From creating workout programs to training clients, reaching out to prospective clients to marketing, scheduling to administration work, you have to wear different hats as a personal trainer.
And with all these tasks that you have to attend to, you may find it hard to create time for personal trainer professional development. But, personal trainer professional development is extremely important to your career, and you can’t afford to overlook it.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the importance of personal trainer professional development. We will also share some personal trainer professional development opportunities to enhance your career.
1. Importance of Personal Trainer Professional Career Development
Spending time on professional development may appear like something unnecessary or an inconvenience. But the reality is, personal trainer development is key to your success in this industry. Here are some important reasons why you should invest in professional development.
1.1 Maintain Your Certification
Most fitness centers will require you to be registered with a recognized registration body such as ACE, ACSM, NASM, and NSCA, among others. Also, the majority of clients will only hire you, if you have a certification from these bodies.
And to maintain your certification with these bodies, you will need to undertake continued professional development, where you will be earning points or credits. These points or credits are usually earned by completing various courses or attending workshops.
If you fail to attend these workshops or complete the required courses, your certification will expire, meaning you will no longer be able to offer personal training services, whether on a freelance basis or working in a gym.
Eventually, you will have to spend more of your money re-taking these certifications than you would have if you were to renew your certification via courses. Simply put, personal trainer professional development will not only help to keep your certification current but will also save you costs on re-certification.
1.2 Stay on Top of the Latest Research
The health and fitness industry is constantly changing. Some of the training or nutritional methods that may have been considered effective yesterday may be phased out tomorrow.
And as a fitness professional, you need to keep up with all these changes and findings, so that you can continue providing up-to-date recommendations and advice to your clients, to boost their success. And this is where career professional development comes in.
1.3 Enhance Your Skills and Grow Your Client Base
Career professional development will also help to boost your skills, knowledge and expertise. And, personal trainers who are more skilled and knowledgeable, tend to have a wider reach than those with a limited skill set.
For example, if started as a personal trainer and you, later on, become a certified nutritionist, you can work with clients who are looking to gain weight, build muscle, lose weight, and manage food allergies, just to name a few.
On the other hand, if you never bothered to become a certified nutritionist, you will be forced to refer some of these clients elsewhere if they needed specialist nutritional advice. Consequently, you will have lost out on an opportunity to boost your client base.
Therefore, by investing in personal trainer professional development, you will boost your personal trainer key skills, set yourself apart from the competition, and land more clients, leading to more earnings.
1.4 Enjoy Career Flexibility
As mentioned above, personal trainer professional development can help to boost your skills. And this means that you are no longer limited to working in a particular field or environment.
For example, if you only hold a basic personal trainer certification, you can either work in a gym or offer one-on-one personal training sessions. And as you can see, your options here are quite limited.
On the other hand, if you were to acquire another certification like strength and conditioning, your options will be almost endless. You can work with athletes, sports clubs, educational institutions, or even movie stars. And with so many options available, you will never feel bored or stuck.
2. Personal Trainer Professional Development Opportunities
There are numerous personal trainer professional development opportunities and platforms, which can help to boost your expertise and enhance your personal training career. They include:
2.1 Professional Development Courses
One of the methods you can use to grow your knowledge and skills as a personal trainer is by pursuing professional development courses. And, there are numerous professional development courses out there to choose from, depending on your area of interest. Some of the notable ones include:
- Nutrition
- Strength and conditioning
- Exercise for older adults
- Obesity control and weight management
- Sales and marketing
- Sports massage therapy
- Group fitness
- Exercise referral
- Prenatal and postnatal courses
2.2 Seminars
Seminars provide yet another professional development opportunity for personal trainers. During such events, professionals from relevant fields will be invited to teach the attendees various skills. Seminars last for one or two days, and you will get an opportunity to improve your skills whether you specialize in nutrition, sports massage, strength and condition, sports performance or any other fitness-related field.
You will also get an opportunity to field some questions that you may have. And this is great news for a personal trainer who wants to shift to a certain niche, but the information available may be limited to help them make an informed decision.
Besides expanding your skillset and providing you with valuable information, you may also earn continuing education credits or CECs during some seminars. And all the CECs that you accumulate will come in handy when it’s time to renew your personal training certification.
2.3 Webinars
If time, location or any other reason is making it hard for you to attend a seminar, then you will be happy to know there’s an alternative. And this comes in the form of a webinar, which you can follow from the comfort of your home or office.
Webinars operate almost like a seminar. They bring together experts and professionals in the fitness industry. And these experts will cover various topics and answer questions posed by the audience.
While the seminar may be virtual, the learning is almost similar to a seminar. The only thing that you will miss out on is the opportunity for face-to-face networking. On the other hand, webinars are not limited by location. Therefore, you can sign up for any webinar, regardless of where the host is based.
Also, webinars will be easier on your pocket, since you don’t have to make travel or accommodation arrangements. Besides, you can sign up for several webinars throughout the year, which is almost impossible with seminars.
2.4 Reading
Reading is another recommended personal trainer professional development opportunity. Compared to attending courses or completing courses, reading is more cost-effective.
And when it comes to reading, you have the option of choosing paper-backs or online books, depending on your preferred method of consumption. But, regardless of whether you prefer paperbacks or digital copies, your options are almost endless.
In case reading books is not your thing, you also have the option of listening to podcasts or watching educational videos from fitness experts. All these platforms will arm you with valuable and up-to-date information. Whether you choose to read a book, listen to a podcast or watch videos, you need to create time for it at least once per week.
2.5 Attending Fitness Classes
Attending fitness classes or sessions hosted by other fitness instructors provides a great means of learning new training methods and picking up on new trends, which you may have never heard about. Again, these sessions will help to improve your skills and expertise considerably.
Furthermore, you can also incorporate these skills or trends into your services, thus helping to set you apart from the competition while establishing you as the best fitness coach in town.
Different personal trainers approach training differently. Therefore, there will be plenty to learn by signing up for fitness classes hosted by other fitness coaches. While it may appear like an unusual personal trainer professional development method, it can be highly effective.
However, if you decide to use this strategy, it will be advisable to stay away from the other personal trainers in your neighborhood. They may figure out what you are trying to accomplish and decide to ruin your reputation.
2.6 Fitness Industry Conferences
Fitness industry conferences, or expositions, will also give you an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and learn more about the fitness industry as a whole. Conferences tend to bring together more attendees, compared to workshops and seminars. Therefore, the learning opportunity is immense. In fact, you may even learn some things you’ve never heard previously.
Fitness industry conferences are held almost every month. You just need to do some simple research and you will discover those happening near you. From there, you just need to sign up for the relevant ones and set aside time for attending the conference.
3. Wrapping It Up
Whether you’ve been a personal trainer for several years or you recently acquired your personal trainer certification, professional development is something that shouldn’t take a back seat. It will help to boost your skills, give you a competitive edge and help you to land more clients. And all these will contribute to a thriving career in this industry. And as you can see, you have numerous avenues and opportunities that you can take to deepen your expertise and advance your personal trainer career.