6 Unique personal training tips I learned on the job

Personal training is a dream career for gym rats. It’s hands on, active, and inspires people to live healthier lives- all while hanging out in your favorite place all day long, working with people who care about fitness just as much as you do? That sounds incredible!

So, why was I struggling to succeed months into my first job?

Why did some clients feel like I was pulling teeth trying to get results?

Why did I see other new trainers getting burned out, frustrated by poor sales and client retention?

After 5 years, a lot of clients, a lot of trial and error, and two more certificates under my belt, I look back on my first year and laugh at how much I simply didn’t know.

I started my fitness journey as a bright-eyed lifting enthusiast looking for a new path in life, increasingly feeling like a fish out of water in my first fumbling attempt at a career in film and television production (it sounded cool when I was 18, and I didn’t think further than that… until I realized I didn’t like anything about the job).

Weight training was the first thing that motivated me to have any consistency or passion since graduating college. Not only that- it was the first time I found myself 100% accountable for my own motivation. No pay. No supervision. No classes with finals. No club with weekly meetings. Just me and the little notebook I used to track my progress- a kind of discipline I’d never practiced before. I’d never been an early riser, but I would roll out of bed at 5:30 am, pound a coffee, and finally wake up halfway through my squat warmup. I researched programming in my free time. I followed bodybuilders and powerlifters. I found a fresh appreciation for my body, and it didn’t rely on being thin.

I understood what it meant to have a real passion. The lightbulb switched on.

I’d found the perfect next step. All I needed to do was pass a test? Piece of cake. I decided to self-study for a certificate. I met a few trainers from a local big-box gym, ironically, at a wellness fair at my regular job. I snuck a quiet moment to let them know I was looking into training. The manager, a woman who blazed with competence and muscles, wanted another female trainer on the staff and told me to come interview as soon as I passed the exam. I passed it first try and immediately got the job. Everything aligned, as smooth as a perfect pull for a deadlift PR.

Then I started working. Oh, it was all the things I’d dreamed of- but there was so much, much more to it.

Honestly, as a brand new trainer, you’re tossed in the deep end. You’re expected to land and keep clients ASAP. I’m throwing you a floatie.

I know you want to provide the best value and service to your clients. You want them grinning from that sweet cocktail of endorphins, PRs, and total trust in you as their trainer. That combo of results and rapport…. it’s delicious- and it keeps your clients (and paychecks) coming back every week.

Every single trainer hits times when that flow seems out of reach. These tips are going to open the tap and the juices flowing again.



1. Cultivate a beginner’s mindset.

If I could only give one tip, this is it. This one is a doozy.

I will be totally honest with you: Training yourself doesn’t prepare you for training others.

That’s the plain truth. If you got into this because you just love going to the gym for yourself, I get it. Maybe you’ve had a lifting buddy, hyped them up, spotted their benches. That’s awesome!

But 99% of people out there have totally different bodies than you- a different starting fitness level, different goals, health, injuries, muscle imbalances, coordination, motivation, energy, diet, schedule…. you get the picture.

So what is a beginner’s mindset, and why does it matter?

“Beginner mind” comes from the Zen concept of Shoshin, “having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and a lack of preconceptions when studying a subject”.

How do you apply this to personal training?

See each client as a totally unique experience. Resist judging their progress based on how you think it should look. Ask for perspective from your fellow trainers- shadow their sessions if possible. Look for more information when you hit a wall. Be open to creative approaches. Further your education.

Sure, your certification probably had lots of assessments and formulas for prescribing and progressing exercises… but cramming for a test and real-world experience are very different things. It’s easy fall into a rut of training exercises you are personally familiar with. It takes time and experience to get the hang of assessing other people and troubleshooting, so go into each session open minded and focused, and be comfortable with changing tactics if necessary.

2. Mindset is just as important as the workout.

Training is not just about putting a client through the motions. Psychology heavily influences motivation, behavioral change, and adherence to programming and diet plans. Completely altering your lifestyle takes dedication! How can you cultivate that sense of desire and follow-through? If a client has a pattern of blowing off their homework, binge eating all weekend, and complaining about it every time they train, how can you support them in creating a change? Maybe it’s not realistic to jump straight into a really low deficit and 6-day-a-week program. Why do they care about fitness? Can you find motivations that go deeper than just getting a beach body?

Observe your own communication. Training is collaborative. Are you asking the client questions about their habits and lifestyle, and how they feel about making changes? Do you know what their past experiences with fitness are like, and discovering what unique approaches might work best for them now? Can you create realistic yet exciting goals together?

3. Get over your stage fright.

Struggling with prospecting and sales? Yep, you and at least half the new trainers out there! This is an extroverted job, and the added pressure of selling can really pile on the nerves.

Practice talking to people. If you don’t book a consultation, that’s fine. As you find your stride, direct the conversation to their workout. Ask questions. Find out how you can help them. And seriously- this takes practice. It’s ok for the nerves to be there. Go for it anyway!

Bring back that beginner mindset. Ask other trainers how they talk to gym members. Share how you approach your consultation sessions and ask for feedback and sales techniques. How do other trainers communicate their value and expertise? You’d be surprised how many ways there are to highlight your services. Forging a connection with a prospective client is a skill, and you don’t have to have some kind of inherent/innate magical sales flair to learn it.

4. Hire a trainer yourself.

Actually being a client is a powerful way to gain insight on the training relationship. You can always learn something new by working with another professional. You can pick up new exercises, form cues, techniques, ways to use/utilize equipment, and expand your knowledge on your weak points. You might even discover new ways to explore your training style. On top of that, you’ll maximize your own results, fueling your passion for your career.

6. Get creative.

Whether you need to find a way to train a client struggling with form or injuries, or whether you simply can’t fight the crowds at peak hours, at some point you will need to do something unconventional on the fly. How can you use boxes, bands, dumbbells, walls, balls, bars, or bodyweight to create results? I’ve had clients who literally cannot figure out how to hip-hinge for weeks, so barbell deadlift is out. How can you recreate the same movement pattern at the appropriate level of challenge? This is also a great way to teach your clients principles of movement. Showing them how different variations still activate the same muscle groups teaches the basics of physiology. A deeper understanding of programming empowers clients by giving them the independence and flexibility to be able to adjust exercises on their own should the need arise.