Tips For a Successful Personal Training Business

Many personal trainers have been able to stay busy this pandemic year. That’s because people are finally getting serious about their health.

A trainer can help you set realistic goals and keep you motivated to achieve them. They can also help you avoid injury by guiding you through proper technique.

Long-Term Progress

One of the primary goals for personal trainers is establishing long-term client success. A client who exceeds their objectives is more likely to continue training with a trainer & to suggest friends, family & coworkers do the same. This is the kind of positive word-of-mouth referral that every business owner desires.

However, while much has been established about the need for regular physical activity to promote a healthy lifestyle, less is known about what specific types of programs are effective in promoting significant, long-term changes in behavior. To investigate this, 129 volunteers (clients) were assigned a university senior personal trainer for a 10-week program. Each participant was assessed in the first session using the Stages of Transtheoretical Model, a framework for understanding motivational change.

The results of the study show that 57% of clients showed upward movement in their stages, which is more than double what has been observed in other studies examining the utility of personal training. However, since this was a quasi-experimental design without a control group, the result must be viewed cautiously.

It is important for trainers to help their clients stay motivated in the face of setbacks, but also to celebrate their achievements. Whether it is a new pair of pants that fit better or an accomplishment in their everyday lives such as playing with their grandchildren without getting breathless, these events can be tremendously motivating.

Specific Goals

It is possible for goals to be too specific and, as a result, become unrealistic. This is where a good Personal Trainer will be able to help you by making sure that your goals are not too demanding and can still be achieved in the timeframe that you are giving yourself. They will also make sure that the short-term goals you are setting are measurable and can be tracked using methods like the scales and body fat measurement equipment.

This is one of the most important aspects of the SMART criteria. Your clients will have different goals and objectives, some of which will be very specific while others may have more general aims that they are working towards. This means that it is vital for your trainer to understand the different requirements of each client and their unique abilities, limitations and constraints.

For example, if one of your clients has a goal to lose weight then this will be very specific and will have an attainable time-frame based on government guidelines and their current health. A more general goal such as “become fitter” will not be very specific and could prove impossible for them to achieve.

Another problem with very specific goals is that they can take over a client’s other priorities, for example if your clients are training hard for an upcoming triathlon then this might start to become their main focus and could start taking priority over other areas of their lives such as work or family. Again this is something that a Personal Trainer should be able to identify early on and guide their clients towards more realistic goals.

Safety

As a personal trainer, you have a responsibility to keep your clients and participants safe at all times. This includes ensuring your working environment is free from potential hazards and that there is sufficient space for everyone to move around easily. It also means explaining what to do in the event of an emergency and how to respond to it.

A risk assessment can be an excellent tool for identifying safety issues before your client’s session. For example, you could use a sound metre app to check that the decibel levels don’t exceed recommended limits, which can cause hearing damage. Or, you might check that the temperature of the gym isn’t too hot, which can cause dehydration and lead to heatstroke.

You could also check that any equipment featured in your workout is safe to use and has been stored away correctly after each session, so there is no danger of someone tripping over it and hurting themselves. Another safety measure is to check changing rooms regularly for bodily fluids and needles from steroid use, which can put your clients at risk of infection.

You should also ensure that you have public liability insurance, which is a standard requirement for any fitness professional. This covers you in the event that you injure a client or their property during your training, or damage third party property. At Insure4Sport, we provide a range of personal trainer insurance policies including public liability and professional indemnity. Get an instant quote with us today.

Motivation

If you’re a personal trainer, it’s important to know the right techniques for motivating your clients. The wrong approach can lead to a loss of motivation, which will make them less likely to work with you in the future. It’s also essential to remember that each client is different. Some will respond to positive reinforcement and rewards, while others may not.

The biggest mistake is attempting to motivate a client with a one-size-fits-all strategy. For example, some trainers resort to yelling and punishing their clients, believing that it will get them the results they want. This method can backfire, especially if it makes the client feel humiliated or uncomfortable.

Instead of this, a personal trainer should take the time to build rapport with their client. This will help them understand the client’s goals and provide support in their journey. This will also increase their motivation to continue training with the trainer.

In addition, a personal trainer should keep their client accountable for their progress outside of their sessions. This can be done by assigning homework, which will encourage them to work hard on the days that they’re not with their trainer. For example, they can ask their client to write down what they ate during the day or track their exercise levels in an app. This will help them stay motivated and ensure that they’re doing what’s necessary to meet their fitness goals.