How To Become A Personal Trainer?

Choosing one’s vocation can be a tough nut to crack. For most young individuals whose affinity towards school textbooks are a bit less; college and university seldom make it to the list of priorities.

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A college degree without a doubt is a gateway to a better personal and professional life. But it requires a long time commitment and can be expensive. 

However, even a High school certificate can offer a plethora of opportunities turned into fulfilling careers in today’s world. Choosing to become a personal trainer can be a wise career choice for anyone who is into health and fitness.

It is one of the few vocations that can provide high personal, professional, and financial growth. It offers excellent flexibility, and anyone with a high school degree is eligible to apply. 

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Personal Training as a Profession:

According to a recent business survey, personal training is a 10 billion dollar industry. It is the most dynamic of professions, that is continuously evolving. While it demands professionalism, it offers excellent flexibility.

The scope of employment and professional growth is better than most vocations, with the same entry-level. While it requires one to hold a high school degree to apply, national certification must be a part of this billion-dollar industry.

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Personal interests and scope of employment become strong influences while choosing the vocation of one’s choice. An outdoor person will be a misfit in a factory assembly line, so will a person with creative instincts be at the checkout counter of a supermarket. One must first be attracted to the job into consideration.

So Let’s Take a Quick Look at the Responsibilities of a Personal Trainer:

As the name suggests, a personal trainer works to develop and implement a fitness routine for the client to achieve the health and fitness levels. The fitness goals can vary from client to client. While it might be losing weight for one, it can be growing more reliable for the other.

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A personal trainer works one on one with the respective clients, helps set fitness goals, and develops and implements a fitness regime to achieve the goals. Keeping abreast of all the latest trends, techniques, and technology, a personal trainer builds a client base and works towards achieving their own career goals.

The job provides ample room for professional growth as the trends and techniques continuously evolve. A personal trainer can add advanced training certifications and various specializations to one’s resume, furthering professional growth.

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The flexibility of the profession allows one to freelance or work for fitness centres and gym or even work for business houses. 

What Does One Require to Be a Personal Trainer:

A personal trainer requires a High school certificate and a national certification to begin work. And must have in-depth knowledge about:

• Physiology
• Human Anatomy
• Science involving physical exercise
• Nutrition
• A personal trainer, in addition to the educational credentials, must have:
• Leadership skills.
• Analytical mindset.
• Communication skills.
• Business acumen.

Above all, a personal trainer must have high fitness levels, a pleasing personality, and be interested in health and fitness.

How to Become a Personal Trainer:

• Obtain the High school degree: To apply and sit in the national personal trainer certification examination, one must have a high school degree. 
• A.R.D. & C.P.R. certification: All personal trainers must have the A.R.D. (Automated External Defibrillator) and C.P.R. (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) certification to identify and treat clients during any medical emergency. These certificates are mandatory for almost all national personal certification organizations.
• Make a choice: While keeping your interests, skills, and professional goals, choose from a range of specialities. One can be good at the gym, high in outdoor sports support, might have a knack for muscles, bones, and joints or might be even interested in sports medicine. Take your pick and focus on the certifications provided by nationalized institutions.
• Get certified: Once enrolled in a certification course, one must ensure to take it seriously. Attending all training sessions, preparation classes, on-time submission of assignments and projects (as per requirements), and above all, clearing the final certification exam must be the highest priority. 
• Have a business plan: After being certified as a personal trainer, it’s time to chart a business plan and build your professional presence. A great way to start is to create a client portfolio, check online job postings, assist established personal trainers, and build a professional network. One can even begin to freelance and service individual clients. Make sure you have a business model that will help you attain your career goals. 

Skills Required to Be a Successful Personal Trainer:

A personal trainer is more than a gym instructor or a diet technician. A personal trainer understands the client’s needs and is aware of their limitations.

They design and develop a fitness and health regime best suiting the client. They inspire and support the client to achieve the set goals. It the above prospect sounds exciting, one must make sure to hone the following skill sets:

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Personal:

• Leadership qualities: A dynamic personality, best compliments a fit body. For a personal trainer to make a mark, one must be impressive. The perfect balance of finesse and frankness in public and private interactions, a positive attitude, and a pleasing personality are the hallmarks of an excellent personal trainer. Remember, a personal trainer inspires and motivates.
• Communication skills: Effective communication is crucial for any personal trainer to be successful. It not only involves getting the message across clearly, but it also includes active listening. Communication is a two-way process and is the only means of making sure the client is on the same page. 
• Analytical mindset: A well-planned fitness regime that best suits the client is the primary requirement for a personal trainer to succeed. This can only be possible with the exact identification of the needs and requirements. Analytical thinking helps in understanding the client’s needs and conditions and in developing the correct approach towards the set goals. It also helps the trainer in professional planning and adapting to the changing professional scenarios. 

Professional:

• Fitness screening procedures: Subjecting the client to take the matching fitness screening is detrimental to the fitness regime’s success. Thus, a personal trainer must have a clear understanding of the various fitness assessment techniques.
• Weight management and Nutrition: A broad knowledge base in nutrition and weight management is a prerequisite for any personal trainer. Nutrition plays a vital part in almost all training regimes. The weight loss or gain regimes, power gaining sessions all demand a strict calorie based diet plan.  
• Exercise science and effects: A personal trainer must be well versed in the various principles and science involved in all physical exercises. A piece of in-depth knowledge about the activities, its effects, and the correct procedure can make one a better personal trainer.

With an estimated requirement of more than 32,000 trainers across the state in 2014, the job prospects of personal training are bright. Low entry-level, short and affordable certification courses, good pay, and bright job prospects make personal training an attractive and wise choice.