What Fitness Trainers and Instructors Do

Fitness trainers and instructors lead, instruct, and motivate individuals or groups in exercise activities, including cardiovascular exercises (exercises for the heart and blood circulation), strength training, and stretching. They work with people of all ages and skill levels.

Duties

Fitness trainers and instructors typically do the following:

• Demonstrate how to perform various exercises and routines
• Watch clients do exercises
• Demonstrate or explain correct exercise techniques to minimize injuries and improve fitness
• Provide alternative exercises during workouts or classes for different levels of fitness and skill
• Monitor clients’ progress and adapt programs as needed
• Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations on sports, recreational activities, and the use of exercise equipment
• Give clients information or resources about nutrition, weight control, and lifestyle issues
• Give emergency first aid if needed

Both group fitness instructors and specialized fitness instructors plan or choreograph their own classes. Classes may include cardiovascular exercises, such as aerobics or dance; strength training, such as lifting weights; or both. Instructors choose music that is appropriate for their exercise class and create a routine or a set of moves for participants to follow. Some may teach prechoreographed routines that were originally created by fitness companies or other organizations.

Personal fitness trainers design and carry out workout routines specific to the needs of their clients. They may work with individual clients or teach group classes. In larger facilities, personal trainers often sell their training sessions to gym members. They start by evaluating their clients’ current fitness level, personal goals, and skills. Then, they develop personalized training programs for their clients to follow, and they monitor the clients’ progress.

Fitness trainers and instructors in smaller facilities often do a variety of tasks in addition to their fitness duties, such as tending the front desk, signing up new members, giving tours of the facility, or supervising the weight-training and cardiovascular equipment areas. Fitness trainers and instructors also may promote their facilities and instruction by various means, such as through social media, by writing newsletters or blog articles, or by creating posters and flyers.

Gyms and other types of health clubs offer many different activities for clients. However, trainers and instructors frequently specialize in only a few areas. The following are examples of types of fitness trainers and instructors:

Personal fitness trainers work with an individual client or a small group. They may train in a gym or in the clients’ homes. Personal fitness trainers assess the clients’ level of physical fitness and help them set and reach their fitness goals.

Group fitness instructors organize and lead group exercise classes, which can include aerobic exercises, stretching, or muscle conditioning. Some classes are set to music. In these classes, instructors may select the music and choreograph an exercise sequence.

Specialized fitness instructors teach popular conditioning methods, such as Pilates or yoga. In these classes, instructors show the different moves and positions of the particular method. They also watch students and correct those who are doing the exercises improperly.

Fitness directors oversee the fitness-related aspects of a gym or other type of health club. They often handle administrative duties, such as scheduling personal training sessions for clients and creating workout incentive programs. They may select and order fitness equipment for their facility.

Good Instructors Are Born... Great Instructors Evolve!

Whether you are a seasoned instructor or someone just starting out, developing the techniques necessary to be a great instructor are learned not inherited.

Whether you are a seasoned instructor or someone just starting out, developing the techniques necessary to be a great instructor are learned not inherited.

Teaching fitness can be hard; remembering to cue at the right time, staying on the beat and all the while instructing the participants on what to do. These skills are things that will develop. Over time, however they only make up a small percentage of a successful class.

Along with proper cueing and musicology skills, a great instructor will also understand and exude their personality, creating motivation and assertiveness in every class.

Personality Types 

Your personality will reflect the type of instructor you will become.

If you are a planner, then you will need to get into the habit of writing out your choreography and preparing for your classes.

If you are someone who does everything on a whim with little preparation, then you will thrive in teaching on a last minutes notice, or creating last minute routines.

For the authoritative type, you will work best in classes such as muscle conditioning and Boot Camp, where you can have full control of the situation.

Once you have figured out your personality type you will create a better understanding of how you can develop your teaching style.

Personality Types

Psychologists divide humanity into 16 distinct personality types. Everything from the Practical and Organized to the Quiet and Reflective. Many companies insist on a personality test for new employees in order to know how best to organize a work place.

Each instructor is individual in their teaching style; however there are some commonalities among all.

-> Cueing

Your ability to cue your moves without losing momentum will help create a flow in the class and will allow your participants to relax and enjoy the journey.

-> Musicology

In order to be effective in teaching choreography, you must have a sound knowledge of music. Take time to learn the beats and phrases in the music you are using. A good instructor will know their musicology; a great instructor will know how to use their music.

Motivation 

Motivational techniques make up a huge part of your class, especially for classes such as indoor cycling. A good instructor will create rapport with the group and make sure they are having fun, while a great instructor will create the rapport, have fun and then make sure the participants return next time by engaging them with great experience.

