- Living an active and healthy lifestyle is the first step in becoming a personal trainer.
- Being a personal trainer involves building long-lasting relationships with clients.
- Successful personal trainers have a high level of emotional intelligence.
If you’re already a fitness enthusiast, now may seem like the right time to transform your passion into a career.
In addition to lower stress levels and a casual dress code, the average salary for personal trainers continues to increase.
With so many incentives, it’s easy to overlook a few key elements of a career in fitness. So, if you’ve already checked the “passion for fitness” box, see below for seven more things that successful trainers get excited about on a daily basis.
And when you’re ready to start training clients, request a demo of our All-In-One Fitness Business Management Software to see how our platform can help your training business thrive.
What Are the Basics of Personal Training?
Basic types of exercises like running, squats, and deadlifts look simple. But to perform these properly, you must have knowledge and experience with body mechanics. In fact, physics can sometimes come into play when working out.
Think about it: If something as simple as the angle of your knees can impact the integrity of a squat, just imagine how much a trainer needs to know in order to instruct clients. If the idea of helping other people master squatting techniques and learn the proper way to lift excites you, becoming a personal trainer may be your calling.
How Much Data Should Personal Trainers Know?
There isn’t a uniform dose of exercise that produces the same results for everyone. And even though regular exercise has been proven to keep your heart healthy, to boost memory, and to keep you slim, everyone responds to it differently.
In addition to biological factors, some clients suffer from old injuries, have mobility limitations, or simply have a personal preference for which types of exercise they enjoy. Thus, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all workout plan. When personal trainers work one-on-one with their clients, they perform an evaluation to determine what their goals are, check their health and fitness history, and assess for any mobility issues.
From there, trainers track their clients, evaluate their progress, and make necessary changes along the way. For some people, these tasks may seem boring, but for others, it is interesting and exciting. In fact, this job description is exactly what successful personal trainers love to do!
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Does Personality Matter?
Becoming a personal trainer isn’t only networking to attract new clients. It’s also building and maintaining lasting relationships with them. Because a personal trainer spends the day working very closely with many different types of people, you need to enjoy social interaction.
Picture yourself spending your days guiding client after client, staying in tune with their fitness needs as they struggle through a workout. You don’t need to have the high-energy personality of a cheerleader, but you do need to have a friendly disposition. Remember that many training sessions will involve a lot of listening to and supporting your clients.
Are There Diverse Job Options?
Studies have shown that approximately 50 percent of all personal training clients have special needs like diabetes, arthritis, and obesity. On average, over half of personal training clients are over 45 years old and identify themselves as beginners or at an intermediate level.
With that said, unless you specialize in coaching athletes only, there’s a good chance that you will spend most of your time working with beginners who will need you to explain basic techniques and guide them through their fitness journey.
How Much Science Should Trainers Know?
Personal trainers are like scientists. They research and then create customized programs that will make other people stronger, fitter, and faster. In fact, working out with a trainer while adhering to a structured fitness regimen yields better results than working out alone.
To help their clients reach their goals, personal trainers need to understand relevant topics in anatomy, science, and physiology. For instance, knowing the role of the endocrine system plays an important part when trying to lose weight and build muscle. By staying on top of the latest health and fitness research, trainers are better equipped to evaluate their clients.
If you’re the type of person who loves learning and wants to grow alongside your clients, this career may be right for you.
Do Trainers Need to Have Emotional Intelligence?
Your emotional intelligence is the ability to relate to and engage with people. Marked by skills like self-awareness and empathy, the higher your EQ is, the better you are at bonding with others, teamwork, and leadership.
How does this come into play as a personal trainer? Quite frequently, you will have clients that are easily discouraged or too stressed to work out regularly. It’s your responsibility to help your clients focus on their fitness goals. Helping ambivalent clients can be as easy as being there to listen and motivate.
Do Personal Trainers Have to Be Jacked?
Do personal trainers need to look the part and if so, what exactly is that part? Should they have rippling muscles or be super lean? Although opinions differ about how a personal trainer should look, there’s no denying that they need to practice what they preach.
Since you’ll need to demonstrate exercises and still have enough energy left over to cheer your clients on, you need to live a healthy lifestyle. Clients look to their personal trainers as their role models. If you aren’t eating clean, engaging in regular exercise, and managing stress appropriately, your clients will know it.
The Bottom Line
For the right person, turning your passion for fitness into a lucrative career is a smart decision. By helping people become healthier, you’re also making them happier. Positivity is contagious, so not only will you reap the monetary rewards, but you’ll have the satisfaction of doing something that you love.
Weigh the pros and cons of becoming a personal trainer before making a permanent change.
Some people get their feet wet by working on the weekends, while others teach group classes twice a month. The key is finding what works best for you.
If you’re looking to get into online training, contact us about our online training platform, and see how we can help you train more clients!