A personal trainer is not the same as other health professionals, such as gym instructors or sports coaches. They will use similar skills and have similar knowledge, but they do not operate in the same way. For example, a gym instructor may teach fitness classes to a group of people.
They will show all clients the same exercise (although they may also offer options for people who may struggle with particular exercises due to fitness levels, disability, age, etc), but basically, they will show all people in the class the same form of exercise.
A personal trainer will work with a client on an individual basis, working out fitness and health plans for them alone.
A sports coach may help a team or individual to become their best to play a certain sport, such as football or running or volleyball, but their focus is the particular sport, as well as the person’s overall health and fitness.
A sports coach may want a team member to have an overall health and well-being level, but also be trained in certain areas. For example, a volley player may need to know how to jump high and explosively. A 100-metre runner needs to be able to start off explosively and run quickly for a short period. A long-distance runner needs to develop stamina to keep going for a long distance.
A personal trainer may also be a fitness trainer or sports coach or other health professional. But they can work with clients as well, personally and individually.
What types of people can benefit from having a personal trainer?
Anyone can benefit from having a personal trainer. We might use someone to mow our lawn or repair our car, so at times, a client’s health and fitness may also need a tune up.
This is where a professional may be needed. A personal trainer is not just for celebrities or people with lots of time and money to spare, it is for anyone who wants to improve their health and well-being. So personal trainers may work with people who want to:
- Lose weight
- Gain muscle
- Define their body in some way
- Improve their cardiovascular fitness
- Improve their health after an injury or illness
- Maintain their health more effectively due to a health condition
- Improve their health and wellbeing just because they realise that they need to
- Improve their health and wellbeing and know they will not do it on their own.
The personal trainer role is therefore a varied one, and an individualised approach is necessary. If you’d like a qualification to get your foot in the door and boost your reputation, then click here to find out more!