. Since there is an increase in demand for personal trainers, there has been a natural increase in the number of people who wish to provide these services. This is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic as most gyms, and sporting facilities are closed or operating under restrictive conditions. However, not everyone can become a successful personal trainer.

Here are some tips on how you can succeed in this competitive profession:

1. Be in shape: The goal of a personal trainer is to help others achieve fitness. However, while doing so, the trainer must themselves impart an image of a well-trained professional in terms of their fitness, knowledge, and commitment. If you have a potbelly and cannot maintain your stamina while performing physical activity, it is unlikely that you will be able to attract many clients. Therefore, it is generally recommended that personal trainers should be fit and toned and present a healthy and active body image.

 

2. Follow a holistic health philosophy: Today, most clients expect personal trainers to not only provide fitness-related guidance but also offer advice on nutrition, diet, and mental fitness. This is important because the goal is not only to train one part of the body or muscle but also to improve the individual’s overall fitness and health. If you use a holistic approach to health and offer more comprehensive services to your clients such as healthy eating, sustained weight loss strategies, nutrition, etc., your credibility is likely to increase. Sometimes, helping clients learn how to relax can also be beneficial, such as through yoga, breathing exercises, Tai Chi, etc.

 

3. Have good interpersonal and communication skills: Being a personal trainer means you will be interacting with clients all the time. Many of these clients have low motivation or desire to exercise, and their attitude may frustrate you. To overcome this, not only will you need to communicate with them in a positive manner, but you will also need to find ways to motivate them. Hence, you will need to find a balance between when you need to counsel them to do better and when you need to push them to step out of their comfort zone. In order to do this, you will need to have great interpersonal skills so that you can relay your message without demotivating your clients.

 

4. Patience: Most clients who work with personal trainers do so because they need guidance and motivation to achieve their fitness goals. However, sometimes it can be a challenge communicating how those goals can be achieved. For example, some clients may not have the same goals as you do; others may not be as serious or committed. Many may become frustrated if they don’t see results quickly, while others may hire your services but are not willing to make an effort. You may hear constant complaints of injuries, pain, fatigue, etc. Hence, you will have to deal with all sorts of people, and many of these people will have poor fitness habits. Changing these habits that have developed over many years will be a challenging task. You will need to show a great deal of patience, empathy, and understanding. At times, these clients will frustrate you because of their slow pace or refusal to change their lifestyle, but you will need to show more tolerance and acceptance. if you want to succeed

 

5. Willing to take the required courses: These days, everyone has started calling themselves a personal trainer, but in reality, there are many people in the business of personal fitness who lack the proper credentials. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to invest in becoming certified because that is one of the most basic requirements if you want to work for a gym, sports organization, or fitness center. There are several accredited personal trainer courses that you could complete, such as the one from NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), accredited by NCCA. You should also be trained in CPR and the use of a defibrillator.

 

6. Have a desire to continue learning: The fitness industry is a rapidly growing field with new trends, techniques, and technology. If you want to be successful, you need to have a desire to learn, and you must regularly attend workshops and conferences. If you have the required knowledge, your clients will appreciate you more and be more satisfied with what you have to offer.

Being a personal trainer may seem easy, but there is a lot more to this profession than showing people how to exercise.  You need to be able to connect with our clients, motivate them, help them and guide them. You will constantly need to reinvent yourself to prevent monotony, as this can help both you and your clients to remain motivated.