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What Does a Personal Trainer Do?
Dynamic Personal Training are fitness professionals who work with clients to help them reach their health and fitness goals. They may work in gyms or other locations but often freelance.
They possess skills and experience, including kinesiology and sports science education. They also must have insurance to ensure they can work with clients safely.
A personal trainer is there to help you set realistic goals tailored to your needs. This will keep you motivated and focused on reaching your fitness goals safely and effectively.
Experienced trainers will also help you avoid injury by ensuring your workouts are appropriate for your fitness and health status. They may also use progressive overload, a technique that gradually increases the intensity of your exercise program over time. This helps you stay healthy and prevents injuries while progressing toward your goals.
A Personal Trainer is not only there to help you with your physical health, but they will also pay attention to your emotional well-being. For example, they will care if you are stressed and adjust your workouts to help you cope. They will also be mindful of your eating habits, ensuring you are fuelling your body with good food to support your fitness journey.
During your first session, your Trainer will spend an hour assessing your current fitness levels and helping you develop goals. They will take your body measurements, discuss your diet and how often you currently exercise, get a health history, and answer any questions.
They will then create an exercise routine tailored to your needs and work around your schedule, health issues, and any other constraints you might have. The Trainer will also help you develop a plan for the long term, providing support and motivation along the way.
For example, if you want to lose weight, they will provide you with a nutrition plan suitable for your weight loss goals. They will also provide a workout plan, including cardio and strength training. They will incorporate functional exercises and sport-specific drills into your workout to strengthen your muscles for specific activities, such as running a marathon or playing football.
Having short-term and long-term goals is important to help you stay focused. Short-term goals give you a sense of urgency to work towards a specific result within a limited time. For instance, if your goal is to run your own personal training business, you might have a short-term goal of landing four new clients by the end of February.
Personal Trainers are more than just fitness experts; they must also be excellent motivators. Their job is to help their clients shake off inactivity, change their habits, and stick with their workout programs to achieve their health goals. There are several ways they do this, including:
They create personalized workout plans to suit their client’s goals and abilities. This ensures that the workout is challenging but not overly difficult, allowing the client to build confidence and get used to pushing themselves beyond their comfort zone. They also encourage their clients to set realistic goals that are challenging but attainable. This helps to prevent the dreaded “plateau,” where motivation dwindles because the goal is no longer realistic or achievable.
Another way that Personal Trainers help keep their clients motivated is by tracking their progress. This can include taking body measurements, monitoring weight loss, assessing strength, and more. This allows the client to see their progress, a powerful motivator to continue working hard and striving for better results. Trainers also offer positive reinforcement and praise for their clients, which is an effective way to boost motivation.
A good personal trainer will make changing fitness habits fun and interesting by using a variety of exercises, equipment, and techniques. This can include cardio-based exercises, strength training, and even outdoor group classes (e.g., hiking). They can also incorporate nutrition guidance, an important component of achieving long-term health goals.
In addition to providing support and accountability, Personal Trainers can motivate their clients by encouraging them to share their successes on social media. This is an effective and time-efficient way to increase client motivation, as they spend much of their time on social media.
Overall, Personal Trainers are a great way to stay motivated because they provide support, accountability, and education that is not easily available through other means. They can also be a great resource for those struggling with finding the motivation to work out on their own.
Having someone hold you accountable to a fitness program can be an effective way to stay on track and get to the gym, even when it’s hard. But a trainer can do much more than keep you on your toes during a session. They also support their clients and help them learn how to make healthy lifestyle choices that can impact the rest of their lives.
Initially, personal trainers will create customized workout programs designed to consider each client’s goals and current fitness level. They will then work with their clients to adjust their workout regimen and add new exercises as they advance in their fitness levels. This ongoing evaluation and modification ensures that each client continues to see improvement over time and avoids hitting a plateau.
Personal trainers will also offer dietary and nutritional advice tailored to each client. They will create meal plans based on each person’s needs and goals, considering any dietary restrictions and allergies. They will also guide their clients through developing healthier eating habits by teaching them how to read labels and make informed food choices.
The training and knowledge that personal trainers gain during their certification programs also give them the skills to instruct customers on performing exercises properly so they can maximize results and prevent injury. For example, an expert trainer can show you how to optimize a simple exercise such as the squat by teaching you proper form and providing in-the-moment feedback and corrections.
Finding a trainer with the qualifications and experience you need to achieve your health and fitness goals is important. When searching for a personal trainer, ensure they are certified by a reputable body. A quality trainer will have credentials from organizations like the International Sports Sciences Association, the American Council on Exercise, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. In addition, they should be insured and licensed to practice in your state. They should also have extensive experience working with clients of similar backgrounds and goals.
Whether you’re dealing with an old injury, are pregnant, or have a phobia of going to the gym, your Trainer will work around that. They’ll find ways to achieve the desired results while ensuring your safety and well-being.
Your Trainer will also be your biggest cheerleader. They encourage you when things are tough and help you stay focused on the end goal. They’ll also be there to remind you of the reasons why you started working out in the first place, such as a desire to feel better about yourself or the knowledge that exercise can help reverse the effects of aging, improve brain health, boost immunity, and alleviate stress and anxiety.
A personal trainer will take the time to understand your current fitness level and abilities, including what you can do for exercise (how much weight you can bench press, how far you can run, etc). They’ll then develop a program allowing you to reach your goals safely and effectively.
For example, if they notice that your right leg is stronger than your left, they’ll include exercises that target single-leg movements. This will allow you to correct the imbalance while building strength on the weaker side.
While you may think your Personal Trainer is qualified, you should always check their credentials before hiring them. Look for a college degree in exercise science or physiology and certification as a personal trainer, and ask for references from past clients.
While it’s important to work with a Personal Trainer who has the right skills, experience, and qualifications to meet your needs, it’s equally important to be comfortable with them as a person. Ideally, you’ll find a trainer genuinely interested in helping you and will make you feel comfortable discussing your fitness goals.
A Personal Trainer can earn a decent salary, particularly if they work with high-profile clients or are self-employed. Freelance trainers typically earn PS20 to PS40 per hour, while those employed by gyms or similar venues can expect to start on a salary of around PS15,000 to PS24,000. They’ll likely work long hours, with early morning and evening sessions commonplace.