"How to Earn Your Personal Fitness Trainer Certification"

Making the decision to become a certified personal fitness trainer and then actual doing it are two different things.

Because the steps to success in this arena arena are more time-consuming and confusing than many people may think, we have provided this "checklist" of the steps that you'll have to take to ensure your success.

Personal Trainer Requirements

Step #1 is to make sure you have a complete understanding of the requirements to be a personal trainer.

The job itself is more than just counting reps and choosing exercises.

You will (without a doubt) have to learn about communication, fitness program design, networking, and personal trainer sales among other things. You may be asked to clean equipment, perform complimentary sessions, work some long hours (initially), and teach group exercise classes.

The important thing to note is that it is not all fun and games and clients do not just fall into your lap. Just like any other profession, to be succesful there is going to be some sweat equity.

Your Personal Fitness Trainer Certification

Many health professionals hold a degree in either exercise physiology, health sciences, physical education, or other closely related fields. In most locations, this is not a necessity.

It is true that my degree in Physical Education / Exercise Science does help with my ability to communicate information to my clients in person and in my writing. However, with the research that has been done in the years since completing my degree program, much progress has been made and philosophies will continue to change.

More important than my degree is the need to stay current with my personal trainer certification. Each certifying organization requires a specific number of continuing education units (CEUs) over a pre-determined period of time in order to obtain recertification.

A selection of workshops, seminars, online quizzes, and other options are available for your continued education.

See our personal trainer certification comparisons for information on selecting yours.

Your Resume and The Personal Fitness Trainer Interview

As with any profession, having a professionally-prepared personal trainer resume is a key element to getting your foot in the door at your chosen place of employment.

With your qualifications, experience, education, and your ambitions all in an easy to read format, you will be a step ahead of any competition for a number of personal training jobs.

Once the fitness director or human resources representative has reviewed your resume, you should be expecting a phone call.

Having been a conductor of the personal trainer interview myself, I can say for certain that it is a unique experience.

Your initial interview may be a traditional face-to-face where you verbally communicate the qualities that make you the person for the job.

A second interview is where you may have to physically present the qualities and actions of a fitness professional in a mock health club orientation.

This generally consists of a "meet and greet" with your subject, an information gathering portion having to do with fitness and medical background data, a blood pressure analysis, then a fitness floor portion where you coach your "client" through a series of exercises.

If you have never been in this type of situation before, it can be the most nerve-wracking part of the interview process.

In most cases, we are not trying to scare you away from the job, but are testing where upon the spectrum you fall in your ability to communicate your fitness knowledge to a client and apply that knowledge in an exercise setting.

Marketing Your Business

Whether you work in a health club, a private fitness studio, or as an independent personal trainer, if no one knows about your services as a personal fitness trainer, then your business and your fitness career will not last for long.

As much studying as you did for your personal training certification, so should you prepare for marketing your fitness business. It is the only way to put yourself ahead of your competition.

If you do not have a sales/marketing background, it will be important to learn from fitness experts in those areas about what has worked for them and more importantly, for personal trainers they have coached.

See the fitness marketing product that we at My Personal Trainer School use.

Perfecting Your Fitness Sales Presentation

As you begin to realize the success of your marketing efforts and more potential clients are knocking on your door, you will have to be sure that you can "close the deal" with those opportunities.

Just as you communicate your fitness knowledge to your client, having that same confidence in your personal trainer sales presentation will ensure that people say "yes" when it comes to committing to training with you.

Learn more about our Personal Trainer Sales Course and how to increase your sales efficiency.

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