As a personal trainer, you are constantly in a fishbowl. Your actions, appearance, and mannerisms, both in and out of the gym, are studied closely. You are expected to be accountable to a higher standard. First impressions mean more in the fitness industry than in any...
Ron Clark
Ron Clark is the Founder of National Federation of Professional Trainers, NFPT. From U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant to Competitive BodyBuilder, then Firefighter and Certified Personal Trainer - he founded NFPT in 1988 with a mission to make fitness training careers accessible to every day fitness enthusiasts who want to turn their passion into their livelihood. Ron has always led with a heart of service, and, in that spirit, he helps people to achieve real and practical career goals that serve a greater good in changing people's lives. He lives and leads by example, being a personal trainer himself for more than 10 years before setting out to develop a certification program that is real-world and foundational to the goals of personal trainers and their clients. Click Here to learn more about Ron's story and NFPT's inception.
Fitness Business Ideas
In February of 1996, I wrote an article in NFPT’s Personal Trainer Magazine about a man who emailed me with a problem he was having. Of all things, he asked me for advice on how to salvage his relationship with his girlfriend. At a glance, my first instinct was to direct him to Ann Landers or to an equally talented counselor. But, I kept on reading and found out – I may be able to help. While, my advice was given to this 1996 love-sick dude, my advice still applies today.
Personal Training and Professional Growth
Your professional development as a personal trainer is very important to your success. Maybe there are times when you become content with where you are and with what you have. You have worked so hard to get to this moment. You have a great studio, great trainers on your staff and enough clients to go around. Or maybe you are a trainer working in a big facility and have decided to transition into being an independent trainer (a.k.a. your own boss). Regardless of your working environment or situation – know this – you can’t get comfortable!
At the end of the day, if your main goal is to be able to a.) support yourself and b.) support your family by doing what you love. Don’t settle. Be purposeful in your growth. Never lose touch with what is going on in your industry. Just being a nice guy (or gal) won’t pay the bills (though wouldn’t that be nice?)!
My point: you have to go out there and keep it current; keep your mind sharp. Worry less about the latest piece of techy equipment and think more about your actual craft. If you’re not keeping up with the industry, than the industry will leave you behind. It starts from the top – industry trends, industry players and how both alter the desires of fitness consumers. Stay in the know about how to work with savvier clients, your local economy and local players. Then, finally the almighty question, “What do you have to offer?”
If you’re offering what you did 5, 10, 20 years ago – that just may not be good enough. Sustaining a competitive advantage begins with you looking in the mirror. Don’t let yourself get stagnate and stale – it doesn’t cost much and the time invested is well worth the personal growth and brain stimulation. Showing your current clients that you are a serious trainer with a serious ambition to learn and BE MORE will a.) provide you the acknowledgement you so deserve and b.) prove that you care about learning the best ways to help them reach their goals.
What can you add to your repertoire to make you current, and special; to stand out from the crowd?
Personal Training Must Include Passion
Personal training and passion are not mutually exclusive. Bill McGinnis recently wrote, "If you can't talk to people – you may need to find a different career path." This is right on. As a personal trainer, you need to have the confidence to talk to anyone and...