Want to know the qualities of a good personal trainer? Maybe you’re thinking about pursuing it as a career and trying to work out if it’d suit your personality. Or perhaps you want to know what potential employers are looking for when they hire PTs.
In this article – we look at the skills and qualities that make someone an awesome personal trainer, based on industry research and employer preferences.
What are the Qualities of a Good Personal Trainer?
Knowing which qualities are important for a PT can help you to decide if the career is right for you. They can also help you develop professionally or even land your dream job.
So, we analysed personal trainer job descriptions from the leading club operators globally to assess the characteristics that they look for.
We reviewed job adverts from Equinox, Anytime Fitness, Gold’s Gym, YMCA, and Fitness First. As it turns out, there are several requirements that health clubs consistently look for in their PTs.
Some were obvious, but others were quite surprising… So if you’re considering PT as a career or looking to improve your CV, here’s what you need to know…
Top 10 Personal Trainer Qualities
Interested in the traits and characteristics that are needed to be a really good personal trainer? Here’s what the research says…
- Educator
- Motivator
- Goal-focused
- Program designer
- Authentic
- Knowledgeable
- Process follower
- Customer service oriented
- Passionate
- Committed
Now let’s look at each of these in more detail…
#1. Educator
Educating and guiding clients is at the core of a PT’s role. As well as being knowledgeable, you need to be able to communicate that knowledge in a way that’ll resonate with clients. This might be on complex topics like anatomy, training progression, and changing lifestyle habits.
#2. Motivator
Clients want a personal trainer to provide the motivation that they often lack and hold them accountable whilst working towards their fitness goals.
#3. Goal Focused
Health clubs are businesses, so they need PTs who can help them generate additional sales revenue (as well as help people).
You might also like… 35 Genius Ways To Make Money As A Fitness Professional.
#4. Program Designer
Fitness program design, that’s tailored to the client’s specific needs, is what makes training truly personal.
#5. Authentic
Walk the talk by maintaining your own personal health and fitness, so that you’re seen as a role model to others.
#6. Knowledgeable
This one’s a no-brainer, but it wouldn’t be a complete list without it! Knowledge in areas like functional exercise, nutrition, and behaviour change is especially valued.
#7. Process Follower
Willingness to completing paperwork (like appointment schedules, workout cards, timesheets etc.) is something that employers especially appreciate. Boring as admin may be, no-one wants to manage someone who needs nagging into doing it.
#8. Customer Service Orientated
Above and beyond a desire to help people reach their health goals, you need to be focused on delivering an exceptional holistic experience for clients.
#9. Passionate
For all things health and wellness related, with interests and hobbies outside of your job that reflect it.
#10. Committed
Personal training has a HUGE staff turnover. So demonstrating that you’re committed for the long term is something that’ll make you more attractive to potential employers.
Turning Knowledge Into Action
These were the most common qualities of a good personal trainer that top employers were looking for. So if you’re applying for jobs, then be sure to mention the ones that apply to you in your application and demonstrate them at the interview.
Check out our free personal trainer resume template.
If you already have a job, ask yourself how you can adopt these characteristics more consistently and become an even better PT. But this isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list of qualities of a good personal trainer – different clients will require different approaches. These are really just a starting point to give you a better idea of the key qualities that are needed.
Personal Trainer Business Resources
Our ready-made templates make it quicker, cheaper, and easier to promote your fitness business. They can improve the effectiveness of your sales and marketing campaigns. If you aren’t an experienced marketer, then templates also provide a useful guide for you to follow.
Whether you run a gym club, fitness studio, or personal training business, these templates will save you time and effort. They’ll help you to plan and organize your promotional activities so that you generate more revenue. You’ll get 40+ templates covering sales, marketing, and business start-up resources.
