A personal trainer can work with people of any age. They can specialise in one or all of the following:
- Strength conditioning,
- Cardiovascular exercise,
- The physiology of muscles (including stretching),
- Leading group fitness classes,
- Motivation, and
- Physical fitness.
These skills can all be learned through a specialised certification programme which can be done in class or online.
Personal trainers who become successful can earn a lot, get hired by a well-respected gym, or own their own fitness business. It’s even possible to train as a personal trainer while still holding down your existing job. If you have a love for fitness, and you quite like the idea of helping others achieve their fitness goals, becoming a personal trainer is a good career option for you.
Here are the most important skills that every personal trainer needs to have:
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PASSION:
Personal trainers need passion for what they do. This means that they need to live and promote a healthy way of living across all areas of their lives. Personal trainers help their clients through demanding physical exercises. Often the difference between failure and success for a personal trainer is there sheer enthusiasm and drive.
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INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE:
As a personal trainer just knowing how to maximise your own training isn’t enough. You’ll need to be up to date on fitness and nutrition because you’ll need enough knowledge to give safe and successful guidance to your personal training clients.
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EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Being a personal trainer requires you to communicate exactly how to perform an exercise. Poor form can result in injuries. Poor delivery can lead to customers being bored.
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LISTENING SKILLS:
Every personal training client is different. This means that they’re going to have needs which are different. Thus good listening skills are absolutely essential. Listen to what your personal training client is telling you. Adjust your approach accordingly.
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SELF-MOTIVATION:
Becoming a personal trainer may seem appealing from a distance. However, in reality this profession requires a massive amount of self-motivation to get up every day and to push yourself to accomplish more than you did the previous day.
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SELF-PROMOTION:
In the end, your ability to source clients will come down to your marketing and self-promotion skills. That means that you need to use the web, physical advertising as well as your interpersonal skills to persuade potential clients that you’re the right personal trainer to help them.
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LEADERSHIP:
The most effective personal trainers all have one specific trait in common – leadership. As a trainer, you’re leading your clients on a tough journey. This means that with a strong leader by their side, they’re much more likely achieve their fitness goals.
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PLANNING:
Many trainers work with more than 10 clients at any given time. This requires effective planning skills. As a personal trainer, you’ll be drawing up fitness routines for your clients, remaining on top of who’s reached what point and effecting changes on the fly.
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A DEPENDABLE NATURE:
Many people are drawn into personal training by promise of self-employment. However, as any self-employed person will tell you, that means remaining flexible in your availability. Build your life around your personal training clients. Be extremely dependable.
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LEADING BY EXAMPLE:
It might sound basic but trainers need to lead by example which means being in good shape and in a position to do all exercises you are teaching. Personal training clients need an ideal to strive towards. You must become that ideal.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Want to become a personal trainer? Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Personal Training Diploma is the perfect qualification for you to do this. For more information, follow this link.