How To Get The Most Out Of Your Personal Trainer Career | Active listening

There are, indeed, many articles like: The 5 best tips to... or, The 10 things that will get you... But there is one small slice of advice that can help, that is so powerful, so simple to bring in to your personality, it is surprisingly rarely mentioned.  It is  one of the oldest,  and best ways to get ahead, it is to use something that has stood the test of time. Active Listening.

 

The Way to get more from your personal trainer career - your clients

 

 

Listening takes real confidence and personality, it takes concentration, and shows that you are different from all the others. Many times I have been with someone and they have said that they have never met a guy who they had such a great conversation with and that I was so intelligent and fun to be with. During the whole time I only occasionally spoke, I did of course talk and express my opinions and interests, but the main thing I did was to actively listen and take an interest.

 

Have you ever met someone who not only looked like they listened to every word, but actually did. Someone who after one conversation seemed to know you and understood you? It may surprise you that people like to talk about themselves, especially if they are talking to someone who is interested to listen.

 

While  shy people worrying about what to say, and the loud may be talking about themselves again,  you can be listening to what the other person is saying.

 

Listen to your clients

I have dropped a number of private tutors service providers when they did’t take what I wanted on board and proceeded to do what they wanted. They were not active listeners.  

I have never ever heard any of these complaints after someone has met me:

 

"He just wouldn't stop listening to me!"

 

"I felt like he actually listened to me and understood me. It was so annoying."

So, stop listening to your inner voice telling you what you could say next, and start listening to them, they will tell you exactly what to say and when, exactly what they need to hear. You only need to let them talk and make a concerted effort to listen.

Get Started - become their ideal personal trainer

If you want to get the started, just ask open questions in a friendly manner. Or, use ambiguity to create some flirtation, try to be 80% interested and 20% interesting 

Personal training may increase sleep quality in your clients for improved wellbeing

Sleep Importance

As a fitness professional you will be responsible for promoting good sleep routines in order to help your clients recover adequately from their fitness sessions, plus improve their overall wellbeing. Sleep is as important as the exercise and nutrition side of fitness and forms the basis of sound health & wellbeing. 

“Preliminary evidence from a 2012 review indicated that physical training for up to four months may increase sleep quality in adults over 40 years of age.  A 2010 review suggested that exercise generally improved sleep for most people, and may help with insomnia, but there is insufficient evidence to draw detailed conclusions about the relationship between exercise and sleep. A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that exercise can improve sleep quality in people with insomnia.”

Studies show that just introducing good physical training can improve sleep quality on its own. Modern life has impacted our sleep quality so being able to prescribe something that can have a good impact and help improve someone’s sleep which could lead to having a profound effect on their daily life. 

Becoming a personal trainer

Do I need a certificate? 

There are more ways to become a personal trainer today than even just a few years ago. It is no longer necessary to become certified if you don’t feel the investment is worth it in the long run. Consider how you will make money - it is no longer just a case of getting regular clients. You could simply publish videos and charge a subscription service. Personal training has moved beyond the PT client relationship and become less personal. If your business plan details your main income coming from online services then you may question wether a qualification will actually help you. It may save you thousands. The only benefit to getting certified is if you want a job in a gym or other organisation where a recognised qualification is essential to getting the role. 

Doing a course & getting certified

There are many many courses to choose from that can get you started in Personal Training, however I would recommend choosing one that is more comprehensive even if it comes out more expensive than others. A university course that includes sports science etc is the gold standard, and will open more lucrative doors for you than any courses hosted by training companies. This is because these companies profits rely on churning out more and more PTs. The jobs market then becomes saturated with recently qualified Personal Trainers all looking for work. 

Going your own Way

So how do you make a successful career in Personal Training when there are so many other PTs and fitness services competing in the same market. Hard work and dedication are the cornerstones of any success in any career. But for the best chance of success in personal training in the modern age is to specialise in a specific field or niche. This may be OAPs, Kids, Body building etc.