1.2 The role of a Personal Trainer
The choice to pursue a career as a Personal Trainer often stems from an individual’s passion for health and fitness and the desire to share this enthusiasm with others. The motivation to assist others in accomplishing their fitness, health, and nutrition objectives propels someone to become a personal trainer. In addition to the emotional satisfaction of helping clients lead healthier lives, personal trainers can also reap significant financial rewards through a lucrative income.
Defining a Personal Trainer can be challenging, but generally, it refers to a certified professional who works one-on-one or in pairs with clients to help them achieve their goals, whether it is weight loss, muscle gain, improved health, or simply feeling better. Personal trainers support clients in reaching these objectives by designing fitness programs tailored to their specific needs. It is crucial to note that personal trainers can only train healthy individuals or those with medical clearance to exercise. Skilled in various teaching techniques, personal trainers are adept at guiding and demonstrating safe and effective exercise methods grounded in the fundamental principles of exercise science. They are also proficient in creating suitable exercise recommendations and inspiring their clients to adopt and maintain healthy habits. In addition, personal trainers conduct fitness assessments to gauge their client’s strengths and weaknesses and may also offer general health and nutrition guidance.
EQF 4: designing, executing, and evaluating exercise and physical activity programs for various clients
According to the EuropeActive Occupational Standards (Personal Trainer, EQF Level 4), a personal trainer’s responsibilities include designing, executing, and evaluating exercise and physical activity programs for various clients. They gather and analyze client information to ensure the effectiveness of personalized exercise plans. Personal trainers also actively encourage prospective clients or members to participate in regular exercise and physical activity programs, using suitable motivational strategies to achieve adherence and facilitate behavioral change (Rieger, 2015).
For special populations Personal fitness trainers must complete additional advanced courses and certifications
It is crucial to emphasize that an “entry-level” Personal Trainer can design, conduct, and assess training programs for apparently healthy clients or those with a physician’s clearance for exercise. Clients with medical exercise restrictions or special needs fall under the “Special Populations.” These clients have limitations regarding exercise frequency, intensity, type, and/or duration. Examples of special populations include individuals with diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity, and pregnancy. Personal fitness trainers must complete additional advanced courses and certifications to safely and effectively address these special populations’ health and fitness requirements.
Personal trainers may also work with athletes to enhance their sports performance. However, it is essential to note the distinction between personal and athletic trainers. Athletic trainers are highly skilled healthcare professionals collaborating with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation for injuries and medical conditions. Since athletic trainers primarily focus on injury, athletes should also consider working with a personal trainer to improve overall health, fitness, and sports performance. Personal trainers can develop exercise and nutrition plans for athletes that promote strength, prevent injury, and enhance mental health and focus.
In recent years, the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles decreased physical activity, and the obesity pandemic has become more apparent. Although the benefits of exercise are widely promoted, individuals often struggle to make lasting lifestyle changes due to personal and environmental barriers. Particularly after the Covid-19 crisis, the need for assistance in increasing physical activity is more significant than ever. Personal trainers can play an influential role in helping clients develop and maintain lifelong exercise habits.
There are numerous advantages to regular physical activity. While the physical benefits of exercise (such as improved heart health) are frequently discussed, the psychological benefits are often overlooked. However, engaging in moderate amounts of physical activity can lead to improved mood and emotional well-being. Exercise can contribute to psychological wellness and enhance the quality of life (learn more about the health benefits of regular physical activity in Chapter 2).
1.2.1 Characteristics of a good Personal Trainer
To become the best personal trainer possible, an individual must possess essential qualities, including certification, experience, communication skills, motivational skills, and a commitment to continuing education. Each of these elements is crucial for a personal trainer to excel and be considered elite in their field. If a personal trainer only has some of these skills, such as knowledge but needs more social skills and motivational strategies, their clients’ experiences will likely be satisfactory.
To become the best personal trainer possible, one must possess a well-rounded skill set that includes certification, experience, communication skills, motivational skills, and a dedication to continuing education. Each component is vital in delivering exceptional service and ensuring a positive client experience.
Certification
“Certification is the foundation of a successful personal training career. It demonstrates a commitment to the profession and ensures clients that you have the necessary knowledge and skills to help them achieve their goals.” – Joe Cannon, MS.
By gaining a Personal trainer certification, a person has taken only the first step to become the best personal trainer possible.
There are a lot of certifications available in the field of personal training. Sometimes it is not easy to discern the differences between certification and another. Certification is an important way for any personal trainer currently working in the field to demonstrate that he or she has achieved a given level of competency while pursuing education in the field of personal training.
