Introduction
Whether you’re starting out as a personal trainer having just completed your level 3 personal trainer course, or you’re an experience coach, choosing the right gym to work at is a choice that can really impact your career, growth and satisfaction with your job. When choosing a gym, don’t just look for superficial factors like equipment and facilities. Instead you want to take into consideration the environment, culture and values. This article will explore the main things you should look for when choosing a gym which will supplement your growth as a personal trainer.
Feedback being part of the Culture
When looking for a gym to work at, a strong coaching culture within the personal training team, where constructive feedback is part of the very nature is key. As a coach, you want to continuously grow in skillset and knowledge, and often this will come from your peers. At the right gym, your colleagues will actively invest in your development, taking the time to observe your sessions and provide actionable feedback. Having a feedback focused environment will help you grow as a coach, and this collective culture within the team will ultimately lead to greater success of the team as a whole. With regards to the feedback, it can include rethinking your programming, tips on developing a better relationship with clients, and understanding what questions you should ask clients, or general PT business tips, helping you avoid common personal training mistakes.
Education is a Priority
In an industry which is constantly evolving, continued personal training education should be a priority and encouraged at your gym to develop your professional acumen. The right gym will prioritise your education, providing opportunities for you to upskill. Whether this is through workshops, further personal training courses or mentorship, a gym that’s committed to your continued education will help you become more well rounded and an overall better coach. In this industry, it is key that you stay competitive, and opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills will benefit your clients, help you develop a greater repertoire of specialisation, and set you up for long term success.
The Gym is Accountable to their Values
It is clear that whilst many gyms have a set of values, not many of them live by them in their daily operations, interactions and decisions. The ways the team communicates, support each other and prioritise the clients are all reflections of the values they stand by. A gym which is value driven will have better alignment within the team, developing a better reputation as a gym with client centric goals. In an industry where reputation is everything, over time you’ll be able to get ahead of the rest and charge more for personal training, and have a more success.
The Gym has a Collaborative Environment
The right gym will have an ethos of teamwork at the core. You should think of your colleagues there as collaborators and mentors as opposed to coworkers. Together, you can brainstorm ideas for your clients’ programmes, lead group personal training classes together and learn from each other’s PT experiences. Together, you can develop your personal training skills, which not only makes you a better coach, but also a more confident coach with support from others. This will improve your overall job satisfaction; a core factor which impacts everything avout your personal training business.
The Gym will make your Growth a Priority
We’ve already touched on this, but the right gym does not just care about what you can bring to the table. It should be a 50/50 partnership where the gym is equally as invested in helping you to achieve your goals (which will in turn impact them!). Whether it is providing opportunities to advance your career or encouraging you to further specialise in areas that you’re interested in, the right gym will understand and actively prioritise your growth as a coach. This could include things like putting you in touch with industry leaders, helping to fund further personal training courses or simply giving you the freedom to be more autonomous in your coaching. The idea is that your gym should ensure a mutually beneficial relationship, understanding that your growth will improve the gym’s reputation and increase their volume of clients.
Relationships are of Importance
At the heart of personal training is relationships. This includes but is not limited to relationships with your PT clients. It includes your colleagues, managers and members training on the gym floor. The right gym will create an atmosphere that encourages genuine connections, whether that is pushing you to help members training alone out with guidance, opening up communication channels, having activities for the team, or focusing clear emphasis on client satisfaction. All of these things will lead to a greater sense of you belonging which is required for long term career satisfaction and growth; with staying at the same gym in the long term, you will naturally develop better relationships anyway, creating a circular environment of constant improvement. Furthermore, having an emphasis on relationships will lead to better client outcomes, client retention, and acquisition rate of new clients.
Conclusion
In this article we’ve looked at the signs you should look for when seeking a gym to host your personal training business at. The right values driven and growth orientated environment is key for any personal trainer looking to have a long term successful career. You want your gym to be a community of peers which challenges, educates and supports you. If you’re here, it’s likely your may be looking at the path to becoming a personal trainer and the early steps to of being a new personal trainer. If that’s the case, then be sure to check out our level 3 personal trainer course.