Here are some different motivational techniques that will help you engage your participants:

-> Know Their Names

When you know your participants by name it will open the door for further communication. Knowing their names will help instill trust and will enable you to utilize their skills in order to help others.

-> Tone & Pitch

No more monotones please! Motivation does not just come through the words that you speak. It also comes through the way you speak.

Using different pitches and tones in your voice (at appropriate times) will help create further motivation in your group.

-> Boot Camp Style

Who is not motivated to work hard when you have an instructor in your face telling you to keep going? What a great way to motivate people.

Be careful though - you must know your participants and only use this approach with those you know will respond well.

-> Quotes & Sayings

We are all inspired by quotes and sayings, some even get goose bumps. So why not use some of your favorite quotes or sayings in your next class? For cycling instructors, this is a powerful way to keep the motivation level high.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. "

Assertiveness 

Lastly, as instructors, we need to be assertive. Can you imagine attending a class and the instructor is unable to keep control? It would be chaos!

Although assertiveness is common among instructors, it is something everyone can improve on. In order to engage your participants, you need to keep control throughout the entire class. This begins with the moment you introduce yourself until the moment you say goodbye.

Assertiveness is crucial to the success of your class. With it you can control the following things (things that participants may do that will change the experience)

-> Is This Step Or Muscle Conditioning?

When a participant decides that they want to do some weights right in the middle of your choreography session.

• Solution - Have the rest of the group do an interval to keep them moving while you approach the disobeying member and kindly ask them to rejoin the group and educate them that there will be an MSE segment at the end of the class.

Conclusion 

Teaching fitness is a skill that many people can learn, but becoming a great instructor takes time, energy and passion. Through practice and preparation you can develop your skills and become the best you can be.

Training Psychology: Motivation & The Old Saying, 'No Pain, No Gain'.

Motivation to train is a funny thing, it's either stimulated internally or externally. In this article I will talk about types of clients and the myth of ‘No Pain, No Gain’.

1. Motivation

Motivation to train is a funny thing, it's either stimulated internally or externally. And what I mean by this is I could divide by examples the two types of training.

-> Group One:

One group is the type of person that needs no reminder, I can tell them anytime day or night and they will show up, and they listen to what I say and perform how I tell them. These are clients that are internally motivated and don't need so much of the external coxing to accomplish their goals.

They can visualize what they want to achieve and they go for it. Their training time is maximized by the mere accomplishment of showing up because it's their intent to give one hundred percent of their time with me.

They are on time, they pay without being reminded, they make their training time a priority and absorb every word of information provided to them. This group is an individual who is most likely to achieve their potential in what ever they embark on.

-> Group Two:

The second group is the client who needs a great deal of external motivation. They require loads of verbal support, constant reassurance, and frequently cancel their time or are within a time frame of over fifteen minutes late, they present poor form with frequent complaints.

They tend to have every reason in the world for not obtaining success with their goals, and will quite likely blame the trainer for their failures.

-> Training Trends:

Okay with all that said, training seems to run in trends - If you are new to the gym or a training program you may be full of enthusiasm but also have some fear based hesitancies by simply not knowing what to expect. Or you can have been training for a long time and simply have overtrained to the point where you have lost the joy in your training.

The job of any good trainer to not only know whether your client is type one or type two, but also if there are underlying reasons why they could be a mixture. I find that clients for the most part do want to get into shape but some have the misconception that its going to be an easy journey... and there is no quick fix!

Training is hard, and needs to be consistent. But that's not to say it needs to be day in and day out the same old thing. There are many ways to do the same exercise, body part or training routine to accomplish client goals.

Listen to what people tell you when they start a program. If they have negative language like "I can't" "I never" "I won't ever" try and correct and reinforce positive training time.

Whether you like it or not each client will develop a bond with you and it's your job as a good trainer to aid in filling the needs of the clients. This includes rewarding with positive language when the job is well done. And by educating them on what they can and can't achieve, being honest, and teaching them to the best of your ability what works for their body.

2. The Old Saying, "No Pain, No Gain," And What It Means

I find it surprising even in this day and age of technology and development that people still buy into this saying. I like to use the analogy of the body as a fine tuned automobile, you keep it maintained, you put good fuel in and you get good performance from it... with this I mean our bodies are these amazing machines that before we consciously realize it sometimes its telling us things, sending us a message.

For one thing if you feed your body or back to the car and put poor fuel in, you get poor performance, or with food you get bad results, increase in body fat, no substantial muscular gain, feelings of being tired and weak.

Now with the topic of pain: if your body sends you the message telling you it's in pain... LISTEN, you are doing damage to it. It's a red flag that injury is about to or already has occurred. A good example would be during the bench press. Commonly people are confused by muscular discomfort vs. tendon tears - they allow the movement to go down way too deep, shoulders out wide with a wider grip which puts the focus directly onto the tendons and not the actual muscle.

