You have been working out in the gym regularly and have a good physique. You also have a passion to teach people how to keep fit and healthy. So you are considering to become a fitness personal trainer and to make it your career. Do you then have what it takes to succeed as personal trainer?

Although in most countries, personal trainers are not regulated by law and many people are practicing the trade with nothing else, except their personal experiences in working out or by reading some books. However, if you get yourself certified by a reputable certification body, you will be more credible to your clients or potential clients. So the first thing you need to do is to get your professional certification.

Once done, you may wish to take up a professional insurance coverage. Clients will have more peace of mind training with you because they know they are covered in case of any gym accidents. That will also means that you will have more clients who are comfortable to train with you.

Then join professional health and fitness institutions so that you can be informed of any updates and new discoveries in the industry. Most institutions provide ongoing lifelong education to their members by way of newsletters, publications, journals and some even conduct seminars and symposiums.

Because of your knowledge of the industry and new sciences, your education and professionalism will show up in the way you instruct your clients. They will see you as a very dedicated professional.

Always be on time and never cancel appoints unless absolutely necessary. Remember, you are being paid for your time and knowledge, not the other way round and your clients will be disappointed with you if you are always wasting their time and effort by being late or changing appointments frivolously. By doing so, your clients may not renew training packages with you or will not refer you to their friends.

You should be in tip top physical condition and possess an excellent physique at all times. Yes, I know this may sound obvious, but take a trip to any local gym and you will find personal trainers who are out of shape. They may be fantastic trainers, but before you can workout with them, you will not know that they are good, won’t you?

Furthermore, when you are not in good shape, your potential clients will have a visual and mental assessment of you and you may lose clients because of this. On the other hand, if you are in excellent physical condition, your clients will be impressed with you and may want to get a body like yours and that translated will mean many more successful clients for you. Remember, your body is your advertisement and this advertisement is so powerful and yet it is free, so why don’t you use it to its maximum potential?

On top of that, you can also use your body shape as a marketing tool on your promotional website. You can place a “before” and “after” picture of yourself there. Because the picture is your own and not anybody else’s, it will be much more credible since if you can transform your own body, you can then transform anybody’s for that matter.

There are many more things that you can do to succeed as a personal trainer such as sound marketing and techniques of getting referrals. These skills can be learnt from salesmanship and marketing courses.

Author Bio: Chris Chew is a sought after fitness consultant who counts models, actors and other celebrities as his clients. Read his free articles at Good fitness programs and Personal trainer courses

Category: Career
Keywords: personal trainer, succeed, how to be