Knowledge
Although fitness certifications and degrees are vital and formal education can benefit a personal trainer’s effectiveness, it is more important to have extensive fitness knowledge. This includes extensive knowledge of human anatomy, nutrition principles, physiology, kinesiology, first aid, AED/CPR, training techniques, movement patterns, and more.
Additionally, this extensive knowledge of how the body works will enable you to successfully recommend the best workout routines and nutritional needs for your clients (Tagliaferro, 2023).
Experience
Experience plays a vital role in developing a personal trainer’s expertise. It enables trainers to adapt their approach to different clients and effectively handle various challenges that may arise during training sessions.
At the beginning of a personal trainer business path, gaining experience is difficult. Also, gaining experience is usually a small money-maker. If you do an internship, for instance, it may be unpaid. You can also work as a staff member or floor trainer in a health club. This is usually an entry-level position but an excellent means for the trainer to obtain valuable experience quickly. In busy gyms, a new trainer may have an opportunity to work with hundreds of new members within weeks. In this situation, the new trainer quickly learns to work with people of all ages, body types, fitness levels, and backgrounds. This approach is highly recommended for those starting a career in personal training.
If this is not an option, you might create workout plans for your family and friends. Another option is to transform your own body. This shows you know that even if you still need your trainer certification. You can also volunteer, like running a free activity at the community health event or helping at a race event, etc.
Communication Skills
There are many important skills required to become a good personal trainer, and communication is certainly one of them since personal training is a people business! Being able to communicate effectively with your clients is vital if you want them to reach their goals.
Effective communication skills are essential for personal trainers to understand their client’s needs, goals, and expectations. This allows trainers to tailor programs accordingly and provide clear instructions during training sessions.
Communication is not only speaking clearly and distinctly using a vocabulary the trainee can understand. It also means asking questions, active listening, having positive body language & tone of voice and much more (Tagliaferro 2023).
Motivational Skills
Arguably one of the most important skills for a personal trainer is the ability to motivate your clients. Personal trainers are coaches who work with individuals 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 to achieve their personal fitness training goals. Therefore personal trainers must be able to influence, motivate and inspire their clients to become more than they think they can become. A personal trainer should be able to see the potential in his clients and push them to reach it.
Motivational skills are critical in helping clients stay committed and engaged in their fitness journey. A skilled personal trainer can inspire clients to push through challenges, persevere, and ultimately achieve their goals.
"Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it."
Self-Development
You can call it continuing education or self development – it is simply about wanting to progress and add new skills to your repertoire. Continuing education allows personal trainers to stay up-to-date with the latest research, trends, and techniques in the fitness industry. This commitment to ongoing learning ensures that they can provide their clients with the most effective training and guidance.
To become the best personal trainer, you need to continuously expand your fitness knowledge, keep up with the latest trends, know how to work with special populations, and market your skills so you can grow your business and expand your clientele.
The best way to practice self-development as a personal trainer is to gain more skills and qualifications. There are a lot of continuing education opportunities that range from seminars and workshops to additional certifications. They provide an opportunity to increase the personal trainer’s knowledge, refresh the memory and gain some new skills.
The fitness industry is a rapidly changing one. Continuing education enables a trainer to be up to date with new claims that are coming out daily. These claims range from new, more effective exercise techniques to the latest dietary fads. The personal trainer can critically evaluate this information through continuing education and incorporate new knowledge into more effective programs.
Beyond the skills previously mentioned, a personal trainer should also possess additional soft skills, as outlined by Williams (2021):
Empathy and Compassion:
Personal trainers must be attuned to their clients’ emotions and tailor their training approach to each individual’s needs.
Positivity:
A crucial skill for personal trainers is maintaining a positive attitude. Not only should training sessions be enjoyable experiences, but personal trainers should also consistently exude positive energy. In addition, maintaining an uplifting social media presence can attract potential clients—consider posting inspiring videos or sharing motivational quotes.
Business Skills:
Personal training is a business, and trainers require skills such as understanding essential record-keeping, billing, balancing, budgeting, scheduling, and financial laws to build a successful enterprise.
Marketing Skills:
Due to the growing number of personal trainers, marketing skills are essential. With marketing efforts, a personal training business may succeed before it even begins. Remember that word-of-mouth is also a valuable marketing tool.
Professionalism:
The personal training profession differs from other roles within the fitness industry, as it demands a higher level of professionalism, entrepreneurship, flexibility, and effective communication. Therefore, personal trainers should meet professional requirements and adhere to the code of practice, ethics, and standards for personal trainers (see Chapter 14).