What are the Traits of a Good Personal Trainer?

What does it mean to be a personal trainer? What does it entail? Does personal training simply involve a love of exercise and the fulfillment gained from teaching others to do the same? The answer is yes ... and no.

Being a personal trainer versus being a "professional" personal trainer involves a lot more than most people think. While it does require a love of fitness and a willingness to help others, a personal trainer should have the understanding of the movement and functions of the human body. This understanding includes knowledge of human anatomy, exercise physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, exercise programming, and nutrition. A personal trainer is a coach and a teacher who blends motivation, the right amount of program supervision and appropriate exercise progression to assist clients in reaching their goals. To accomplish this, a trainer must have excellent communication skills. Remember. A trainer is not just a motivational coach or PE teacher, but a guide, directing the client toward the destination of increased health and well being. Being a great teacher and coach is helpful, but it does not make an individual a great personal trainer.

A personal trainer must have effective business and sales skills. The world’s most knowledgeable personal trainer, from a scientific standpoint, is destined to fail without a strong business sense and effective sales skills. Without these attributes, there will be no one to train. With advances in technology and research, a certified personal trainer must possess the capability and willingness to continuously learn. Developing the art of selling must be one of the main educational priorities to ensure the fitness professional’s success.

What is the Job of a Personal Trainer?