You might be wondering to yourself, “What does it take to be a successful Personal trainer”? The answer is more complex than you think.
When we hear the term “Personal trainer”, we mostly always picture a super-fit, good-looking individual instructing some poor soul to do some kind of complicated exercise in the gym. There is nothing wrong with this picture, but there is so much more to helping someone improve their wellness than instructing them in a gym.
I prefer to use the term health and fitness coach, as it more accurately describes what health and fitness coaches do for their clients. Good health and fitness coach do things like screening, making sure it’s safe for their client to participate in exercise. They set appropriate goals, trying to achieve what’s best for the client.
Good health and fitness coaches also design individual, tailor-made training programmes for clients, so that clients can get maximum benefit from each training session. They also make sure that clients execute these programmes correctly, to ensure quality and safety of training.
Good health and fitness coaches motivate and encourage clients on a daily basis, making them excited and motivated for their next session. Any client is more likely to attend sessions that they actually enjoy! This requires a unique set of communication skills, from the correct tone of voice to the optimal use of body language.
Health and fitness coaches also contribute to their client’s wellness outside of the gym. Coaches can provide nutritional recommendations so clients can achieve their goals even faster. Nutrition plays a vital role in overall health, and good health and fitness coaches aim to improve not just the looks of their clients, but their overall wellness. Another example of this is stress, which is a major problem in modern society. Health and fitness coaches are able to assist clients with stress management as well.
Good health and fitness coaches also measure and keep track of client’s physical qualities, providing feedback every step of the way. Nothing motivates a client more than seeing the results of their hard work in the gym.
As you can imagine, health and fitness coaches need to have a number of skills if they want to be successful. Good coaches shouldn’t only worry about planning a good training session for their clients, but should strive to improve their client’s quality of life for the future!
Few careers have the potential to influence people’s lives in this way, and it’s an awesome experience to go through this process of helping someone achieve their goals.
If you are passionate about improving the lives of people through exercise, apply for a fitness qualification from eta College, where we teach you how to master all of the skills required to be a great health and fitness coach.
