9 Tips to becoming a top personal trainer
Submitted by: Lisa Schneider
Ever wondered what separates the best from the rest? If you want to excel in anything, discipline and determination need to be at the top of your list. It's been said that if you make your passion your career, you will never feel like you are working. So if you are passionate about health and fitness, and want to become a top personal trainer, you will be driven always to progress and improve. So what does it take to get to the top of the personal training field?
1. Be organised, professional and follow the necessary procedures, health screenings and tests.
2. Do not cut corners to try and get clients faster results. Be ethical: put your clients' health and well-being first.
3. Find new ways to keep workouts interesting and your clients motivated. This will not only benefit them but will also help you keep them in the long term.
4. Be firm during sessions. Your client pays you for results, not counselling sessions or to catch up on the latest gossip. Save the chit-chats about the dog, the kids or last night's TV schedule for afterwards.
5. Give every client your undivided attention. Put your phone away and pay attention! Your client is paying you for your time after all.
6. Be the embodiment of health and fitness. You might know your textbook back to front, but unless you look the part prospective clients will not have faith that you can help them.
7. Stay knowledgeable. By reading every day, you can keep up to date with fitness trends and the latest research findings. Continue to complete short courses and broaden your knowledge in your field of expertise.
8. Learn how to read people and actively listen to your clients. A large part of the job comes down to people skills - master this and you will be sure to build good, lasting relationships with your clients.
9. Market yourself. Social media is an excellent, free tool you should use. Create your own website and keep testimonials as well as before-and-after photos. This goes a long way to instil confidence in the minds of prospective clients as to your ability as a personal trainer.
It's easy to lose focus when you have been a personal trainer for a long time so keep a copy of this list and do regular self-assessments to see which areas you might have been neglecting. Do this consistently and you will become a top personal trainer!
From her humble beginnings as a personal trainer, Lisa Schneider built South Africa's first chain of Pilates studios. Armed with her passion for fitness and education, she went on to build South Africa's largest accredited fitness college, which currently services South Africa and has now expanded internationally using a state-of-the-art e-learning platform. Trifocus Fitness Academy offers a wide array of accredited fitness programmes ranging from in-depth fitness diplomas to Yoga and Pilates courses.