Causing and increase in injury risk and reduced benefit of muscular contraction and development. Now does this mean you should not push yourself, or that training should be discomfort free? NO! Absolutely NOT! It means that learning to listen to your body's cues is an important way to avoid injury that will take you out of training for a short time or perhaps even permanently.

I think listening to that saying is what made people go to the gym, lift through injury, train way too many times a week and lift way too heavy. They sacrifice form and ultimately sacrifice the proper development of that muscle.

LISTEN to what your body is telling you, if you are too tired to train one day, take off come back in fresh the next day. If you have pain and not just muscular discomfort, stop that exercise and give that area the rest and attention it needs.

Personal Trainers Do Make A Difference - Why Use Them?

The idea of why a trainer may be useful for your particular fitness program may hinder on cost, scheduling times, location, or other factors. Here are some basic points that you should know. They include: Safety, Motivation, and more. Learn more!

At some point 70% of all Americans begin an exercise program. In less than 3 months 80% of those individuals will quit. More importantly, 80% of all gym memberships are never used. Interestingly, 85% of all individuals who have a personal trainer maintain their gym schedule. It may be a difficult decision for you, or it may be a very simple one to use a personal trainer.

The idea of why a trainer may be useful for your particular fitness program may hinder on cost, scheduling times, location, or other factors. Using a personal trainer can be very simple or very complicated, but there are some basic points that you should know. This will enable you to decide what trainer is best for you.

-> Safety:

Personal trainers are individuals who have undergone certification and testing to prescribe exercise and in some cases dietary regimens. Exercising in the gym can be very intimidating.

There are hundreds of machines, thousands of buttons, and millions of ways to hurt yourself. Getting on the right exercise program will help you to improve your quality of life and in some cases, extend your life expectancy.

Getting on the wrong exercise program is likely to result in injury. In this year very few people will die from exercise. The younger you are the less likely you are to die the older athlete; however, younger athletes are more likely to get injured.

If you plan on beginning any exercise program, it is wise and recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association, to receive a cardiac stress test. This is true for any age. Most people do not take this step, due to cost, time, or other factors.

My job is to tell you the best way and that includes a short visit with the cardiologists. Here or if you quick questions for the personal trainer regarding safety.

• Are used certified in CPR?
• Do you work with physicians?
• Who do you have your personal trainer's certification from?
• Are you insured?
• How long heavy been a personal trainer?
• What personal experience do you have with exercise?

That list might not be all inclusive, but it is a car in good place to start.

-> Motivation:

This is the primary key for what to look for in a personal trainer. Whomever you choose as a personal trainer has to motivate you. It needs to be someone that for whatever reason makes you want to go to the gym and do your best. If this person can motivate you to change her life outside of the gym, all the better.

You may choose to find someone who has accomplished what you hope to in the future. It may be someone who has worn a major competition, lost 200 pounds of body weight, recovered from a serious illness, or some other factor that aligns them with your wishes and desires.

The best type of training partner is the type of person that encourages you to perform at a level of 110%. This person may be soft-spoken, or bark at you like a drill sergeant. Your particular personality will determine what type of individual is best for you.

Motivation is closely associated with guidance and the individual who can properly motivate you, will also show you several ways for you to accomplish any particular task.

-> Organization:

Another great quality to look for in a personal trainer relies heavily on that person's ability to run things smoothly. Great personal trainers have an ability to establish a plan and in most cases, give you insight about that plan. They will establish goals and make them obtainable for you.

Various rewards are offered to you in relationship to your level of achievement. A poor excuse for a trainer involved someone who is always late or obviously disheveled about what to do next.

I would clearly explain the requirements of each individual athlete prior to beginning any exercise program. Successful exercise programs are well organized. Coaches will plan out a track or football season beginning 6 months ahead of time. Personal trainers have to have short-term and long-term goals and should include your hopes and desires into the fitness equation.

-> Intensity:

Depending on your particular fitness goals and obviously your general physical condition, your trainer will pick an exercise intensity that is appropriate for you. Any good personal trainer can read a client's response and appropriately adapt the exercise. Excessive stress, whether physical or mental, will result in substandard success and can also lead to injury.

Another common problem is associated with someone who wants to train at an intense level, but is placed with other clients whose basic goal is to lose an inch on their waist.

-> Knowledge:

With the vast amount of information that we are required to absorb every year, millions of people have decided to use a personal trainer to provide expert guidance to achieve there own fitness goals.

Great personal trainers read quality information and stay up-to-date on the latest scientific trends in exercise. Closely associated with the literature is the trainer's direct association with experience. The best personal trainers are the ones that live the lifestyle. They are individuals who are nationally known for their particular level of fitness.

