Just like any other profession, there are traits and behaviours that make a personal trainer good at their job. A good trainer must be educated. It is the basis they use to make most of the decisions in the line of work. With proper education, they can find the solutions to problems both in physical training and diet and nutrition. Education for the fitness trainer must be continuous. This should come from a passion for knowledge, a desire to help clients reach their goals and a push to stay ahead of the competition.
Every personal fitness trainer must have integrity. Integrity refers to their collective values, methods, actions, principles and expectations. Integrity also refers to the ability to uphold these values on a consistent basis. It refers to the ability to maintain honesty and truthfulness in intentions and actions.
Success in personal training requires a great deal of experience. Education is core, but the basis of a personal fitness program should be to create a program specific to the needs of the client. This calls for knowledge not only of fitness and nutrition principles but also an understanding of the client. A trainer with experience is likely to find it easier to deal with different personalities, fitness targets and physical limitations. An experienced trainer creates an environment where the likelihood for success is maximised.
A good fitness trainer must have good teaching skills. Getting in shape is not a difficult endeavour, what with the huge pool of fitness information, books and videos available online. However, the reason why people still seek the help of trainers is because they not only help in getting back to shape, but also teach principles that will stay with the trainee for years to come. When they finish the program, they are left able to fend for themselves and maintain high fitness levels. This requires teaching skills and the desire to have trainees learn a new thing with every session.
The best trainers have good communication skills. The direction of flow of instructions most of the time is from the trainer to the trainee. This does not mean the trainer should talk at their clients. Talk to the client, giving clear instructions and listening to their concerns. Communication skills are important both to attract the clients into the business and to keep them coming back.
Passion is an important requirement in many lines of work, but nowhere is it more important than in personal fitness training. A good fitness trainer should be passionate about both their clients and the service they deliver. They have to deal with people with different personalities, physical limits and health issues. Passion is extremely important to survive in this line of work.
A good trainer should be organised. They must be able to manage the profiles of the numerous clients they handle. This can be easy to do, but organisation should be more than just paperwork. They must be able to manage the personal relationships they have with numerous clients and all the aspects that come with running a successful business.