The answer to this question will help you join a booming market that continues to grow even as consumer spending falls. If you are thinking about how to become a good fitness instructor, then you understand the favorable prospects for professional development in this field of activity.
According to RBC experts, only 12.5% of residents of Moscow and the Moscow region visit fitness clubs, while in other capitals of the world the share of people involved in fitness is 20–25%. In the regions the gap is even greater. This indicates a double market growth potential.
What does it take to become a fitness trainer?
A coach will only be successful in the profession if he has the basic qualities:
- Love of sports and determination. If you want to become a fitness instructor from scratch and grow to the level where clients are lining up, be prepared to constantly study. Attend thematic seminars, improve your skills, follow the news in the world of fitness.
- Good health and physical characteristics. Endurance is necessary to carry out several consecutive workouts. The more clients, the more resilient the trainer should be. There are medical contraindications for working as a fitness instructor: alcohol and drug addiction, hearing impairment, vestibular disorders, speech disorders, and others. You will need to obtain a doctor's certificate.
- Attractive appearance. It's about about a beautiful, fit body with a well-developed muscular frame. The instructor is a role model. It should look so that the players strive for the same result.
- Attention to clients. Each client has an individual task. Don’t talk about losing weight to a woman who came to pump up the “long muscles” of her back and stabilize her spine. Try to help every client achieve desired result: correcting posture, losing weight, increasing flexibility.
The people who come to the gym are very different. One likes to attract attention to himself, the other feels insecure in a full room, the third will pedantically follow the coach’s recommendations, the fourth will argue on any occasion. You need to find an approach to everyone, be friendly and ethical with everyone.
- Professionalism. Just a few years ago, in fitness rooms you could see instructors who did not have a higher sports education or any certificate. Today, when applying for a job, an applicant will be asked where he was trained. That is why it is so important to choose the right educational institution that provides not only theoretical but also practical knowledge.
A good school means gaining experience during your studies, guaranteed employment in high-level clubs and an excellent springboard for a career. Especially in cases where a student simultaneously masters related specialties (dietology, physiology, sports medicine) along with the basic fundamentals.
The complex of the above competencies is what a girl or guy needs to become a fitness instructor from scratch. If you have everything except knowledge, study, gain experience, and you will get the job you dreamed of.
Of course yes. You can become a fitness instructor even at 40 years old if you are confident and ready to start from scratch. Don't be afraid to change your profession if your old job doesn't suit you. You will find your audience.
Statistics on the distribution of fitness club visitors by age:
- 16-24 years old - 22%
- 25-34 years old - 29%
- 35-44 years - 18%
- 45-54 years old - 14%
- 55-64 years old - 12%
- over 65 years old - 6%
Young people will see you as an experienced mentor they can trust. Peers and older people will feel comfortable working with a person close in age.
Advantages of a coach over 30 years of age:
- Experience. Even if you have never worked in a fitness club, you already have life experience. It helps you organize your work schedule more efficiently and act more competently in unusual situations. You understand that you won’t be able to become a good fitness trainer without education, so study with greater dedication.
- Responsibility. The instructor is responsible for the life and health of clients, whether individual or group training. With age, a person begins to pay more attention to little things. You will more quickly recognize the first signs of a client's deteriorating condition (eg, hypoglycemia) and help avoid loss of consciousness and injury.
- Ability to communicate. You understand others better, anticipate people's reactions to specific statements, and easily maintain a conversation on various topics. Comfortable interaction with clients is a guarantee that the trainer’s schedule will be filled to capacity.
Changing a profession at 30-40 years old, on the one hand, is difficult because you need to maintain your income level. On the other hand, it is much easier than choosing a specialty at 16-18 years old, since there is already a clear understanding of the goal. Anyone who consciously wants to become a fitness instructor studies, gets a job in a prestigious club and quickly raises the earnings bar.
Online training courses for trainers - the first step to a new profession
Where to start if you are not sure about your choice and are afraid to quit your job for full-time training? Sign up for online courses for those who want to become a fitness trainer. Don't study with private tutors or online-only schools.
The lack of its own premises for offline classes and practice indicates that the school is not serious. The only advantage is the low price for the right to become a fitness instructor. But it will be wasted money. Finding a job with a certificate from an unknown company is difficult; you will have to start with the lowest level clubs with the corresponding contingent and earnings.
Look for a prestigious educational institution whose diploma is valued by employers. Find out from the HR managers of fitness centers which colleges are preferred when considering an applicant's resume.
Distance learning will help you understand whether this profession is right for you.
