I’m a lot better now than I was when I first started out as a Singapore personal trainer. I’ve learned not only to become more effective in helping my clients, but I’ve also been able to improve my business as well, thank you to clients who keep seeing results after results. If you’re a personal trainer who’s just starting out, here are some tips to help you become better:

1. Get the proper certification. If you apply for work at a gym, sometimes they require specific certifications. And even if they don’t, it helps your business anyway. You’ll learn the materials taught by the course which you can then apply in your work. At the same time, you also have proof that you actually studied and trained for your job.
2. Learn about proper exercises and proper nutrition. Both are required if you want to help your clients succeed in achieving their fitness goals. There’s no point in working out with clients to help them lose weight, when all you can offer them are generic bits of advice regarding what they should eat on a regular basis.
3. Keep on educating yourself. That means reading books, online articles, and news reports about new findings and innovations in fitness. You have to keep learning all the time, because new discoveries and technological innovations keep coming out.
4. Socialise and make yourself known to others. Essentially, this is a sales job. You’re selling your expertise, and you need to advertise as often and as much as you can. Whenever you’re in a social situation, you should always give out your name and tell others that you’re a personal trainer. You don’t need to talk about your job constantly or promote your business, but at least everyone you meet should know what you do. And when they ask questions about your work and about fitness in general, make sure to answer their questions.
5. Have a website for your business. At the very least, your website can answer FAQs and also provide a more accurate description of what you can actually do for your clients. This is the tool which you can use to really showcase your expertise. Having your own website is also a very cost-effective means of advertising, and it offers you a chance to interact with potential clients through emails, forums, and article comments. Your website can even bring in additional business, when you recommend various products connected to the fitness industry.
6. Don’t over-hype the potential results. Don’t tell them that they will lose 20 pounds in just under a month. Be more realistic, and come up with viable goals. By having more realistic expectations, you can then benefit from better word-of-mouth when your clients tell others about how you actually helped them achieve what you promised.
7. Always get to know your clients. Know their medical history, their fitness goals, and how they like to do things. You have to establish a relationship with them, and part of that means you need them to trust you.
8. Customise your approach for each client. Each client is different, and you’ll need to take the time to learn how to approach them. Some like the no-nonsense approach, others want to be given firm guidelines, and a few need to be cajoled.  Know how to deal with each client individually and never take a generalized approach for all of them.
9. Always keep fit yourself. You’re a walking billboard. If you’re out of shape, then no person in their right mind will trust you with their fitness goals.
10. Take regular breaks. It’s easy to burn out in this business, especially when clients keep calling you all hours of the day and night. Be firm when you tell them about your rest periods, and take regular vacations to renew your energy.

Every day, you try to help your clients become healthier and fit. But you also have the responsibility to improve yourself as well. Never be satisfied with what you can do now, and always seek out new and more effective ways of becoming a better personal trainer.

Coach Sharm
guruFITNESS.com