6 Tips On How To Become A Great Virtual Personal Trainer

The job of a personal trainer is a multi-tiered one. On the surface, many might believe this role to be a simple case of overseeing the fitness of clients and providing them with a simple exercise plan. However, there are so many more things involved, and each trainer’s individual skill and knowledge means that each will get different results with their clients. Using technology to operate your business virtually can add a new challenge to this job, too. So striving to be the best you can be is important, as well as having a strong focus on what sort of technology can assist you, as well as what methods will work better for your online training compared to those methods you’d use in person. To help, we’ve put together a few tips on how you can become a great virtual personal trainer.

Listen To What Your Client Wants
First and foremost, you need to understand that you must base your training on what your client wants. While you might know what is best for them in terms of exercises and nutrition, this is all about what your client aims to get from your training. Suppose they say, for example, that they aren’t looking to get “shredded” and instead simply want to lose weight with minimal muscle gain. In that case, that is their prerogative, even if you see them as the perfect template for building muscle and showcasing your training efforts. You’ll want to build rapport with your clients as well as their trust, and dictating what they should want or why their goals aren’t good enough is a sure-fire way to lose those clients instead. 

Consider Finding A Niche
Quite frankly, countless personal trainers are out there offering their skills and training, making a hefty profit doing so. This often puts a lot of newer trainers off of starting their own personal training business, especially one that’s online, as they wonder why anyone would want to work with them over anyone else on Earth. It’s very common to have these feelings, but you should instead consider finding a niche. This helps you to become the right trainer choice for a select group of people. Remember, you can be the small-fry compared to all of the other popular personal trainers out there, but you only need to charge 20 regular clients around £150 per month to make a very comfortable £36k per year. Of course, as you develop your skills and expand your business, you can increase the value of this training and the number of clients you have, increasing your profits significantly. You could double your clients and add £50 to the cost of training, and you’re making just shy of six figures.

Create Workout Templates
Running your personal training business online can be quite advantageous, especially when considering the flexibility it provides. Through the use of pre-recorded training sessions and templates, you can offer your clients a convenient and user-friendly experience. This approach allows you to cater to various client needs efficiently. For instance, if you’re assisting a male client in weight loss, you could develop a template for their exercises and easily adapt it for subsequent clients with similar goals. As you progress, you’ll find yourself creating templates for different client categories, providing a structured and consistent approach. To ensure transparency, openly communicate your templated system’s customization for each client, avoiding any misunderstandings about the tailored nature of their training. This approach ensures that your clients understand the value of your personalized training, setting you apart in the competitive fitness landscape. For individuals aspiring to enter this field, you will need to enroll in comprehensive gym instructor courses to gain the necessary skills, knowledge, and certifications for a successful career in personal training.

Create A Video Library
While you can go through your client templates with a good wide-angle webcam setup in a live studio setting, this will take up a lot of your time when you could simply film and edit your exercises to compile them into an easy-to-use video library. That way, while you can have one-to-one sessions to discuss progress and any concerns your clients may be having, you’ll free up a huge amount of your time by allowing your clients to follow along with those pre-recorded videos instead. One downside to this, of course, is that you won’t be there to push them for more reps, but unfortunately, that is simply one of the drawbacks of online personal training. However, on the plus side, these online sessions are much more accessible to individuals, especially those who don’t live near a personal trainer.

Acquire Further Training
As with any profession, it’s important to continue to learn new skills and methods of doing things. In the world of fitness, new exercises are created regularly, and our understanding of the human body and exercise often changes, too. As well as learning about these new things to keep ahead of your competitors, you’ll also want to consider further training on an academic and professional level too.

For example, you could try your hand at post-graduate study, acquiring an MSc. Sports Management degree from the University of Stirling will significantly bolster your knowledge and understanding of running a sports and fitness-focused business like this. You’ll learn everything from finance and accounting to marketing skills and law, all of which can help you to become a better business owner in this industry.

Make Use Of Coaching Software
When it comes to technology, there are lots of great, dedicated coaching apps out there that you can make use of. Using coaching and dedicated personal trainer software will allow you to manage the day-to-day functioning of your business. They can be used to schedule one-to-one training sessions, catch-ups, and inductions and also allow clients to book group classes if you offer them. Through this type of software, you may also be able to link your prepared video libraries and update them as you see fit. Your clients can access their training programs and view these videos via these apps, making regular interaction between you and your online clients much easier. You’ll also be able to track your clients’ progress via these apps, and follow up on any issues such as missed training sessions. 

In conclusion, the role of a personal trainer extends far beyond the surface-level expectations. It involves a nuanced understanding of individual client needs, adaptation to evolving technologies, and a commitment to ongoing professional development. Transitioning to virtual training introduces its own set of challenges, demanding a strategic approach for success.

A fundamental principle for any personal trainer, whether virtual or in-person, is to listen attentively to the client’s goals and aspirations. Building trust and rapport hinge on aligning training programs with the client’s desires rather than imposing one’s own ideals. Furthermore, carving a niche for oneself in the competitive fitness industry can be a game-changer. By specializing in a specific area, trainers can cater to a targeted audience and establish a unique value proposition.

The utilization of technology becomes paramount in the virtual realm, and creating workout templates can significantly streamline the training process. This not only enhances efficiency but also allows for customization based on individual client needs within specific categories. Integrating coaching software further facilitates seamless communication, scheduling, and progress tracking, fostering a more interactive and engaging virtual training experience.

Continual learning is a hallmark of any successful personal trainer. Staying abreast of industry trends, new exercises, and advancements in fitness science is crucial. Pursuing further academic and professional training, such as obtaining a postgraduate degree, can elevate a trainer’s knowledge and business acumen.

Lastly, the creation of a comprehensive video library emerges as a practical solution to optimize time and enhance accessibility for clients. While it may lack the real-time intensity of in-person sessions, a well-curated video library allows clients to follow pre-recorded workouts at their convenience, transcending geographical limitations.

In the dynamic landscape of virtual personal training, success is predicated on adaptability, client-centricity, and a commitment to leveraging technology to its fullest potential. Aspiring to be a great virtual personal trainer entails a blend of empathy, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge in the ever-evolving field of fitness.