How Easy is it to Become a Certified Personal Trainer?

Introduction

With an increasing rate of individuals desiring to live a healthier lifestyle, demand for personal trainers has risen significantly in recent years. Personal trainers, or PTs, help clients to achieve their personal fitness goals. In this article, we’ll discuss what a personal trainer does and the requirements of becoming one.

What qualifications can a personal trainer earn?

There are a number of potential qualifications that prospective personal trainers can earn. Some popular qualifications include:

• Level 2 diploma in health, exercise instruction and fitness.
• Level 2 certificate in fitness instructing.
• Level 2 diploma in fitness and instructing exercise.
• Level 3 diploma in fitness instructing and personal coaching.
• Level 3 diploma in personal training.
• A certification from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies.

Being a member of a professional organisation like The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) and National Register of Personal Trainers NRPT, can indicate your competence and help propel your career. In order to work as a personal trainer, one must have public liability insurance, a first aid award, and a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation certificate (CPR).

What does a personal trainer do?

• They set short-term and long-term fitness goals and plan programs for executing them.
• Give their clients advice on lifestyle changes, health, and nutrition.
• Help clients when working out.
• They coach and motivate clients to help them follow the set programs effectively.
• Observe and record the client’s progress by measuring their body fat levels and heart rate.

Study Active are experts in PT certification and can help an aspiring PT learn the above skills and more.

Where can a personal trainer work?

• Corporate fitness – You can work for companies offering wellness packages for their employees.
• Cruise ships – Cruise ships offer personal training for their guests onboard.
• Spas and resorts – Resorts and spas hire personal trainers to conduct exercise classes and fitness instructions.
• Local community centers – Local community centers have fitness clubs that hire personal trainers.
• Hospitals and wellness centers – Hospitals hire personal trainers to help patients recover from illnesses and certain conditions.
• Gyms – Commercial gyms often hire new gym instructors and personal trainers to match customer demand.

What does it take to be a personal trainer?

Although it may seem like an alluring career from the outside, personal training comes with its own demands:

The physical demands

A personal trainer is expected to be an example of health and fitness. This means you have to have your own workout schedule but also participate with the client to motivate them. Pushing yourself too far in a day with different clients will take its toll on your body if you aren’t monitoring your physical activities carefully.

The psychological demands

The biggest challenge for beginners is the sporadic client base. It takes years to build a loyal customer base and some people aren’t prepared to put in the hard work that comes with workouts. As a trainer, you will need to be psychologically fit to push such clients to achieve their goals.