- If yes, continue studying full-time. The presence of a theoretical basis reduces the time of face-to-face classes. All that remains is to undergo an internship in the college’s equipped gym, supervised by experienced teachers.
- If not, high-quality knowledge will replenish your life baggage. You will train with an understanding of the processes occurring in the body and build an effective system of personal sports.
Modern technologies provide the opportunity to obtain a fitness trainer certificate in any city. It doesn’t matter where the student lives - in Moscow, Krasnodar or Novosibirsk - he listens to lectures and writes tests at a convenient time. A diploma from a college with an international training program gives you the opportunity to become a fitness trainer in Germany, the UK, the USA and even Australia.
This is a universal education because:
- Gives you a better chance of finding a job in a new place - fitness clubs operate even in the smallest localities.
- There are no age or gender restrictions - a 20-year-old girl or a 40-year-old man can become a sought-after fitness instructor from scratch.
- Knowledge about anatomy, physiology, bioenergy, and rational nutrition will also be useful in everyday life.
Make your hobby profitable, get professional training and make money doing what you love.
The active development of the fitness industry has a positive impact on the career opportunities of sports trainers. The shortage of competent specialists causes high level wages. Clubs “hold on” to professional staff who ensure a stable flow of clients. This means that even fitness instructors without experience receive comfortable working conditions: flexible hours, social guarantees, and in-house training.
Starting from scratch is not scary. At making the right choice first a training place, and then a fitness club, you can increase your income by 5-6 times in a few years.
Now is the right time to start a career. In 2016, the growth in the number of visitors to fitness clubs was 8.5%, in 2017 - 11%. Surveys have shown that even with a decrease in personal income, only 5% of clients agree to give up going to the gym. According to RBC, the growth potential of this sector is still very high, which is why the profession of a fitness instructor is prestigious, promising and profitable.
How to get a job as a fitness trainer
Just like for any other job: look through advertisements, send out resumes, go to interviews. A prerequisite is the presence of specialized education. We are not talking about five-year training at the Institute of Physical Education and Sports, but about specialized training, which takes several weeks and is available to everyone who wants to get a new profession.
Important factors when choosing an educational institution that will provide the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge:
- School reputation. Important if the applicant wants to quickly find a job as a fitness instructor without experience. In the wake of the popularity of fitness, many schools have appeared that simply want to earn more money and are not worried about the level of knowledge of their students. Carefully study the information on the school (college) website: how long has the organization been operating, what courses it offers, where graduates work. The choice between a college that has been operating since 1992 and a school that opened in 2016 is obvious.
- Teachers. Who will teach: unknown “specialists” or world-famous experts? Look for a company where candidates and doctors of sciences, international bodybuilding judges, masters of sports with significant achievements (Russian and world champions) teach. They have accumulated many years of knowledge, and they know how to share it so that the student quickly immerses himself in the profession, regardless of the level of education.
- Duration of training. Two to three weeks with one final test is too short to complete full training. To obtain a basic level with the right to conduct training, you need to study for 5-7 weeks and pass exams in several disciplines: anatomy, biochemistry, bodybuilding, fitness, nutrition, sports medicine and others.
If there isn't a good fitness school in your area, don't waste your time and money on a bad one. Firstly, this will prevent you from getting a job in a prestigious club. A fitness trainer without experience must have at least a high level of training. Secondly, low quality training will lead to mistakes when working with clients, which is unacceptable - after all, the trainer is responsible for the health of the person who trusted him.
Better find educational institution in another city, especially since the theoretical basis of the basic course in the specialty “Fitness, bodybuilding, gym instructor” can be mastered remotely.
Advantages distance learning:
- Save time. There is no need to travel anywhere and give up your current activities.
- Individual pace. The student himself builds his study schedule based on personal circumstances and needs. All classes are held online.
- Saving money. Correspondence studies costs less than full-time. There are no travel or accommodation costs.
During the process of distance learning, you will understand whether this is really what you want to do, and you will decide whether to come to the educational institution for an internship or not.
A student who has not completed an internship receives a fitness assistant certificate. In small clubs and in regions this is enough to be hired without experience.
If you want to work with serious clients and earn more money, you should come to practical classes and become the owner of a full-fledged diploma. Make sure that the school you choose has spacious practice rooms equipped with all the necessary training equipment.
5 rules for guaranteed employment
- Write a resume. Indicate where and how long you studied. Write down the number of theoretical and practical hours, types of disciplines studied. Indicate how many years you have been involved in sports, what successes you have achieved. Send your resume to email all the fitness clubs in which you would like to work.
