Like every other specialised job, being a personal trainer requires a lot of skill and expertise. With the right personal training course, you will be properly equipped to act professionally and effectively when guiding clients towards accomplishing their fitness goals.

Effective learning and development is only possible if you receive your personal training certification from a certified organisation with the proper curriculum. If you are taught poorly by an ineffective organization, the chances are that you are going to end up like the types of personal trainers below, who clients prefer to distance themselves from:

• A personal trainer with inadequate or unsuitable certification

A health professional and personal trainer are very similar in the sense that they are both to some degree responsible for the health and well-being of others. As such, no one looking to get fit should have any reason to opt for the less qualified services of a non-professional, when he or she can get better from a fully qualified pro.

Clients who are unaware of the risk tend to hire people who allege to be personal trainers, but actually have no expert knowledge at all. The services of such individuals are usually taken because they charge less than what a professional and properly certified trainer would charge.

Believe me when I say that you don’t want to fall under the guidance of an unqualified or uncertified trainer. An unqualified trainer has only surface knowledge when it comes to personal training. Even worse, such trainers rarely have knowledge of proper first aid in the case of an accident during a workout.

With the right training and certification, you’re in a better position to actually help a client rather than cause harm. To fully equip yourself to take care of a client, make sure to properly research available certification firms and pick one that specialises in the aspect of physical training that you think will best suit your abilities. It will be great for your development and help you attract more clients.

• Trainers who don’t understand limits

This ties in with the previous type of trainer mentioned above. A properly certified personal trainer is well aware that there are different types of physiologies and knows each individual has a unique threshold. An unprofessional trainer likely has no idea about anatomy and movement and will force clients to push through pain, rather than tailor the workout regimen to suit the capabilities of that individual. Such trainers are technically dealers of pain and best avoided by fitness enthusiasts, especially those who have had a bad experience previously.

Avoid being the personal trainer who doesn’t know the difference between pain caused by a faulty regimen and normal muscular pain.

• Trainers who are overly forceful

Such trainers are also referred to as Mr or Ms No Pain, No Gain. These are the sort of trainers who spend an entire workout session yelling at their clients. The purpose of working with a personal trainer is to help attain a healthier life, not receive a crash course in Special Forces boot camp.

A well-trained physical trainer has the skill and special touch to make clients comfortable, whilst simultaneously motivating them to conquer obstacles and attain their fitness goals. This is the type of trainer people want to work with, not the unprofessional ones that make them cringe at the very thought of hitting the gym.

• Trainers who are endlessly trying to sell something

It’s very understandable that as an individual, you have bills to pay, as well as other financial obligations, but you should never let your financial needs or ambitions seep into your work as a personal trainer. No client wants to spend an entire training session with a trainer who is more focused on convincing them to spend more in their gym. Such a trainer ends up appearing more like a salesperson than a fitness expert. Stay focused on what’s important, which is helping your clients go the extra mile and feeling comfortable doing so. That’s actually the best way to keep clients coming back for more, not trying to coax them into paying extra fees.

• Unprofessional trainers

A personal trainer who can’t keep their eyes off the curves and bulges of a client is a big ‘no-no’ that sends clients running for the hills or in some cases, suing for sexual harassment. Stick to the tenets of your personal training course and keep things professional and polite at all times. It’s a business you are running, so keep things on a respectful footing with your customers.

• Distracted trainers

A well-trained personal trainer knows to give a client their undivided attention for the entire period of a workout session. Trainers who spend a session texting, chatting away with colleagues, and simply not taking care of their clients displays not only appalling behaviour that puts clients off, but it is also dangerous. A client who is left unattended could suffer injury because the trainer was too distracted to avert it. No client wants to place their safety in the hand of a careless trainer.

• Trainers who treat their job as a chore

Clients actually feed off the energy and enthusiasm of their trainers, to accomplish more during a session, but this is impossible if the trainer is one a “I hate my job” type. A trainer who isn’t keen on their job is likely to not put in the right amount of effort. Clients would rather have a trainer with a drive for fitness excellence who can motivate them with their own enthusiasm.

• The routine trainer

Professional trainers who have received proper training know how to shake things up and provide their clients an array of exercises to excite and challenge them. Fitness enthusiasts don’t want a trainer who gives them the same routine, day in and day out. They can do that on their own. So, avoid being the boring trainer who gives all clients the same routines on a daily basis. Be sure to keep things exciting and fun to help push clients to their next fitness level.

Being a good personal trainer is about taking the right fitness training course and your personal commitment to a quality set of guiding principles. Your course and approach to life should go hand in hand, as you develop yourself in the early stages of your personal training career.