Trainer Trilogy Part 2

So you've somehow managed to find money to pay for the course, done the work to get through the certification and passed the test. You are now a personal trainer. Now the real journey begins...

Once you've completed your certification, your next step is to get a fitness trainer job. Chances are this can be arranged via the company that helped you get the certification in the first place. Alternatively, useful UK websites include www.leisurejobs.com www.fitnessfirst.co.uk www.leisureopportunities.co.uk www.monster.co.uk www.reed.co.uk www.eifitness.co.uk www.fusejobs.co.uk www.careerbuilder.co.uk and www.monster.co.uk . In the US useful websites include www.exercisecareers.com www.craigslist.org and www.totaljobs.com .

A gym has now agreed to employ you. You are a personal trainer working at a gym. Are you a successful trainer yet? In a word, the answer is- No. To be a successful trainer you need to start by looking at things from the perspective of your client(s)/customer(s). The client may be thinking about some of the following questions:

- If The Trainer Is Certified, Does That Means He/She Is Good?

The fact of the matter is that just because a trainer holds a certification does not determine whether the trainer is a good trainer or not. The reason for that is because most certifications are very easy to get and besides that, most use outdated information. I've found this to be very apparent when asking trainers at my current gym specific questions. Their knowledge of fitness and nutrition tends to be outdated on occasion. So as a trainer you need to keep yourself updated on the latest fitness and nutrition breakthroughs at all times so that you are not telling your clients incorrect information.

- What If The Trainer Has A College/University Degree And Looks Great?

If the trainer has some sort of degree that is somehow associated with the fitness realm, that only means that such trainer has some brains to him/her. Such a degree alone does not qualify the trainer as a good one either. Also, the fact that the trainer has the body that resembles the one that you have as a goal does not necessarily mean that the trainer knows what he/she is doing. Some people just have good genetics and whether they know what they are doing or not they end up looking good. On a sidenote, as a trainer you also need to be aware of what hutrition information you are giving out. Any trainer or non-trainer can claim to be a nutritionist. Remember that you are not a Dietician! I remember recently asking a trainer about the difference between two different foods on the GI Load Scale, to which I received a lecture all about the GI Index which is different from GI Load. If you the trainer don't know something, acknowledge that to your client and then do your utmost to find out the necessary accurate information.

So for you the personal trainer- what does it take to be a good trainer?

You the trainer need to really care whether the client achieves good results or not, and thus for this to happen you need to get to know the client's personality, goals and limitations. Do not judge any gym member at the gym before getting the complete information! Also, please don't design a generic "one size fits all" formula. Every client is different and you the trainer should also teach the client how to vary the program in order to avoid boredom. Please bare in mind too that yes, change is good so that your body doesn't adapt to the same routine, but whatever does the job the most efficiently whether it is the same exercise again and again or not, also needs to be considered. In addition you should be checking if the client has any medical conditions, you need to be on time to scheduled woorkouts/classes, you need to motivate and make your client feel comfortable, and you should practice what you preach and lead by example. Remember that the client is showing faith in you by choosing you as their personal trainer- it is up to you to live up to their faith in you!

If I were advising a gym member who already had a personal trainer, I would suggest they be aware of the following warning signs:

The trainer...

• Ignores or dismisses your questions.
• Works you so hard you're in pain for days. Soreness is normal, but you should still be able to get out of bed.
• Neglects any part of a complete program or recommends a level of training that's too hard for you.
• Recommends questionable supplements or herbs. Always talk to your doctor before taking anything!
• Diagnoses injuries or illnesses instead of referring you to a doctor
• Interrupts your session to talk to friends or take phone calls (unless it's an emergency or can't be avoided).
• Doesn't return phone calls or emails.

Make sure that you as the trainer do none of the things above. And remember to focus completely on your client.

There is so much more I can go into to talk about what it takes to be a successful fitness trainer. And there are many perspectives to be taken into account. The perspective I know most about though is my own as a gym member. Therefore, I will talk about a typical time at my current gym and the hits and misses from the trainers that work there:

First off, when I enter the gym early in the morning, I may or may not be greeted depending on which day and which trainers are working on a particular day. Basically every gym member is meant to be greeted by the desk staff and/or any nearby trainer, unless said trainer is in conversation with or training another gym member. It is unfortunate that I am not always welcomed at my gym. I'd like to think that if you aren't greeted in a friendly manner at the gym, it's like going through a day without having breakfast. By being greeted/having breakfast, you are invigorated and motivated to get your workout/day off to a strong and energized start. Certain trainers at my gym don't realize the power of a simple "hello". Thank goodness that a few do because I would otherwise obviously transfer to a more welcoming gym. I also happen to like people who are exceptional at what they do. I consider exceptional to meaning doing something great all of the time, not just once in a while. This could mean saying "hi" every morning. I am disappointed in the unexceptional trainers at my gym, but extremely grateful to the exceptional ones.

My current gym also runs several classes. These include BoxFit, Running Club, Boxercise, Body Tone, Spin, LBT (Legs/Bums/Tums), Pilates, Spin & Abs and Bootcamp. Several instructors run classes, most of which are up to the task. Unfortunately there are a couple of trainers who are just not up to par. Common Mistakes include:

Having a Bad Attitude - To run a class successfully you need to be able to lead and motivate your class. Seeming unfriendly, or looking like you can't be bothered to even run the class only has a detrimental effect.

Not Counting Properly - Certain classes involve counting exercises through. To be successful at this you need to count in time, consistently and not skip numbers.

Not Being Equal - Working one side of the body but not the other is not ideal.

Not Using Common Sense - Explaining more than 10 exercises at once and at a quick pace at the beginning of a circuit class will likely lead to the class participants forgetting a number of those exercises. In addition, asking participants to face a wall and do certain exercises in perfect time with everyone else is particularly difficult for participants since they will likely not have eyes in the back of their head.

There is so much to being a successful trainer which many trainers take for granted, thus making them unsuccessful trainers. To be a successful trainer you need to be at the top of your game every day with all of your clients and the gym members you interact with. Don't forget that as with your own fitness and nutrition lifestyle, knowledge is only potential power. It only becomes true power if you act on it. So to be a successful trainer, act on what it takes to actually be one.

Now you know what it takes to be a successful personal trainer, the next step is marketing. You've likely already done a little bit of marketing by submitting your CV/Resume to employers. Now comes the time to market yourself to potential clients.
And this will be a major step and the key to a successful career as a personal trainer...

Many personal trainers focus so much on exercise that they focus a lot less on marketing, which can often be 80% of how you get your clients. Marketing involves positioning yourself in such a way that people can see you exercising. This means that when you are at the gym, you are interacting with different gym members, so that others around can see your particular style and what you have to offer. You also want to make sure you market yourself outside the gym. Always have business cards on you. You can also go to events where you can pick the type of clients you want to market yourself too. There is no need to think of yourself simply as a sales person. You are simply watching out for other people's health as well as your own business. Networking will be the growth of your business or the death of your business so make sure you are targetting the clients you feel you are right for. You also need to target as many people as you can. This can be done via the internet, mailings and e-mail. You need to explore different avenues. So how can you do that? Well let's see...

To Be Concluded...