I haven't posted an article here in ages, so I dug one up that I wrote soon after I had to let a trainer go. It made me think of the intangible qualifications that managers need to look for and the questions people need to ask themselves before they step foot in this field. Hope you enjoy....
Are you sick and tired of your “normal” 9 to 5 job in a cubicle in front of the computer without any human contact? Is the company cafeteria worker or janitor your only means of social activity in the workplace? Is your boss the only one in the conference room that has the ability to make you feel good about your accomplishments? Well, if you answered “yes” to any of those questions AND you have a passion for fitness, you may be ready for another career endeavor. But wait…the personal training field is a little more intricate than designing intricate exercise programs and selling Mrs. Jones supplements she doesn’t need. It is about selling opening yourself up to strangers and developing a trust between you and client. So how do you go about starting a career as a personal trainer, if all your experience lies with computer programming, or sitting in that office chair, or tucked under the hood of a car? Here is some helpful advice…read on.
Let’s get your feet wet in the fitness field. If you already belong to a gym, GREAT! If not, and you are really sure you want to get into the business that you need to gain some ‘
observational experience’. I call it observational experience because you need to become a “
people watcher”. That is the first and foremost important aspect to achieve a sensory skill of reading people. You need to observe people in action. Go to your local mall or shopping plaza. Sit down on a park bench or be seated in your favorite restaurant. Take a few minutes and look around. Spend a good 10-15 minutes observing the following:
1.)Who is around you?
2.)Who is around the people that are around you?
3.)What is the ambiance in the setting?
4.)How is the lighting?
5.)What actions are people engaged in? (sitting, talking, walking, eating, lifting, etc)
6.)What is the stature or demeanor of people around you? (Laughing, straining, anger, frustration, happiness, intuitiveness, slouching, etc)
7.)What position are you in that you can react if the situation dramatically changes? (fire, emergency, choking, etc)
8.)Account for the position your partner is in. (Remember, in your company, a second or third person become an extension of you.) (
Teaching Anchor #1)
9.)What do you hear? Listen closely to sounds made around you.
10.) Keep your eyes moving. Don’t stare…observe the environment collectively. (Make glances everywhere and piece them together in your head.)
Okay, I know what you are thinking: “What does this have to do with being a personal trainer?” My answer: “A LOT”. If you are going to be recognized as the “Information Booth of Fitness”, then you need to know every aspect of what you are talking about and anticipate concerns.
If you presently workout in a gym, in between sets take a look around and observe people on machines, cardio, free weight, and socializing. Notably, if they are talking constantly they must not take their fitness goals seriously. They workout to say: “I workout”. Watch the ones that grimace and groan.
There is a reason they are straining
and using a lot of weight. They “want” to be someone badly. Maybe the biggest or strongest guy in the gym, at work, or home? Watch the girl on the elliptical in her tight workout gear. She wants to be noticed for a reason. Watch the heavy-set girl who looks out of place…and probably feels it.
Once you are adequate in “observational skills”, now it’s time to get you involved in all these situations. Let’s look for employment. I know what you are thinking:
"I don’t have any experience training others.”
I’m not certified.”
"I don’t have a degree.”
“I don’t look fit.”
Doesn’t matter. You have to be in a position where you “service others”.
(This is Teaching Anchor #2)
The end.
For those of you working in the field already...love to know your opinions on this.