How to become a personal trainer

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Becoming fighting fit is more than the preserve of hobbyists. While joggers used to be in their minority, now they sprint in every park and on every street.

Indeed, exercising has never been such big business. In 2013, 12.5 per cent of the general public in the UK had memberships to private gyms. From a niche concern, the luxurious private gym has become a multibillion pound industry.

Across Britain, people are leaving their homes and travelling to gyms – and they want the utmost professionalism when they get there.

The gym isn’t only appealing because of its wide-ranging fitness equipment and relaxing hot tub areas. The cream of the cardio crop offer the best training pros to keep you in shape.

And these pros don’t emerge fully formed. They’re the product of hard work and a breadth of knowledge regarding fitness, health and dietary advice.

These highly-trained professionals gain their skills from fully-accredited courses, many of which will give you the full lowdown on how to become a personal trainer.

While you might think you’ve got all the fitness knowledge you need, these courses show you just how little you know.

One size doesn’t fit all

Fitness regimes don’t, after all, have a one size fits all approach. Differing body types and metabolisms require entirely different workouts, meaning you’ll have to alter regimes for every new client you acquire.

A course will teach you all about these body types, giving you the lowdown on how to communicate effectively with your customers and estimate their dietary requirements.

Largely this is about people skills, something which comes in handy in any sector. But personal trainers have to enjoy tightly honed people skills if they want to attain clients.

Indeed, confidence is key in the world of the trainer. The physical fitness of your body is your personal billboard, while your positive attitude shows customers how your regime has improved you mentally.

But once you’ve attained the right skillset, where do you go to ply your trade?

Largely this is about people skills, something which comes in handy in any sector. But personal trainers have to enjoy tightly honed people skills if they want to attain clients. These skills can be developed through Personal Trainer Courses.

Know your business

A number of trainers will seek employment in a private gym, enjoying a neat salary in the process (although some gyms will expect their trainers to work on commission). However, if you want more autonomy on the job, set up your own business and use the local park or a private gym facility as your base of operations.

How you want to operate depends on the freedom you desire. Many people want to become a personal trainer to help fund their own love of fitness. But many more simply want a side job, something to give them extra cash on the weekends.

No matter what your view on the matter, the options are there – so get in shape and get training!