Start by working out who you are and where you are at:
A phrase that has been said a lot lately is that you need to “find your niche” in order to create the market you want within the fitness industry. In order to separate yourself from the competitive market that exists, you need to be a specialist in your craft. I’d love to know how a new graduate with zero industry experience is suddenly going to become the go to authority in any given area, let alone one they have just decided suits them. You don’t see an accountant becoming Chartered without 2 years experience and a further few years of study. A GP cannot become an orthopedic surgeon just because they decided to specialise one day. Things take years of dedication and sacrifice to achieve in every industry, and health and fitness is no different. If anything, it’s probably more difficult in some ways as there is no direct path to take in order to be well known in your chosen area. This post aims to generate some critical thinking as to how you as a trainer should be approaching your new career.
Get the basics right first!
My first piece of advice would be to get as much understanding of the basics as possible. Firstly, where are you working and who are your current clientele? Why are these people coming to you compared to the other trainers within the gym? Are you female and attracting more female clients compared to the men you work alongside? Are you young and athletic and attracting more people closer to your own age? Are you older and reaching out to people more-so for this reason? You need to understand what your strengths are simply due to your situation, and then get very good at the basic criteria for servicing this market. That itself is a niche without even trying. Like I said though, a niche is not what you should be aspiring towards, but it is definitely something you should capitalise on if it falls in your lap.
What do I mean by the basics though?
Well, building rapport, appropriate assessments, appropriate programs, progressions, regressions, injury management, working with others, marketing. The list could go on for a mile and we wouldn’t have even explained what each subsection entails, but you can see where I am going with this. If you are aiming to be a specialist in any area, you need to do a need’s analysis of this chosen area and ensure you are meeting these criteria to the best of your ability. This rule applies for all areas though, if you want to be offering the bare minimum for clients.
You cannot jump into the ocean if you have not first learned how to swim:
If you don’t understand the minimum requirements of your job then I find it hard to believe that you will become a specialist in your area immediately. I am not trying to discourage or have a stab at you here; I am trying to keep you on your toes for what should be going through your head with every client you interact with. Every individual has a reason and a goal for exercising in the first place. As a trainer, you have a duty to ensure that people are able to enjoy their experience and get as much out of it as possible. I have put together a simple check list for you to make sure you are equipped to handle the busy client loads that might come your way.
My 10 point checklist for a good service:
1) Needs analysis – In the clients opinion, why are they here and what help do they need from you.
2) Goal setting – What are they looking to achieve and by when, what is realistic with the time they are offering you as their trainer.
3) Movement screen – FMS or similar in order to gain an understanding of what is the biggest priority with this client and to guide your exercise selections.
4) Basic strength testing – Only do if the client is not presenting with major injury and you think they are capable. You may need to adapt your tests so have a good battery.
5) Anthropometrics – Height, weight, girth measures, skin-folds and any other objective measures you and the client can agree upon. Skin-fold’s are not everybody’s cup of tea so ask first.
6) Training schedule – How many times per week is this person willing to work with you, are there small group options, are they going to use the gym in their own time. What do you have to work with so you can write your programs accordingly?
7) What is the client’s training age and how experienced are they with free weights – Just because somebody has used a gym in the past does not mean they know how to hold a dumbbell or barbell, let alone some of the fancy exercises you may want to prescribe. Understand your progressions.
8) Follow basic strength training principles initially – Regardless of what somebody tells you, you need to see how well they move under load for yourself first.
9) Have an idea of progression – What is your long term goal with your exercise selection and are you following this process or are you changing everything every 5 weeks. Option 2 does not work.
10) Re-assessment – Every session with a client is an assessment opportunity however anthropometric measurements and goals will need to be re-assessed every 6-8 weeks if possible. You cannot force another assessment on anybody but it is a good idea to explain the importance of re-assessment and then find common ground on this topic.
Stay the course:
That is the minimum 10 steps required for each and every client. That is how you need to be thinking in order to get the most out of your clients and your delivery of service. It is going to be hard to initially specialise in any field if you have all of that to think about first, to build up your business. I definitely suggest following what your passion is, but ensure you are doing your service and your clients justice and getting those basic steps correct across the process. From there, you will be able to refine your skills as time goes on.