Being a fitness instructor may come easier for most extroverts. At the end of the day, they thrive being around a lot of people for prolonged periods. Hence, gym environments are a natural fit for them.
Introverts, on the other hand, prefer spending some quiet time alone. They find it quite tiring, spending long periods around large groups of people. And if you are an introverted fitness enthusiast, you may be probably wondering whether you can succeed in the fitness industry – based on your reserved personality.
The truth is, you can also enjoy a successful career as a fitness instructor, even if you are an introvert. In this article, we will share some tips that can help you to succeed as an introverted personal trainer.
1. Start Small
If you are a certified group fitness coach, the thought of working with large groups may leave you feeling anxious and nervous. However, you can ease some of this anxiety by starting with one-on-one training sessions, before proceeding to group fitness training.
One-on-one training sessions will give you the opportunity to build your confidence. Also, they will help to ease some of your anxiety or nervousness and prepare you to handle large groups.
Once you’ve offered several one-on-one training sessions, you can then consider hosting a virtual fitness webinar. Thanks to its online format, you don’t have to feel nervous about standing before a large group of people.
From there, you can then proceed to offer in-person training sessions to larger groups of people, since you’ve already mastered how to overcome some of your fears and deal with new social situations.
2. Create Introvert-friendly Space in the Gym
Most gyms are always crowded. And that type of environment can make some introverted fitness instructors feel uncomfortable. If possible, you should consider scheduling your training sessions during off-peak times. During such periods, the gym floor is less crowded, quiet and organized.
In case scheduling a session during the non-conventional hours is impossible, you should instead create a secluded zone in the gym, where you can be running your sessions. Once you create that space, you will be dealing with lesser crowds and your sessions will face minimal interruptions.
After building a sizeable client base, you can then set up a small studio, from where you will be running your sessions. Setting up your small studio will give you a certain degree of flexibility as to how many clients you can train as well as when you can schedule your sessions.
3. Become an Expert and Raise Your Rates
The amount of time you spend training your clients is directly proportional to your earnings. Unfortunately, most introverts will struggle to put in prolonged hours of training. And this means their gross revenues will take a hit. To avoid this issue, you should work towards becoming an expert and raising your rates.
During your off days, you should take that time to enhance your practice. Ensure you immerse yourself in research to learn more about various topics in your niche. You should also consider pursuing more certifications, especially in various specializations.
For example, if you are a certified group fitness instructor, you can pursue additional certification as a nutritionist, working with special populations, sports science, and mind-body fitness, among others.
And once you become extremely good at what you do, you can then raise your rates and then reduce the amount of time spent training clients. As a result, you will have more time to spend with yourself while your revenues will not be affected.
4. Add Fun Activities to Your Sessions
One of the main reasons why most introverted fitness instructors may feel nervous about leading a training session is based on the feeling that all eyes are on them. Hence, you will need to find a means of diverting some of the attention from you.
And you can do so by incorporating fun activities into your training sessions. Incorporating fun activities into your training sessions will help to divert some of the attention from you.
Also, this training approach will help to spice up your fitness classes. Hence, your clients will always be looking forward to your sessions. Therefore, it’s a win-win for you and your clients. It will help to make your sessions vibrant and keep your classes full while diverting some of the attention from you.
5. Keep Yourself Energized
Most extroverts can comfortably sustain high energy levels for longer periods, compared to introverts. Therefore, if you are an introverted fitness instructor, you will need to find a means of keeping your energy levels high, to ensure you can continue providing the required level of training to your clients.
One of the most effective ways of doing this is by partnering with a co-trainer. Partnering with a co-trainer will not only help to prevent you from running out of steam early but it will be more fun for your audience.
You simply need to identify a co-trainer who can comfortably complement your training approach. For example, if you are more of a technical trainer, you can pair up with another trainer who can hype up the audience.
As you demonstrate the various workouts, your co-trainer will be using the breaks to keep the audience energized. By using this approach, you will not run out of steam early while your audience will enjoy a quality workout session, up to the end.
6. Master Your Workout Routines
Most introverts have this fear that every person in the room is judging. Hence, the idea of messing up a workout routine and earning the clients’ disapproval can be extremely horrifying. And, regardless of how many times you may remind yourself that your clients are there to pursue their fitness goals, you will still be your worst critic. And eventually, this anxiety can ruin your performance.
Hence, as an introverted fitness instructor, it’s extremely important to keep rehearsing the various workout routines that you will take your clients through – until they are second nature.
You’ve probably heard more than a thousand times that practice makes perfect. So, the more prepared you are, the more comfortable you will be with your various routines. Consequently, your anxiety will reduce.
7. Create Time to Recharge
Most introverted fitness instructors can manage to act out of character for a limited period. And during this period, you can transform into that energetic and charismatic fitness instructor.
However, to offer the best services to your clients and thrive as an introverted fitness instructor, you will need to be creating time when you can rest enough and recharge. And this means understanding your limits and creating time to rest at regular intervals, throughout your workday.
Trying to operate like an introvert without taking time to rest and recharge will eventually lead to burnout. And if this keeps happening regularly, you may eventually end up losing your clients.
So, avoid trying to push yourself too hard. And, if a particular day becomes extremely challenging, you should take the next day off to read a book, take a walk, do a solo workout or treat yourself to a quiet meal alone. All these me-time remedies will significantly enhance your ability to face your class the next day.
8. Scale Your Fitness Business
As mentioned above, working for long hours in the gym is almost impossible for introverted fitness instructors. Hence, you need to find ways of reducing the number of hours spent training clients while keeping your earnings high.
Besides raising your rates, you should also consider scaling your fitness business and adding other revenue streams. So, how can you achieve that? Well, you can offer additional services like selling workout guides or meal plans, and then selling them online.
While these digital products may consume some of your time to create, they will provide additional revenue streams. And once this side business picks up, you can then reduce the number of hours you spend training clients in the gym. With time, these extra revenue streams can even become your main source of income.
9. Build Your Confidence
As much as you may not enjoy socializing with strangers, getting into this habit will eventually help to raise your self-confidence. And with time, you will even find yourself comfortable working with large crowds, which may not have been the case earlier.
So, whenever you find an opportunity to socialize with strangers, don’t let it pass. Use it to start conversations. For example, you can ask the girl serving you lunch at the local eatery how her day has been. You can also ask the new gym member what he does for a living. The more conversations you start, the more confident you will become.
While it may feel tough or uncomfortable in the beginning, it’s important to get out of your comfort zone in your regular life. And this will eventually transfer to your training sessions.
Starting conversations with strangers will take some courage to start. It will also require some practice. But as you do it more, it will gradually become a natural part of you and it will build your confidence.
10. Wrapping It Up
Just because you are not outgoing doesn’t mean you cannot succeed as a fitness instructor. Therefore, if you are an introvert whose dream is to work as a fitness instructor, your personality shouldn’t hold you back. And with the tips we’ve shared in this article, you can establish a successful career as a fitness instructor.