Working as a personal trainer is an ambitious dream for many instructors, if not everyone. The competition in this field is high, although the demand for good mentors is also great. How do you find a reliable, and shortcut to professional success in this field?
The optimal amount of knowledge and skills
Perhaps the most important and worrying question is what baggage of knowledge you can start working as a personal trainer. We advise you to apply to write my essay service so that you have time to get practice at the gym. Some people think that a college degree in physical education is enough, and they start training without sufficient competence, putting their clients at risk. Others make a list of institutes and courses that need to be taken to feel confident in their knowledge and spend time and money on taking them. Where is the golden mean?
A personal trainer’s arsenal should include the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:
- A college degree in physical education or medicine. Complex knowledge forms a certain mindset, gives an understanding of what happens to a person during physical activity
- Advanced training, regular completion of courses in the chosen and related areas
- Athletic appearance
- Communication and sales skills
Additional advantage gives sports achievements and the ability to work in a team.
If we talk about the knowledge base, it is necessary to study:
- Anatomy
- Physiology of muscle activity
- Biomechanics
- Theory and methodology of physical education
- Nutrition science
At the basic level, the trainer must have basic concepts about these areas, and with experience deepen the knowledge.
Choosing a fitness direction
Before you choose a direction, it’s worth figuring out what exactly you have to do. Personal training is not just one-on-one work with a client. It is a work on a clearly defined task, to achieve a specific result. To do this, it is important for a trainer not only to know the necessary tools but also to be able to apply them to a specific client: to take into account his psychological characteristics and physical capabilities, to find an effective approach to the mentee.
Freelance or club format?
There are two ways of working as a personal trainer: on the staff of the club or working independently, as a freelancer. Each has its own advantages.
A club coach always has a room with the necessary equipment, access to different areas to work in different areas of fitness. Taking care of attracting and retaining clients, rests on the shoulders of the club administration, it also assumes part of the responsibility for the trainees.
Most clubs attract experts for staff development. Therefore, a full-time coach has an opportunity to think less about the organizational side of things, to focus on training, gaining experience, and building up a client base. Fixed-rate allows you to more or less accurately predict your income.
Freelancing does not bind you to a certain place. You can hold classes in a rented gym, at home, or a client’s office with your own equipment. Online training is gaining popularity.
You create your schedule, set your fees, and don’t have to share them with the club. You don’t have to work out your shifts, build relationships with your team and management. True, for success you need to have knowledge and skills in business development, sales, and advertising.
With what format to start and what works – everyone chooses for themselves. Some coaches initially find it difficult to build working relationships in a team, and some cannot work alone.
Final words
It is not necessary to try to cover everything at once, otherwise, the knowledge will not be assimilated. The system is formed gradually: from the general to the particular. We recommend that every three months you attend seminars and workshops to improve your professional skills, and then put them into practice and only then move on to the next courses.
What else makes a good trainer? First of all, a thorough knowledge of psychology. It is necessary to understand why the client behaves the way he does, take into account his characteristics, correctly adjust to him and establish contact. The coach should love people and sincerely want to help them. Without this, all of the above is futile work.
