What exactly does a personal trainer do?

Personal trainers help others to achieve their fitness goals. It's an ideal career for anyone who is passionate about staying healthy and fit and also someone who has a goal in helping others reaching their fit journey.

A personal trainer creates one-on-one fitness programmes for their clients, motivating and guiding them to achieve their goals.

Clients may wish to lose weight or gain muscle, and a personal trainer teaches and help them to exercise properly using workouts and specific plans. They'll instruct and advise clients, using a range of fitness machines, classes or weights.

Similar roles include fitness instructor and gym instructor, but a personal trainer holds more fitness qualifications, meaning they're able to provide clients with tailored health and exercise advice. It's not uncommon for those new to the industry to train as a fitness or gym instructor first before qualifying as a personal trainer.

They'll work in a gym or a similar setting but can take sessions outdoors or to other venues.

Responsibilities

A typical day includes:

conducting fitness assessments to establish client fitness and skill level

holding one-on-one or group sessions with clients

providing advice to clients on health, nutrition and lifestyle changes

educating and advising clients to maintain or reach their fitness and health goals

keeping up to date with the latest personal training techniques and best practise

helping clients with their workouts

creating and maintaining positive, professional and trusting relationships with clients

providing innovative and challenging exercises to keep clients engaged and motivated

proactively seeking and providing feedback in a manner which suits each individual client

assisting with membership retention strategies for existing clients

accurately recording your clients' training sessions and tracking relevant paperwork

communicating with clients in a professional and courteous manner

acting as a positive role model for all clients

making the best of the environment in which clients are exercising

analysing information relating to individual clients

marketing your business to increase your client base

maintaining an online presence through your personal website, blog and social media.