How to Become a Personal trainer

By Tom Williams

Do you love fitness? Have a passion for health? Then becoming a personal trainer could be your dream career! If you are unsure where to even start then this is the blog for you. We have put together this blog to help show you how to become a personal trainer and make a fitness career out of your passion.

What is a personal trainer?

When qualifying to be a personal trainer fully understanding the job title is the first step in your journey. A personal trainer is a qualified health and fitness person within the fitness industry. This means you will need a wealth of knowledge about health and dieting, not just the actual gym work. Most people think personal trainers just work out all day, however, this is untrue as a personal trainer must focus on their client’s work and will answer all the how’s and why’s of their training programme.

Why do I need to be passionate to be a personal trainer?

To become a personal trainer you need to truly have a passion and enjoyment for fitness, this job isn’t a normal 9-5 and requires a person who actually enjoys their job. Having and showing that passion allows you to provide the highest level of service to your clients which in turn will help you retain them as clients for longer. Your passion is what will help your clients keep motivated and consistent with their fitness journey, this is why it’s important to be enthusiastic, positive and proactive to motivate your clients to push themselves that extra 10%.

Why become a personal trainer?

Becoming a personal trainer to some people is a dream job, as it is heavily involved within the fitness industry and helping other people better themselves. When becoming a personal trainer it can allow you to become your own boss! This is great as it allows you to choose your working hours with your clients making your days more flexible. This is also a very rewarding career as you get to help better people’s lives and improve their health, as you will strive to provide the highest level of services possible it will all reflect in their progress. When delivering the highest possible services you will stand out from the sea of other personal trainers which will allow you to gain new clients.

How long does it take to become a personal trainer?

One of the biggest questions when becoming a personal trainer is how long does it take? It all depends on which online personal training course you take. There are many different routes you can do to gain your qualifications and some take longer than others. If you take part in full-time courses instead of a part-time one you can expect to gain you personal training qualification within 5 – 6 weeks.

How much does it cost to become a personal trainer?

When becoming a personal trainer you need to invest in your education and courses. Online PT course prices can vary from company to company. At Summit Fitness our entry Level 2 Gym Instructor Course starts at £849 and prices go to £2,399 for our Personal Trainer Diploma course with PT mentorship. When working with Summit Fitness we make our courses as accessible as possible for whoever is trying to become a personal trainer, we provide a range of different courses for different levels of qualifications you can view all our online personal trainer courses here.

Where can I work once I am a personal trainer?

Most people think being a personal trainer means you can only work in the gym or a sports centre, however, once you are a qualified professional within the industry it allows you to head down many different avenues these include:

Working at athletic performance centres supporting professional athletes.
Delivering personal training advice online.
Supporting occupational health departments for corporate clients.
Creating outdoor training boot camps and classes.
Working at holiday resorts in the UK and overseas.
Working on cruise ships.

All these different avenues allow you to move out of the gym and potential explore the world if you want to.

Tips on being a good personal trainer

Being a personal trainer means you have to be patient and easily adaptable to people’s needs, everyone’s fitness journey is different meaning that adapting your fitness plans and packages for your clients is essential for your customer’s happiness. These are some of the other factors that go into being a good personal trainer:

Friendliness: Being friendly with your clients will boost their morale and make the gym/fitness environment a nicer experience for them. They may be embarrassed by their current physical appearance so having that friendly personal trainer who makes training a good experience is a great step towards being a personal trainer.

Professionalism: Speaking to your clients professionally is essential in being a personal trainer, your clients expect a sense of professionalism and knowledge from you as they are paying for your time, however, everyone likes to make a joke in the gym too.

Organisation: Having your workouts and meals planned out for your client in a professional manner shows you have a wealth of experience within the fitness industry and will make your clients more organised with their schedules.

Internal motivation: Motivating your clients is a must when it comes to pushing them to the next level, so it is just important that you’re motivated as it will reflect on the service your provide.

Communication skills: Having strong communication skills allows you to connect with your clients better and gain more of an understanding of their goals. Also, it means you can have more fun within the day creating a better experience with your clients.

How fit do I have to be to become a personal trainer?

Most people think that their personal trainer will be shredded with muscles with a six-pack, this is not needed to be a personal trainer. However, you need to keep healthy and in shape to be a personal trainer. Demonstrating to your clients that you look after yourself shows the importance of health and well being, looking after yourself will create a sense of trust as they can see the results of what you are talking about. Sometimes when PTs are in too good of a shape it may be intimidating to new clients as they have only just started their fitness journey and don’t want to be judged.