Ebook addition 26:
### Personal Training:
When trying to program for yourself versus programming for others, the approach is entirely different. Just because you can gain muscle or lose fat doesn’t mean you can teach someone else to do the same. Real personal training incorporates multiple fields of science: kinesiology, biology, physics, and all the sciences related to body and object movement. However, what people often overlook are the human sciences: psychology, sales, accounting, advertising, business management, motivational speaking, social skills, professionalism, prioritizing, active listening, thinking on your feet, planning, and being ready to abandon the plan if necessary.
The most important trait for a personal trainer is the belief that they might be wrong. There is always more to learn, even for those who are well-studied. In my experience, some of the best personal trainers don’t have degrees, while those who boast about their doctorate may lack the necessary skills. A true personal trainer must live and breathe both science and social skills, and they must have a purpose. My purpose is solving puzzles.
Many altruistic trainers try to save the world, but this can lead to burnout. It can also come off as preachy. Trainers who focus on the science behind getting their clients to their goals—who enjoy the “why” and “what” of it—tend to be more successful and stay motivated. This perspective comes from my experience with a wide variety of personal trainers. The least successful motivator is money. Success comes from loving the process, much like how you train clients to enjoy the journey of fitness, not just the goal.
Personal training is as much an art as it is a science. It teaches humility, determination, confidence, failure, and success. It is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world, but only for those who are truly suited to the role. Not everyone will become a successful personal trainer, not because they will fail, but because they may burn out, change careers, or decide that the numerous responsibilities involved aren’t for them.
A personal trainer must wear many hats: friend, therapist, cheerleader, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, accountant, advertiser, bodybuilder, authority figure, listener, teacher, student, fanatic, web designer, biologist, applied physicist, kinesiologist, nutritionist, hormone specialist, special populations caregiver, corrective exercise guru, competitor, and more.
This path requires resilience. Failure is inevitable, but each failure presents an opportunity to learn. If you can’t handle setbacks, you may find yourself switching to sales in another field. Either way, this career changes you for the better.
It takes 10 years to become an expert personal trainer. After a decade in the field, you will know enough to understand that there is always more to learn. Science is a living, breathing organism that grows every day, making it impossible to master fully.
This path is for those who find the monotony of a desk job unbearable and crave increasingly challenging stimulation.
I’ve seen pre-certification students on social media asking, “Is this chapter on the test?” or “Can I skip this portion? It’s boring,” just trying to get their certification to land a job at a gym. These individuals should not be personal trainers. As a professional, you are asking a struggling human being to trust you as the ultimate source of knowledge in their fitness journey. They are asking for your help, and if you are negligent in your education because you simply want to make money, shame on you.
Personal training is a responsibility. Be an expert. Start by mastering one thing. Don’t try to train everyone. Focus on one niche, repeatedly. Even with 10 clients who have similar goals and body types, each one will be different. Human interaction and experience are things the textbooks can’t teach you.
Clients require psychological guidance as much as factual guidance, if not more. Without adherence, they will quit, and both trainer and client lose. Fitness psychology can’t be learned from a book; it comes from firsthand experience.
Don’t be a scrub. Be a pro.
