So you want to be a personal fitness trainer, that’s noble. This article will give you insights into what it takes to be a good fitness trainer and how to even make it a successful career. First of all, a personal fitness trainer is a professional who works out and also helps other people to achieve their exercise and fitness goals.
And that is what you’ll be doing – helping your clients to achieve their exercise and fitness goals. Here is what it takes to be a successful and licensed fitness trainer:
Related: Different Types of Gym Equipment and How They Are Used By Fitness Trainers
Be a master of exercise and fitness skills yourself: This is absolutely necessary because your clients will see you as their role model. You must be physically fit and be able to carry out physical exercises and fitness techniques that you’d be teaching others. You must be in great shape yourself and be able to demonstrate you can do all you teach as an experienced and capable fitness trainer.
Believe in physical fitness enough to motivate others: Considering the fact that people find it difficult to exercise or carry out certain fitness techniques, you must show how mastering these things will enhance their lives and promote their fitness goals. A personal trainer must be able to motivate clients to do what he does and what they hire him for as a matter of fact.
Understand human limits: You must know how the human body works and what certain clients are capable of undergoing when it comes to rigorous exercises. You must know the personal limits of people and respect this. You must also know the use and applicability of fitness machines and gym equipment, and be able to effectively teach their use so that clients don’t sustain injury using them or apply their uses improperly.
Understand and appreciate the goals of your clients: As a personal fitness trainer, you must understand and appreciate the ultimate goals of your clients. Whether they desire to lose weight, live healthier, compete in a forthcoming sporting event, or learn fitness for private reasons, you must know what your clients stand to gain by engaging. Keep your eyes on their goals and steer them in that direction through it all.
Get qualification, get licensed: You must be a licensed personal fitness trainer to be good and respected at what you do. Whether you desire to cultivate your own clients or work at a gym as a fitness trainer, you must ensure you’re licensed. Depending on your state and country – the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Exercise, the National Federation of Professional Trainers, the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, and the National Personal Training Institute among others in the US off certification courses.
Be a specialist: Exercise and fitness training is a wide profession and clients have different reasons for desiring personal fitness. You may focus or specialize in weight loss, aerobic exercises, general wellbeing, and sports fitness. This will help you to serve the needs of your clients and to tailor your teaching to help them.
Acquire hands-on experience: It is good to be able to carry out all your recommended exercises without much problem, but it is better to have practical hands-on experience training others before securing your current job. What this means is that it is best to have worked at a fitness center or gym as a trainee or trainer before taking up personal fitness instructions outside of the gym.
Decide on what you want for a career: As soon as you get licensed to practice as a fitness trainer, you must decide if you must work at a gym on a paid basis or if you set out on your own to put up your own gym and training studio. To start out on your own, you could set up a private room or hall in your residence or you could rent a studio and equip it to serve the needs of your small business.
Operate like a businessman: You must operate like a businessman or entrepreneur to succeed as a licensed fitness trainer. Set up a gym or studio. Attract good clients by spreading the word and marketing your expertise. Set up online accounts to reach people and advertise in the local newspaper if you’re able.
Charge appropriately: You must charge appropriately for your service, knowing how important your service is to clients and how competitors may edge you out of business in your locality or region. So have a pricing plan that is appropriate to your target clients, your expertise and certification, and comparable to other trainers in your region.
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