6 Overlooked Attributes of a Good Trainer
A few months ago I penned an article detailing what it takes to be an ideal training client. But what does it take to be an ideal personal trainer?
I’m not talking just being serviceable. I am talking about being EXCELLENT! I can tell you from many years of experience, there are a lot of personal trainers out there, but the top notch ones are few and far between.
Here is what I've seen through my over 18 years in the fitness industry:
1. With over 200 options of some form of certification, it’s just too easy to get some form of documentation declaring that you are qualified.
2. The big box gyms are ready to hire anyone that has the desire to take on the work.
3. These big box gyms usually will pay pennies on the dollar to their trainers to increase their profit margins.
4. Most of the individuals willing to take on the work for such low pay are those that truly aren’t qualified to be a teacher/educator in the fitness industry.
I see it all the time.
I try to hit a different gym at least once a week. I do this for a couple of reasons. Not only do I get out of the same 4 walls that I work in over 40 hours a week, allowing me to get a workout in a new environment with new people, new energy, and where very few know who I am and I get to workout in peace…but I also get out of those same 4 walls to see what other businesses are doing and what ideas I can come away with to implement myself.
What I see out there just makes me shake my head some times. It seems like anyone who ever picked up a weight or made some progress in the gym feels they are qualified to be a trainer. Take a look around any weight room at the form or program design being used. How many people do you see utilizing techniques that make you think “they know what they’re doing”? If you don't have the background and experience to answer this question, the answer is not many.
And here's another little gem for you...I know for a fact that some of these “trainers” view their job as an easy way to pick up girls.
I’m not saying that every trainer I see is bad. But the number of awful trainers out there is unjustifiable. Not that this is a scientific number by any means, but from what I’ve seen you can evenly divide trainers into 3 even groups:
- 1/3 of trainers are very, very good
- 1/3 of trainers are okay (we will say “average” at best)
- And 1/3 of trainers are dangerous, lack knowledge, and shouldn’t be anywhere near a client teaching resistance training.
When you look at the fact that a client is investing a good deal of time and money with a desire for a certain results, I see 66.666% of it being wasted. Not even average makes the cut in my book. I take great pride in my career. And I expect nothing less than a very good trainer for a client to have a very good experience. And, as always, EXCELLENCE is preferred.
What Makes an Excellent Trainer?
To answer the above question, I’m going to breeze past the obvious attributes. Attributes such as:
- Being well educated (anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, nutrition, etc),
- Having a strong background in exercise (practical…not just theoretical),
- Having a passion for fitness,
- and a desire to help others.
Those are givens. But what truly separates the good from the great? What are the overlooked attributes? Some can be learned. Some cannot. Here is a short list of what I would look for in a personal trainer:
They Have a Tremendous Knowledge Base…YET They Continue to Learn
I am involved in a great field. And I am involved in it at a great time. Science is always teaching us something new. Although the basics stand true for the bulk of time, there are always new findings that make what we do more productive…and fun. Trainers never will have all of the answers. If one becomes complacent in their learning, they will lose that edge of excellence. Desire to learn more and passion for what we do go hand in hand. Every single day, I strive to learn something new that I can carry into my business.
They Are Motivators
Clients come to us, not only for expert program design, but for accountability, an extra push, and for motivation. Too many trainers I see are merely just “rep counters.” They bring no energy to the session. And, in turn, the client doesn’t get results nor do they last too long. I have had clients that have been with me for over 5 years…over 10 years…over 15 years. People ask me why do they stick around so long? Haven’t they learned to exercise by now? Well, if you refer back to the attribute above this one, there is always more to learn. And, quite frankly, they love the energy I bring to a session. Most of my clients have taken on working out as a lifetime endeavor (as they should). And they find that training with me is a lot more productive and enjoyable than training without me. Why? I motivate. If a trainer wants to be excellent, they must motivate.
They Should Be Chameleon-like
What do I mean by chameleon-like? Not everyone is motivated by the same energy or feedback. Some people like a drill sergeant approach. Some feed off of constant pats on the back. Some feed off of a form of reverse psychology (I have clients that rise to the challenge of simply saying “I don’t think you’ll do it.”). Everyone is different. And as a trainer, it is up to us to find those hot buttons. To be excellent, a trainer needs to Be a Very Good Read of People (this should be an attribute category all by itself).
They Need to Be a Good Communicator
Being a good communicator comes in all forms. It comes in the way of teaching exercise execution, correcting form breaks, and giving cues in the midst of a set. It comes in the way of educating the different facets of body transformation so that it’s easy to understand and easily executed. Heck, it even comes in the form of selling your services so that the client sees the investment as a no brainer. But just like not everyone responds to the same motivation, sometimes the way we communicate our message needs to switch with our audience. As above, to be excellent you need to be a very good read of people. And you need to be an excellent communicator. This requires listening well, too. (My mom always said “you have two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak.”)
They Are Always Prepared
The given to this is attribute is that a client should never be left waiting. Punctuality is key. But being prepared also calls for having some pre-workout planning. I never enter a session without a plan of attack. The night before my work days, I pull all charts of the clients in my schedule and go over each workout so I am armed and ready. I have daily goals set for us to strive for and, if for some reason they come in with any minor ache or pain, I am ready to work around them with alternatives. Too many times I see trainers working with people and they seem to just wing it. No documentation. No progress chart. No rhyme or reason to what they are doing. I know you have all heard this, but “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” I’m not much for winging it. To be excellent, a trainer should have a plan and be prepared to execute it to it’s max.
They Treat Personal Training as a “Career”…Not a “Job”
If someone is truly passionate about being a personal trainer, they tend to see this as a long term career. And most of them will want to own their own business someday. Those that see it as just a job are the ones that are just passing by till something better comes along….or waiting to discover what they want to do in life…likely not to continue learning…they lack the motivation to better their craft…and are more likely to be those that think training will be fun and an easy way to “hit on the girls.” Excellence doesn’t happen by accident. You must have the passion and desire. And seeing this as a career is the base of being a professional.
As with my “Ideal Client” article, I know this list is far from complete. And for some of you that may have worked with a trainer in the past (or are trainers, yourself) this may relate.
Here's a message for all of those trainers out there…go be EXCELLENT! For you…and for your clients.
James Cipriani
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