Trainer

Fitness Trainers

• Evaluates their clients' current fitness level, personal goals, and skills. Some want to lose weight, others want get stronger, others want to train for an athletic goal.
• Designs and carries out workout routines specific to the needs of their clients.
• Explains and enforces safety rules and regulations on sports, recreational activities, and the use of exercise equipment.
• Gives clients information or resources about nutrition, weight control, and lifestyle issues.
• Monitors the clients’ progress and adapts programs as needed.
• Gives emergency first aid if needed.

Group and Specialized Fitness Instructors

• Demonstrates how to carry out various exercises and routines.
• Watches clients do exercises and show or tell them correct techniques to minimize injury and improve fitness.
• Plan and choreograph their own classes. They choose music appropriate for their class and creates a routine. Some may teach pre-choreographed routines that were originally created by fitness companies or other organizations (i.e. Zumba).
• Gives alternative exercises during workouts or classes for different levels of fitness and skill.
• Gives emergency first aid if needed.

• Examples of specialties are Pilates, Yoga, CrossFit, TRX…etc.

Fitness trainers and instructors who work at a facility often do a variety of tasks in addition to their fitness duties, such as tending the front desk, signing up new members, giving tours of the fitness center, writing newsletter articles, creating posters and flyers, and supervising the weight-training and cardiovascular equipment areas.

Fitness directors oversee the fitness-related aspects of a gym or other type of health club. They often handle administrative duties, such as scheduling personal training sessions for clients or creating workout incentive programs. They often select and order fitness equipment for their facility.

• Listening skills
• Patience
• Analytical skills
• Persistence
• Organizational skills
• Physical fitness skills
• Motivational skills
• Understanding of the body
• Knowledge of nutrition, biology, physiology

• Gyms and health clubs
• Specialized gyms: CrossFit, Yoga, Pilates, Barre Method…etc
• Resorts, wellness centers
• Cruise ships
• Online: many personal trainers now do training videos and group exercise videos. It’s a way for them to market themselves and create other revenue streams.
• Private: Individuals at their home.

• You are essentially a business owner: Besides being very adept at your area of fitness expertise, being successful as a trainer means being successful in business. You can’t rely on gyms to refer you clients. You have to brand yourself and then you have to come up with a good marketing strategy and implement it. You are in charge of how many clients you have, how well you keep in touch with them.
• You must keep up with the new technology and new trends.
• You must know about more than just physical training. People want to know about nutrition, therapeutic techniques.
• Will work irregular hours: nights, weekends, not the same every day.
• Could be early morning before work, late hours after work.

Growing and in demand. More and more people are getting on the physical fitness train. They know that exercise and nutrition are keys to long-term health. Preventative health care is spreading and exercise is a huge part of preventative health care.

• Loved fitness and exercise!
• Loved being active!