What does the term “Personal Training” mean to you? What are the main roles of a personal trainer and how does one go about assigning programs and structuring sessions to ensure a client makes progress and is kept on track?

Our process begins with a consultation. This is a chance for both parties to sit down and discuss the wants and needs of the client and an opportunity for the trainer to explain their services and what the clients journey will look like. The consultation should never feel like a sales pitch. If it does, we recommend you leave. In truth though, this needn’t be a ‘hard sell’ of any sort as encouraging and educating someone on how best to improve their well-being is not something that should take any form of peddling or deception. This is more of an opportunity for a good trainer to put forward their passion and enthusiasm for this lifestyle and to inform the potential client on how they would go about overcoming their issues as a team. 

A key part of the consultation is in the goal setting stage, when a client lists their reasons for seeking a trainers help and articulates what they hope to achieve. This is where the term “personal” starts to become key. A trainer will be aware of the principle of individual differences, a principle of sports science that dictates that as we are all individuals there is no 'one size fits all' approach to how we facilitate progress. Using the acronym SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-bound) draft of goals can be discussed and a general plan of what a program may look like starts to be formed.

Following the consultation, and assuming the client chooses to enlist the services of the trainer, now begins the task of piecing together a program for the client to adhere to, this may involve making lifestyle changes beyond just partaking in regular exercise, for instance a trainer may be able to give tips on nutrition, sleep routine and stress management which will all be vital in facilitating progress. Initially, it is a trainer’s job to assess where the client is currently at in regards to their level of physical fitness and existing dietary habits. This is ordinarily determined through a number of initial sessions that may follow a loose plan but of which the primary goal is to set benchmarks and asses physical attributes such as coordination, balance and strength. It’s also common practice to ask for a nutrition log to be kept without changing too much from what would be an ordinary intake. This gives a great insight into where any roadblocks may be likely to occur.

Rapport and trust are vital components of this relationship moving forwards. Exercise as at times difficult and requires high levels of dedication and motivation in order to achieve goals. A client must at all time trust that the trainer has their best interest at heart and is fully committed and dedicated to their cause. Equally a trainer’s job is made much more enjoyable when this is reciprocated and there is an exchange of enthusiasm and interest that isn’t purely one sided. Beyond simply instructing a good trainer will educate an individual on why they have set a particular task and how it ties in with what is trying to be achieved long term. This is one of the many ways that adherence can be enhanced as it is generally easier to complete a difficult task when we understand the benefits associated.

During any program, a difficult balancing act is always taking place between repetition and variety. In exercise, consistency is the friend of progression, but repeating the same movement can lead to a program becoming stale and repetitive. Therefore the task is to introduce variety in the form of different variations of core movements and to use a diverse knowledge of training principles and styles to ensure repetition and variety are balanced throughout. This is one of the many problems people face when training alone and one of the main reasons interest starts to wain after an initial period of enthusiasm.

In any role that provides a service, customer or client satisfaction is high on the list of priorities, none more so than in personal training. Helping a client achieve their goals is not only intrinsically rewarding for a trainer but is a sure fire way to secure retention and new business in the form of family, friends or colleagues. 

Despite the aforementioned principle of individual differences, a large percentage of clients will ultimately be striving to achieve the same end goal, which is to make health and fitness a long term priority in whatever form they choose. For some this may mean continuing to use a personal trainer long term for accountability and motivation and for others it may mean taking all the information and wisdom that was imparted and using it to devise their own successful program. In either instance the use of a good trainer or coach will no doubt be of a huge benefit to an individual’s health and well-being. Remember, even top athletes have coaches.

If you're ready to make the first step, you can contact us to schedule you're care call today.