4 Skills Every Personal Trainer Should Have

Hi and welcome to this video on the four skills that every personal trainer should have for great client interaction. Skill one: Preparation for the initial potential client visit. When preparing for an initial client consultation, the personal trainer should have the following items prepared for discussion: Necessary documents for the client, expectations for the client, expectations of the personal trainer, accurate pricing for sessions, payment expectations (such as when payment is due and what forms of payment are accepted), and on what terms a client is expected to give notice prior missing a planned session.

For instance, the personal trainer should clearly discuss how soon notice must be given prior to a session being missed before the session fee is forfeited by the client. The trainer must also be prepared to give the client a tour of the fitness facilities and explain whether any equipment is necessary for purchase prior to meeting for the first training session. For example, proper exercise clothing and/or footwear. The client should clearly understand what will happen at the first session and when the paperwork is due, especially if medical clearance is necessary.

Skill two: Communication with clients. There are various ways of communicating with a client and the personal trainer must find out which form of communication is best for each client. Talking with the client over the phone is most beneficial if the client can be reached easily via telephone, although the personal trainer needs to understand the protocol of the fitness center for making such calls from his or her personal number.

Depending on the vinous facility, email and text reminders for appointments can be appropriate if done through a business email or contact number. The personal trainer needs to be careful about sending personal information regarding the client through these avenues, however. Additionally, keeping an updated newsletter or website can be a means of communicating mass information to several clients. However, some clients may not use these sources as a general rule.

Skill three: Pre-screening clients prior to initial exercise instruction. It is important to pre-screen clients to assess their medical risk. Once medical risk is assessed, appropriate goals and exercise sessions can be planned. Understanding the client’s medical risk factors also helps the personal trainer to know whether medical consent must be given in order to begin training. The most common forms for personal trainer use include the following: Health and medical history questionnaire, an informed consent, trainer-client contract, and policies/procedures.

This is a general health questionnaire that assesses common risk factors related to exercise and indicates whether medical clearance must be given. The informed consent ensures that the client understands the relative risks and discomforts associated with exercise sessions. The trainer-client contract is the agreed upon sessions and pricing signed by both the trainer and the client. The policies and procedures document is necessary to provide a positive experience for clients and to ensure their goals can be met.

Finally, skill four: The exercise assessment. The fitness assessment is simply a tool that can be used to gain information about a client’s past, present, and future. After determining a person’s health issues and fitness level, the certified personal trainer can help a client to shape his/her goals and continually progress through an integrated training program, as well as modify acute variables, important aspects of exercise training that can be changed to fit a particular client’s needs.

The fitness assessment is not intended to take the place of a medical exam or to diagnose medical conditions. A health and fitness professional should refer his or her clients to qualified healthcare providers whenever necessary. It must be noted that a certified personal trainer should not attempt to provide any of the following: Medical rehabilitation, exercises intending to serve as medical treatments, specific diets or nutritional supplements , treatments for chronic diseases or injuries, or personal counseling.

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