These Attributes Will Make You A More In Demand Personal Trainer
As the years have passed I have found myself on the receiving end of questions from personal trainers when it comes to career development. I look back at my career and a huge aid in my progression was my humility in not being scared to ask for help, usually to coaches who are far more accredited than I was or had far greater coaching experience. Although I still reach out to a handful of trusted coaches when I get stuck (yes, 10 years later you still need help) I have found a greater influx of coaches asking me questions, which I still find strange as I feel like I’m still new in the game…
I find I have a range of questions, from the best coaching seminars to attend, to great books that have helped shape my coaching style. I believe coaching development is fundamental to a successful career. The barrier to entry into becoming a personal trainer is still very low but the uptake in career development early on in a coaches career is far greater now than what it was maybe 5-10 years ago.
This leaves the industry in a very competitive state which is great because ultimately the client will be the receiver of a great product, which is what frustrated me so deeply about the industry as a whole, clients spending excessive amounts of money for sub par services. Maybe this is what caused me to spend tens of thousand of pounds on coaching resources so I felt secure in the fact I could deliver the best product to a client?
Below I’m going to list 5 things that I feel has helped me within my career, I’m going to try stay clear of coaching courses or seminars as I want to highlight some more niche and maybe strange points that are outside the box rather than telling you to study from Mike Boyle or EXOS…
Let’s get into it:
Know human anatomy like the back of your hand
This credit I want to pass on to a coach called Luke Worthington, himself and Tony Gentlecore were some of the first coaches I attended seminars to and Luke made a strong point of having a sound understanding of anatomy, not for a specific purpose or reason as such but alluding to the fact that any good personal trainer should have a good background of the human body and chains of movement. After this I made it a point to learn about the human body, singular muscles, insertion points, origins and so forth. I became so addicted to this understanding that I used to get friends of mine to go on Anatomy3D (great app for anatomy) and click on any random muscle in the body, to their surprise I could almost always tell them where its located, its function within movement, origin and insertion. Apart from probably being the worst party trick of all time, what this allowed me to do is back engineer certain exercises to clients needs, assess far better and understand movement limitations and how to correct them.
2. Have a programme in front of you that the client can see
Training clients off the top of your head as a personal trainer is criminal on many levels but yet so prevalent within the industry. It shows a lack of care in preparation and laziness. A programme is a roadmap and without a roadmap you’ll get lost. Any personal trainer can throw a mix of exercises at a client with random volume and intensity to make them sweat. Personal trainers who get paid well are the ones who can achieve goals for their clients, have the ability to listen to their needs and can clearly write down what they’re trying to achieve through a programme and communicate that effectively with the client. Many coaches think their clients are dumb and unaware, but these people know and can sense when you don’t know what you’re doing or are making it up on the spot. Have a programme written down, ideally on an IPad with a clear format and show the client that you have not only taken the time to prepare for their session but are in control of their goals and training. It is one of the easiest ways to build rapport and trust.
3. Dress smart - stand out
How you present yourself in any job is important but the line is very, very thin as a personal trainer. It is one of the only jobs where you can turn up to work in tracksuits and not get told off by your boss, the line between acceptable gym wear and loungewear usually gets confused and you’ll see coaches wearing clothes that don’t mirror the “professional” act they’re trying to display. Clients pay attention to these small details and investing in some well presented name brand clothing represents you better on the gym floor to prospects. What most personal trainers don’t understand is that majority of clients feel intimidated by personal trainers, it will take a lot for a potential client to cold approach you on the gym floor. The chances are decreased heavily when you see coaches walking around the gym floor in vests or tops that are too small for them. Instead, invest in some clothes from name brands (lululemon, Nike and Alo) and wear some clean shoes. This will automatically elevate you from the rest of the coaches around you and it shows that you have respect for yourself and your work.
4. Invest in yourself
This might seem like a broad statement to make but not enough coaches are willing to really invest into themselves. Yes, I could tell you what courses I think are best and what books are great but you should read or attend all of them! Early within my career I allocated a vast majority of time and money into studying, attending any course I could find in any country. Even if it is the worst course or an awful seminar there will always be one takeaway that will apply or mould your coaching style. One of the worst courses I attended was an all day event. I don’t use any of that material but the tutor had one coaching cue that six years later I still use when coaching a deadlift. These courses and learnings once put into practice shape your style and that’s what makes our industry so diverse. If we all coached word for word like EXOS or Mike Boyle there would be no fun in coaching. Find your style, pick and choose what you want to incorporate and mould yourself into a well rounded, well educated and travelled coach by experiencing it all!
5. Network like hell
“On my gravestone put: ‘Willing to meet anyone for a coffee’” - My good and very successful friend, Jim Hewer.
My two greatest opportunities within my career both came from coaches who I had met briefly at courses. Opportunities arise from anywhere, many of my “big” clients were attained by being randomly paired with them on golf courses or unintentionally meeting at restaurants. The point I’m trying to make is you never know who will help you and from where, you also don’t know when you’ll have the opportunity to help others. My willingness to meet literally anyone for a coffee and a chat is because I have a genuine interest in others and believe we can learn a lot from their stories. This applies for coaches in the industry, veterans to newcomers meet them all and share stories, make a good impression and keep these people within your network, you never know who might surprise you!
There are a few rules here:
Never meet with the intention of clawing your way up the industry, meet authentically and enjoy what others have to say.
Don’t meet over Zoom. It’s lazy. Be old school, make the effort, travel and meet someone where they are. The effort goes a long way.