Should I become a personal trainer?
Let’s start by busting a common misconception about being a personal trainer… You do not need to be super toned and muscular to be a personal trainer. Ladies, I’m talking to you! Yes, you need an interest in fitness and yes, you need to be relatively in shape as a way of advertising your services but do not limit your career based on your insecurities. Not all personal trainers are six pack yielding 20-somethings and there’s a good reason for that: some of your potential clients find that sort of person intimidating! Think about your target market, your ideal clients, if you want to specialise in bodybuilding or training people for fitness competitions then you’ll have to be a lot leaner than if your aim is working at your local gym helping people shift a few pounds.
So, now that we’ve got that out the way, what else about you would make you a good personal trainer? If you’ve got any (or all) of the below attributes, you should definitely start a new career as a personal trainer:
- A genuine interest in health and fitness – whether that means you’re a weekend running warrior or a die hard gym bunny, you will need to be passionate about health and practise what you preach!
- Ambition and positivity – not only are these useful whilst you’re studying for your qualifications but those qualities will serve your clients really well as they will rely on you to set goals for them and keep them motivated!
- Good people skills – You need to be able to really connect with your clients and understand their worries, ambitions and interests to make sure they stay loyal to you.
- Being flexible and adaptable – no two days are the same working as a PT so you need to enjoy variation and a challenge in your work life!
If you’ve got all of the above then the answer is YES, you should become a Personal Trainer. But, I know what you’re thinking; it’s easier said than done, right?
How do you become a personal trainer from scratch?
You will need a Level 2 certificate in Fitness Instructing Gym – Based Exercise qualification
We offer a course with this qualification added to the Personal Training Certificate so that you can be fully qualified as a PT at a discounted rate.
Taking on a new career can seem daunting but you don’t have to rush into it. Our Level 3 certificate in Personal Training with Level 2 Gym course is a mixture of distance learning and practical workshops which are run over weekends, so you can fit it in around your working schedule.
During the course you will learn about Anatomy and Physiology and how the body works but we’ll also teach you practical skills you’ll need to be successful as a PT such as how to handle the initial client consultation, how to set SMART goals with 12 week plans for your clients and how to evaluate each session. With practical and theory assessments, you will leave ready for your first client!
If you’d like more information on working in the fitness industry, we’ve got a full list of some really informative organisations and fitness experts that we’d recommend you follow! LET US KNOW IF YOU’RE INTERESTED AND WE’LL SEND YOU A COPY.