- Show interest. After one or two days, call those clubs from which you have not received a response. Check to see if the recruiter has received your resume and whether it has been reviewed. Tell them that you are ready to answer any additional questions and come to the interview when they say so.
- Pass interviews. Compare the equipment of the halls, working conditions, and the length of the probationary period. Evaluate the atmosphere in the club, pay attention to the attitude of management towards employees.
- Be honest. Admit right away that you are a fitness trainer with no work experience, but with a great desire to learn and develop. Ask how you can be useful to this particular club. Tell us about your future plans and courses you want to take to improve your qualifications.
- Take every chance. If you get rejected from a “cool” club, start working at a simpler club. In small gyms you can also make good money or at least gain enough experience.
Don't give up at the first refusal. Keep sending out resumes - the more you try, the higher your chance of getting a really good position.
Working as a fitness instructor without experience: moving up the career ladder
As you gain experience, the number of clients and the level of payment for training will increase. If a beginner receives an average of 30-35 thousand rubles per month, then a coach with 5-7 years of experience can easily raise the bar to 150-170 thousand rubles per month. By improving your qualifications and taking additional courses, you can achieve even more impressive financial results even with a lack of experience.
Personal presence is usually required only for basic training, and then only for the period of internship. Additional knowledge can be obtained remotely online: listen to lectures, study handouts and take tests to assimilate new information. Based on the results of passing the exams, a certificate is issued confirming the student’s expertise in a specific issue.
Benefits of having certificates:
- Increasing customer loyalty. The certificate is documentary evidence of development in the profession. He says that training and recommendations are based on a solid theoretical basis.
- The emergence of specialization. You don’t have to take on all the clients in a row, but choose those with whom you want to work. Those who have studied Anty-Aging fitness will attract clients over 40, who are usually the most solvent.
- Increasing income. Compare: training only or training plus diet, posture correction, myofascial release. Increase the value of your services and boldly raise their cost by 20%, 50% and even 100%.
Before choosing additional courses, analyze your career preferences. What is your priority: conducting group classes or personal training, helping you lose weight or build muscle. Another goal is to enter the top management of the company. Start with one direction, gradually expand your professional competencies, become a universal and mega-in-demand specialist.
Who is easier to find a job as a fitness trainer without experience - a woman or a man?
There is no gender discrimination in fitness clubs; male and female instructors are equally in demand. When applying for a job, the applicant will likely be asked to demonstrate professional skills. Anyone who has attended practical classes will have an advantage over “theorists”, regardless of gender.
When a client chooses a trainer for individual training, personal psychological attitudes are involved:
- It is more convenient for a female client to work with an instructor of the same gender. An element of rivalry comes into play: she was able to become so slim (fit, sculpted), and so can I. Certain physiological aspects are discussed without hesitation.
- Some representatives of the fair sex, on the contrary, prefer to train with men - they trust more when it comes to strength or combat sports.
- Male clients are less likely to choose individual female trainers because they are focused on the results they want to achieve.
- But group programs are more often led by women - this is how participants in joint training feel more comfortable.
Another requirement is to look in the right style, be well-groomed and confident. Appearance A yoga teacher and a bodybuilding trainer will be different, and rightly so. For strength training, relief is important; for stretching, grace and flexibility are important. Girls of “considerable merit” successfully teach belly dancing in the largest fitness clubs.
The client will go to the coach who meets his ideas about a particular sporting area. And then everything depends on you. If you manage to establish a good relationship with the client, select the optimal program for him and bring him to the desired result, word of mouth will begin to work.
The first customers will become regulars and bring new ones. The schedule will be filled to capacity, and earnings will grow steadily.
IN modern world professions related to the fitness industry are becoming more and more relevant. Nutritionists, physiotherapists and trainers in various fields are becoming in demand and popular. An increasing number of people are involved in sports not only as a professional activity, but also in order to feel confident in communication. And of course, man doing fitness, feels healthier and more successful. How to acquire the profession of a trainer in our country, what is needed to become a fitness trainer, what skills and abilities are required for successful activities, we will consider in this article.
How to become a fitness trainer?
What does it take to become a fitness trainer?
- Know the basics of anatomy and physiology, understand how the human body works.
- Understand the principles healthy eating, study dietetics.
- Understand the peculiarities of the training process depending on the client’s gender; not all exercises suitable for men will be useful for the fair half of humanity.
- Know what loads are permissible for the client depending on his age.
- Be technically competent and understand the specifics of performing individual exercises.
- Ability to create load programs with a gradual increase in exercises.
- Know and be able to apply first aid for medical conditions.
