3 Things That Personal Training Taught Me About Business

I have always had a passion for fitness as well as the important connection between physical and mental wellbeing. Being able to put this passion from my personal life into action came to fruition as I decided to study for my personal training exam last year.

Through weeks of studying, shadowing trainers at my gym, and bombarding my friends in kinesiology with questions, I became a certified personal trainer. What I initially fell in love with from personal training was being able to help someone reach their fullest potential by looking and feeling their best. Watching someone discover how strong and capable they truly are was such a rewarding feeling.

After my first few months as a trainer, I soon realized how many intersections the day-to-day aspects of training had to the world of business (other than squatting and deadlifting of course).

Here are my top 3 takeaways that personal training taught me about business that I have transferred over as I begin my journey in the business space:

1. Personal training IS SALES.

There was not a day that I worked where sales wasn’t a part of my job- but I didn’t recognize that at the time. I would constantly sell my personal brand to my clients proving to them why them choosing me as their trainer and investing money in our sessions would be more effective than going with another trainer at the gym. In doing so I had to showcase what value I would bring them as well as have a clear-cut plan designed with benchmarks and goals that would be laid out so client expectations would be set, met, and exceeded.

While working with clients, I would consistently keep track of their progress and push them to lift heavier and work harder so that they would see growth in their strength and physical appearance. Through keeping track of the increase of their weights, reps, and speed, I was able to show them the tangible improvements they had in their health from the start of when we had begun working together until that point. This tracking was not only helpful to keep track of everyone’s files, but as a tool in proving to them that their investment in me training them worked. When clients would be nearing the end of their sessions, I then would explain to them why it would be beneficial to continue and demonstrate how they can further grow with more sessions together. I constantly was selling without even realizing it! By showing someone not through words, but tangible outcomes, that you can be an asset to their life, they are inclined to continue working with you as it has proven to bring value.

2. Personal training IS NETWORKING.

Every client I had the privilege in training, became more than just part of my job, and more a part of my life. As I would see my clients 2-3x every week, we got to know each other quite well. From getting all the work gossip, giving advice, and hearing about the life experiences of my clients, I was able to understand their personalities better. By doing so, I was able to create programs that fit their lifestyles and worked for the person they were, rather than a copy paste training program.

This process of getting to know my clients on a personal level was partially due to my open nature, but also from asking the right questions that truly uncover a level of comfort to get vulnerable about more than just fitness. Little did I know this would become mutually beneficial for me as well. Over time I was vulnerable in sharing my post-grad anxieties about finding a job and entering the “real world”. My clients began connecting me to anyone they knew who worked in a space I had interest in so that I could chat with them. They offered me words of encouragement and support as I began hearing job rejections. Most importantly, they became a constant in my life during a time of such uncertainty. I met so many wonderful people through training and grew my network in Halifax exponentially during this period.

3. Personal Training IS BRAND DEVELOPMENT.

Who am I as a trainer? What was my specialty? What environment did I want to create for clients throughout a session together? All these questions were taken into consideration as I designed the approach I wanted to take as a trainer and are also taken into consideration within the creation of a brand. How does a brand want to show up and what types of people does it want to reach are both aspects I had to assess when branding myself as a trainer.

Ultimately, I landed on wanting to make working out more realistic. I found that what I had been shown online when I first started working out was that hustle culture and unhealthy habits were how I was going to reach my fitness goals. Throughout a difficult journey with mental health, food, and fitness I learned this “grind doesn’t stop” mentality to be detrimental to my personal wellbeing. This experience became my brand as I developed an approach to training that was realistic. My training style was flexible for the inconsistencies of daily life, healthy as it did not revolve around a certain image rather a feeling, and forgiving as most clients had not worked out in years if not at all. This brand was successful as many clients found the approach less intimidating and grew to love the gym within their months working with me- so much so that they would begin to show up on their own on days we were not working together (proud trainer moment right there).

My professional training days may be over as I place my primary focus on beginning my career in the HR or PR spaces, but the skills and lessons it taught me will be carried with me into the office (as well as challenging my future co-workers to random fitness competitions).