Introduction
We’ve established many times in our articles, what it means to be a personal trainer. Not limited to programme design or leading training sessions, the career path of personal training requires you to have a commitment to growth in skill and knowledge, adaptability to new insights and methods, and for you to put people (your clients) first. In this article, we’ll break down 3 of our key reminders for all personal trainers, whether you’re a new personal trainer or experienced.
Always be Client First
In this industry, it is often easy to let yourself get caught up in scaling your services or automating processes in order to grow your personal training business. However, whatever stage of your personal training career you are at, we must always remember that personal training is personal. We must always put our clients first, with a focus on being client centric, education centric and journey centric.
But what does this mean? It means meeting client where they are up to. As the personal trainer it is your job to meet every client at their own starting point; whether that is a return to fitness after years of no activity, or if they’re looking to take their training to an advanced level, your job is to adapt to what they need, and avoid a cookie cutter, blanket style approach.
You could look to create exceptional experiences for your client, which will develop the coach to client relationship. Make sessions more than a workout, and keep them challenging, engaging and rewarding for those participating. Ensure your clients feel like they are prioritising their growth, and they’re enjoying it. You should however, always ensure that you are still results driven. Remember to make your best effort to get them to their goals that they originally set out with you; align your strategy to measurable outcomes.
Continuously Level Up
In order to grow your business, you must always aim to level yourself up. In an industry which is relatively new and constantly evolving, in order to keep up financially, you must stay ahead and up to date in your knowledge and skillset with further education.
Always look to adopt a growth mindset. Remember that the skills and strategies which have got you to the point you are at now may not be as applicable or effective in the future. Always be on the lookout for new learning opportunities, personal training courses, qualifications or certifications. Commit to self improvement which is beyond your technical personal trainer skills and knowledge. Improve your communication, ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and ability to connect and resonate with others. It is having skills like these which make the difference between a good and an excellent personal trainer.
Remember you’re only as Strong as your Weakest Link
Remember that your success doesn’t solely depend on your expertise and knowledge on an individual area, but instead the standard that you uphold across the board. Whether this means that you are leading or in a team of other trainers within a gym, you must ensure a high standard of expertise across the full cohort of PT; or it could refer to you as a self employed trainer, ensuring that you have a high standard of knowledge across all areas of coaching.
If you’re in a team, make sure that your team thinks of themselves as a collective knowledge group. Together, you’ll set high expectations of each other, encourage professional growth and share knowledge with each other. Ensure you prioritise collaboration with each other, encourage open communication and regular feedback to address any gaps of knowledge in the group.
Real Scenarios for Applying these Tips
These tips have been relatively broad across the day to day of being a personal trainer. We’ll now break down some of the real life scenarios for implementing these into your routine.
Regularly Communicate with Clients
Check in with your clients on a regular basis, even if it is outside session time. You can drop them a quick message following a workout asking how they enjoyed it or how it felt to show that you care as well as gathering feedback.
Time for Professional Development
Set aside dedicated time in the week/month for self education only. Engage in some reading, attend a workshop or seminar, listen to a podcast. Protect the time from other tasks, and be consistent with it to watch yourself level up each month.
Encourage Feedback
Encourage feedback from your clients and even members of your team. Get constructive feedback form their experiences to help identify potential blind spots in your knowledge and areas in which you can improve.
Conclusion
This article has gone over three very useful reminders for all personal trainers, no matter whether you’re just starting out having qualified with your level 3 personal trainer course certification, or if you’ve been a personal trainer for many years. Remember tor regularly step back and reflect on your current practices and skillset, and make the necessary steps to keep levelling up for yourself, your business, and your clients.