Select the Appropriate Specialist for Individual Training!

At present, there are no official qualifications required to become a fitness personal trainer, which may come as a surprise to many. After all, it seems logical that someone who is responsible for the health, technique, and quality of life of their clients should have some sort of certification. However, the Sports Act of June 25, 2010 (Dz.U. Nr 127, poz. 857) replaced the older Physical Education Act, as a result, the title of exercise instructor no longer exists in legal acts. This means that there are no legal regulations governing the work of fitness personal trainers. However, it is still important to participate in courses and trainings to expand one's knowledge and establish oneself as a fitness personal trainer. It is worth looking for courses led by professionals who have extensive knowledge in areas such as fitness, Pilates, step, TRX, or kettlebells.

As previously mentioned, theoretically one can work without a course, but practically, if you aspire to become a personal fitness coach in a fitness club or gym, it is unlikely that your candidacy will be considered without the proper qualifications. A personal coach is not a dietitian or a physical therapist, but it is beneficial to have a basic understanding in these areas as well. This will enable a safer training, answering simple questions, or simply allowing people to identify the problem and send the person to a more specialized one. Even upon completion of the course, one does not automatically become an outstanding trainer. It is always worthwhile to observe the best, gain experience, and experiment with different solutions. A good coach should be for his client: - a psychologist, figuratively, able to motivate his client, talk to him, and adapt to his character; - a companion, figuratively, but it is important that the client trusts him; - a motivation, able to motivate the client, but without overwhelming him; - an empathetic, open, talkative, charismatic, and smiling person; - a coach, who will supervise his technique and the entire training program. Why is coaching at the end? First, most potential trainers or those who already work as trainers have more knowledge about training than the potential client, and in order to maintain a proper trainer-client relationship, all the above skills are much more important. Skills closely related to training are verified by the results of cooperation, but it is obvious that a coach should know the correct movement patterns, take care of the client's health, and control the correctness of the performance of exercises.

The visual representation of a personal trainer is a contentious topic, as there are coaches in the world who appear as if they have never visited a gym. However, they possess extensive knowledge both theoretically and practically. From the perspective of a schematic client who is likely seeking such collaboration, let's examine the personal training market. Initially, the trainer must deliberate on whether they wish to collaborate with an individual possessing a sporty, athletic physique or someone who appears in need of personal training themselves. The response seems evident. Visual representation serves as your calling card, impacting your market position. Yet, people associate appearance with knowledge, thinking that if someone looks a certain way, they undoubtedly know how to help others achieve a similar look. Unfortunately, we cannot alter the thought process of potential clients, and visual representation remains the primary factor causing people seeking assistance to approach us instead of our colleagues. Additionally, maintaining grooming, attire, and hands is equally significant. It may seem amusing, but potential clients pay attention to professional appearance, whether you take care of yourself, for if you cannot care for yourself, how can you care for another?

What I mentioned earlier is crucial. Possessing skills of inspiration and supportive collaboration is essential. Our ward should believe that together with us they can achieve their goal, that there are no obstacles, and that with our help they will realize their ambitions. Our ward should willingly come to training, thinking that the goal is achievable. And it is precisely in these difficult moments that we must provide support, inspiration, and be someone who convinces the ward that they must do it, that they can accomplish it. Lack of motivation is often the reason why the client gives up training and stops exercising. The results are often not motivating enough, we must bring out the motivation from each person individually, using psychological abilities and those that support interaction with another person. Make sure that your ward, after completing the current training, cannot wait for the next training and the results associated with it. Adjust the plan so that you don't have to drag anyone to training, and if a less intense day comes, you must be able to properly motivate such a person.

Working as an individual coach requires a flexible daily timetable that caters to the needs of the client. Our client will be able to train with us most often before work, school, or after work, after school. When our hours and days match, it's easy to arrange further training sessions. However, the situation can become complicated when a person we work with tries to schedule a training session at a time when we are not available. In such cases, we need to explain why we are not available at that time and propose another time, arguing why it would be better for our needs. We need to be flexible, available to our clients, but also respect the schedule and time of both parties.

Now that we know what a trainer should be like and what kind of characteristics he should have, it's time to talk about the most frequently committed errors by coaches. The lack of continuous contact – This is a problem with coaches who take care of more people than they can handle. As a result, contact occurs once every few days or once a week. Let's remember that the relationship between the trainer and the trainee should be continuous. I'm not talking about constant contact, but the trainer should be an educator, clear up doubts, and lead trainees, not just take money. – Using the phone during personal training – This is the biggest mistake one can make. If the phone is not used as a stopwatch, it should not be used. The trainer should focus all his attention on the trainee, not on text messages, Facebook, or other websites. For me, this behavior is unacceptable. If I go out for training with a trainee, I leave my phone in my pocket or in the locker room. – Talking to friends during personal training – This applies to both parties. The trainer should call the trainee to order if they engage in a conversation with friends during a break between exercises, similarly – the trainer should not engage in long conversations with friends during personal training, it should be limited to greeting.