What is a Personal Trainer?
A personal trainer is a physical fitness professional who has the requisite knowledge to design effective fitness programs that help individuals achieve their fitness goals. Aside from designing these programs, the trainer also has the skill and knowledge to help an individual follow the program and achieve their goals without causing bodily harm.
The programs the trainer designs is not limited to physical exercise but can also (in most cases should) include dietary plans to compliment the physical exercises.
Prospects of a Personal Trainer
A personal trainer is now something of a status symbol. The media have helped this industry by classing it up and making it something people associate with success. The demand for personal trainers has increased in the country and world over.
On the average, a personal trainer in Canada will earn anywhere between C$13.58 to $50.68 an hour. This amount will vary with the location in Canada and the profile of the personal trainer. For example, a personal trainer in Vancouver, British Columbia can averagely earn about C$25.14 an hour.
With the high demand for this particular skillset, a personal trainer in Canada can easily earn between C$28,755 and C$107,691 a year.
Aside from physical training appointments, the internet also provides an opportunity for personal trainers to build a worldwide audience. Through videos, blogs and other media, they can give out tips, consult and train online. They expose any trainer with a large following to a new stream of income in form of endorsement of physical fitness products and campaigns.
As far as prospects go, this industry has a lot to offer. Learn more about your earning potentials here.
What do You Need to be a Personal Trainer?
Being a personal trainer does not just involve having ripping muscles and advertising yourself as one. It involves a lot more than that. Actually, with the competition in that industry, the bar is continually being raised. This is especially true for those who want to be at the top of the industry, making the highest level of income.
Understand what the Job Entails
A personal trainer’s job covers understanding the body’s anatomy and make sure that the exercises are functional and targets specific goals and understanding the basic dietary requirements for the set fitness goal.
With this understanding, the personal trainer should be able to design exercise programs that help individuals and small groups achieve specific fitness goals. This includes dietary plans.
As part of the program, they should also be able to keep the client motivated and help them stick to their exercise program so as to meet their fitness goal.
The trainer will also need to understand that people are different and therefore be able to work with different fitness challenges as well as different personalities.
The Right Attitude
The job of a personal trainer involves working with people from different backgrounds and orientations. S/he must therefore have the right attitude. The person must have the right attitude and the ability to adapt to different situations. A persone with good personality, a quick study and a great judge of character. She must also be someone trustworthy because some clients requests sessions done in their homes. There are clients who would not let them in their house if they look suspicious.
Get Properly Certified
A proper certification is essential to convincing your prospective clients that you indeed know what you are doing. Depending on your location, a proper certification may also be necessary to help you obtain necessary regulatory approval to carry on your business.
Continued Education
Getting certified is not an end. It should only be a starting point. To stay continually competitive, you must continue to grow in your knowledge of your field. This may involve more certification or specializing in a specific aspect of fitness. Specialist always command higher rates than general practitioners.
Choosing a Personal Training Certification Program
Personal Training Certification in BC
Since you need proper certification to get started as a professional personal fitness trainer, how do you go about choosing the right training program?
There are a number of important things to be on the lookout for. We will review a few of these here.
Accreditation
Ensure that any school or organization you get your certification from is fully accredited by necessary authorities. Your certification will be meaningless if it is awarded by an organization that is in itself unrecognized by your local authority.
Cost
Examine the cost of the certification to be sure it is something you can afford. Carefully look through all your possible options and get started with something within your budget. You can always get more certification as your income grows.
Financial Assistance/Scholarship
Some certification programs like the Hilltop Academy – fitness training certification program offer financial aid programs. Some even offer scholarships. Do not rush into choosing a school or program because that is what you can afford. It is important that the certification you go for truly adds value to you.
A program that offers scholarship or any other financial aid is sure to make it easier for you to go for more competitive and rewarding certification programs.
Location
The location of the organization or school offering the training or certification is important for two major reasons. First, you need a certification that is recognized in your locality. The organization therefore needs to be operational within your location or be recognized in that location.
Secondly, if what you are getting is not just certification but also actual training, then going to an institution close to you will reduce the cost of traveling to a different city or country for your training and certification.
Conclusion
The personal training industry has a lot to offer. Because of the high and growing rewards, it now offers, more and more people are getting into it. Because of this, anyone aspiring to be a personal trainer needs to be properly certified to survive in this very competitive industry.