Conclusion

Anymore, trainers come a dime a dozen and finding the one that will best suit your needs may take a little bit of time. Eventually, when you find the right person, it fits like a glove. Those individuals will be very powerful and shaping your life for the better.

Hopefully, they will have such an impact on you that they will make you quit bad habits and replace them with healthier ones. Don't be afraid to ask a few questions, look up some names and try different trainers, even if the first two didn't work out.

The best piece of advice that I can give you is related to the Nike commercial: "JUST DO IT!" Stopped feeling sorry for yourself, get off of the couch, spend some money on yourself for something useful (your life and your health) and don't be afraid.

Everybody has to start somewhere and it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. In my world is very simple, at 6 a.m. in the morning you either walk through the doors of the gym or you don't. There are no winters or losers, there are only choosers to get up and be part of the breakfast club.

How To Succeed As A Trainer In A Recession!

Every trainer should be excited to train at this time in the world, and fishing for clients right now is easier than ever... Here are ideas to mix up your training protocol and get old and new clients motivated. Try them out now!

Motivation is the key that separates the good trainers from the bad trainers. Think about it, when someone comes to see you as a trainer, they usually need two primary things;

• They need motivation to get off their butts, and come to a gym and train on a regular basis.
• They need your direction and knowledge to make getting fit safe and effective. What a great job, because you are truly saving lives and changing the world. You have to think outside of the box in a recession to attract and keep clients.

Do You Make An Impact?

Step back, take a look at yourself, do you make an impact on your client's lives in a positive manner? Do you motivate them everyday? Do you ooze so much passion and positive energy that your clients just swell with it at work and home and force others to call you to get more? That is what people need and want.

Do You Make An Impact On Your Client's Lives?

Maybe you need to get more focused. Get your own act together and become a little more passionate and compulsive about fitness. Keep balance with your family and faith and show others how to work and succeed at everyday life.

Are you making others smile and laugh? Are you making them look at the tough questions about their life choices and then taking a step in the right direction to make a difference?

Training professional athletes is often a strange brew of characters. Some are just waiting to be educated and lead, but most are only willing to follow if you prove that you have the knowledge and the ability.

It is easy to play follow the leader, they watch and then do, but many of your clients are not at that level, so be positive and supportive and make a difference in their lives, but then put it back on them, since they are making all the right choices to succeed. That way if they do fail, it is because of their choices and behavior, not your program and lack of leadership.

Every trainer should be excited to train people at this time in the world. The world is out of control with weight problems and fishing for clients right now is easier than ever before.

Different Flavors Of Motivation

Motivation comes in many flavors and different folks respond in different ways. Different people need various forms of motivation and figuring out who, what, when, where, how and why is the art form of being the best trainer for any particular client. Diversity in training is the key for most clients.

We all get bored with the same day-to-day routines in our lives. So mix it up. The following are ideas of how to mix up your training protocol. It is only a suggestion and a guideline for making a change.

-> Training Outside:

Getting your clients to step outside is a great way to mix up the training. Don't be intimidated by the idea of doing things outside of the gym, it can offer a terrific change of pace and will likely mark you as a special trainer in a sea of boring rep jockeys. A change of location is exactly what most folks need to spark a romance, job, or their own training.

Mark off areas in your parking lot and if it is busy, then find a field, park, or other large area to make a paracourse. Have some simple objectives and remember that having clients work in teams against each other instantly raises the bar of motivation.

Make a small area that involves some simple objectives like twenty jumping jacks, then have the client run/jog/walk for 2 minutes or some set distance, then immediately have them carry a spare tire out of your trunk or some other object, like a medicine ball.

They should have to move quickly around objects and parked cars are not a good idea, since they can move without warning. Stage the exercise so it becomes a competition against the clock or other competitors.

-> Surprise Gifts:

Offer new items that are fun and interesting, like pushing a car as a group, or pulling a car over a set distance. Have some logical surprise gift for the winner, like free training for a week. Let them know that the event is in a series of days and this will provide lots of motivation for them not to miss during the week.

In this tough economy you need to make training a lot more interesting and think outside of the box.

-> Capture The Flag:

You would be surprised how much fun it is to play a simple game of capture the flag using squirt guns. Place six flags of each teams color and have about four players running from area to area. If they get squirted they have immediately sit down to perform 30 sit ups before they can move again. The option of the game is to have fun and this is a great thing to do with other trainers.

-> Cold Weather Fun:

Imagine the problems with cold weather and the difficulty in getting clients to show up. A simple remedy is to offer a special prize for clients who don't miss.

During a snow fall have clients work as fast as they can by rolling up snow to make a snowman in only a few minutes. Put on a gym t-shirt and you will see the amount of publicity you get from the local traffic. Make up some targets and have clients see who can make up the most snowballs and knock down all the targets.