All of these skills add up to a wide range of interests for a person who wants to become a fitness trainer. Moreover, this in itself is interesting, broadens your horizons and is useful for later life.
How to become a fitness trainer from scratch?
The first piece of advice for a beginner is to be 100% confident in choosing this profession. It is not necessary that a person who decides to devote himself to fitness has been actively involved in sports in the past. You can become a successful and sought-after fitness trainer without a sports career behind you. The ability to create a training program or knowledge of the technical details of certain exercises is not enough.
A coach is also a little bit of an instructor, a psychologist and a psychoanalyst. It is necessary to understand what motivates a person, apply a personal approach to each client, be attentive and sociable, and have a positive attitude.
Many people go to the gym not only for a beautiful appearance, for them it is a way of relaxation and relaxation after a hard day at work. The fitness center is both a club of interests and a place for relaxation of the soul. The future coach must always be aware of this.
Undoubtedly professional training is also needed, which today is offered by many training centers where specialized courses are conducted. You will be offered training methods, which include sections on anatomy and physiology and methods of training by an instructor, and will be issued a certificate.
After mastering the course program, you will know in detail how this or that exercise machine works, how it affects the condition human body mechanics of movements, what loads are permissible in an individual approach.
Pay special attention to the certificate that will be issued to you after training. To avoid problems with further employment, the course completion diploma must be state standard, it is useful to discuss this condition with a training company before How do you pay for your education?
In addition to training in the chosen specialty, practical work experience provides an invaluable result for the future instructor, therefore best advice for the future trainer to combine training with practice in the fitness center. Let this be the third assistant junior coach for now, but it will allow you to understand this profession from the inside.
Coach's profession requires constant personal development, methods of fitness areas are constantly being improved, new directions of the training process are opening up, from static to cardio training. New music, various combinations of movements, introducing elements of classical dance and even martial techniques - all this opens up endless prospects for creativity for a person who is passionate about his profession.
If you want to become a truly good trainer, you will have to work a lot on your own, read literature on human anatomy, watch training videos on fitness, and develop your knowledge and skills.
In addition, it is useful to participate in master classes in the area of fitness that interests you most.
How to become a fitness trainer from scratch for a girl
Find the key to a person’s individuality, show respect for the individual and understand the needs, then competently convey your recommendations to the person - this is the task of the coach. Books on the psychology of communication will help you with this. Achieving results for the client is the goal that the trainer should work on. And if you put your soul into the process, the result will not take long to arrive. It often happens that when clients go to classes with a certain trainer, they are attracted by the positivity and effectiveness of the training. However, one cannot do without comments to the wards. In what form to express comments, where to encourage, and when to scold, you need to feel subtly if you want to be a professional.
Where to study to become a fitness trainer?
Advice: when choosing training, try collect as much information as possible about the organizer. Is this a way to make money from people who want it, or does this training provide a real advantage to further your career?
For those who claim a high level of professionalism in the profession and a high level of income, a higher education and the availability of certificates and advanced training courses are necessary . Personal trainer – This is a person who can do what everyone else does and has personal qualities that are in demand among the clientele.
To do this, you need to gain experience, first of all. It all depends on the goal, which you set for yourself. If you don’t need career ups, then courses and seminars are quite enough.
Self-education is also important in the life of a fitness trainer. This is a dynamically developing industry with a fairly high degree of competition and changing training methods. If you want to be in the know, develop yourself! An interesting and exciting journey awaits you!
The main task of a fitness trainer– attract as many people as possible to the classes, healthy image life. And if your classes are interesting and varied and people attend them with desire and joy, you will succeed!
Sports trainer- specialist in educating athletes and preparing them for competitions.
Features of the profession
In sports, learning occurs through training. The coach teaches his students and helps them improve their skills.
Even talented and experienced athletes owe much of their success to their coaches.
Some coaches work in so-called mass sports. Others are engaged in preparing future stars for, because. and in an ordinary children's sports section you can discover a talented athlete. But this also requires special coaching talent.
The main task of a coach is to reveal the athlete’s abilities, teach him to make the most of his body’s resources to win. To do this, you need to competently build a training regimen, distribute loads, and select effective exercises.
But sport is not only about physical strength and agility. An athlete must understand the peculiarities of his physiology, be able to control both his body and emotions. The coach is engaged in theoretical and psychological preparation of his students. He instills discipline in them, inspires them to win, and if necessary, knows how to find medicinal words for star fever.
All this is possible only in one case: students must trust their mentor unconditionally - both as a professional and simply as a human being.
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