Tips to Become a More Effective Personal Trainer

Introduction

As more and more people lead a healthy lifestyle, they will be looking for qualified fitness trainers to help them get fit.

The trainers who will benefit most from this growing client base will be those with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to offer the most effective personal training services.

As a fitness trainer, you need to achieve stellar results for your clients, and being that you’re the professional, this should be your primary goal. Cheering them on and motivating them is not enough. In the end, it is results that matter.

If you’re looking for ways to become a better trainer, this article is for you. We’re going to take a look at some simple ways that you can effectively improve your personal training services.

Five Ways to Become A More Effective Personal Trainer

Do you want to be the best trainer you can be? Do you want to help all your client’s stay motivated and achieve the results they desire? Here are five ways you can become a more effective trainer.

Lead by Example

Many fitness trainers believe that all they really need to do is teach their clients a few exercises and encourage them. The latter is certainly true but you also need to lead by example.

Your own level of fitness and knowledge can and will motivate your clients. After all, do you think your clients will take you seriously if you’re overweight and trying to teach them about weight loss?

One way to lead by example is to get more involved. For example, whenever you’re explaining an exercise or educating a client about it, make sure you thoroughly demonstrate how to perform the exercise. This will allow your clients to know exactly how to perform the exercise using proper form and they will also respect your skills.

Also, try performing some of the sessions alongside your client every so often instead of simply hovering over them all the time, or worse, swiping away on Instagram while they grind away on the mat. Yes, there are trainers who do this. Little things like this go a long way. Your clients will no longer only view you as their trainer, they will see you as a partner working together with them to achieve a common goal.

When you demonstrate your level of fitness by walking the walk instead of simply talking the talk, it is going to be easier for your clients to trust you. You have to motivate them by demonstrating your own fitness level and showing them that you value them as a client and care about their goals.

Dispel the Myths & Educate Your Clients

Many fitness myths are going around and because many clients will get much of their fitness advice on the Internet and formulate a framework based off that, they will need your help to dispel them. Your knowledge and expertise is invaluable here. Your clients will need proper guidance so be sure to give it to them!

For example, educate your clients instead of simply showing them exercises, designing a program and having them perform the rounds each session. Feed them extra knowledge that will help them be successful outside the gym too. Dispelling fitness myths is a great place to start.

Teach your clients about basic nutrition, fat loss, et cetera, and dispel the many myths that abound. Providing proper guidance is your duty as a trainer. You can also create different fitness guides for each of your clients to help them follow the perfect diet and workout regime when you’re not there to personally guide them.

Because many such myths are revolving in the fitness world, it is your responsibility as a trainer to provide accurate and useful information to your clients, so dispel these myths, educate them and help them reach their goals!

Understand Your Client’s Preferences

Every client is different. Their personality and skill level are two of the most important things to keep in mind when working with your clients, especially when designing their workout program.

You have to always take into account the preferences of your clients. If you can design a workout around their preferences, it will be easier for them to follow your guidance on a day-to-day basis and they will be less likely to run for the hills after only a few sessions.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your clients out of their comfort zone, but it’s best not to take things too far, especially if they are a new client. Get to know your client before turning things up a notch and absolutely consider their preferences when you do.

For example, an overweight client might be timid or shy and may even voice that to you. It would be in your best interest to keep this in mind when you work with them. Perhaps you could train them in a corner out of the spotlight instead of the center of the gym where they will feel vulnerable.

Harvest the Power of Technology

We live in a technological age so embrace it and don’t be afraid to get your clients on board. Most of your clients will likely be familiar with common smartphone tech and gadgets.

For example, you could recommend they use a fitness band. When using a fitness band, they can track their calories burned on a daily basis and they can even monitor the quality of exercise, among other things.

Tracking makes achieving their goals easier. Help them to understand the power of technology and show them how they can use it to make their fitness easier and workouts more efficient. There is a ton of tech out there that can help your clients more easily achieve their goals.

Balance Client Intensity & Change Up Their Routine

As a fitness trainer, intensity and variety is one of the best tools in your arsenal to help your clients lose weight and build muscle. Unfortunately, many inexperienced trainers neglect this and have their clients performing the same stale routine over and over.

Remember, the body adapts to routine and a plateau will eventually occur, so intensity and variety is a great way to keep your clients’ progress moving forward. Take it slow when it comes to increasing the intensity of their workouts, but make things happen. Progress is only made through challenge.

As far as variety goes, it’s pretty self-explanatory. Change up your client’s routine often. A stale routine will lead to stale progress. Variety is critical to optimize fitness results.

Conclusion

If you want to become a more effective fitness trainer, these five tips will help you get more on point with your training.

But while these tips aren’t and end-all and mistakes are still bound to happen, you will at least be one step closer to becoming a better trainer.

Best of all, though, these tips will help you get measurable and long-term results for your clients!

About Shannon Clark

Shannon holds a degree in Exercise Science and is a certified personal trainer and fitness writer with over 10 years of industry experience.