Profession fitness instructor. Personal training

Recently, “personal training” has become very popular in the sports services market, that is, the work of a coach with one client. A sufficient number of people involved in sports are interested in this area of work. First, it has become fashionable, like, for example, a personal hairdresser, masseur or doctor. Secondly, a number of people have expanded material opportunities. Thirdly, a taut, sporty, neat look is, to a certain extent, a reinforcement of the image of a successful person. Fourthly, fitness centers and gyms are now on the cutting edge of fashion ...

The word "personal" is fraught with the meaning of personal relationships, so the main criterion for "personal" training is a closer connection between the sports instructor and the trainee. A large percentage of conflicts and misunderstandings falls on individual training, which affects not only the interpersonal relations of partners, but also the professional rating of the gym, not to mention the loss of "face" by the coach himself.

Then what should a “personal trainer” be like so that he meets the requirements that can be presented to him to the maximum extent? We hope that this material will be useful not only to the trainees themselves, who are looking for a qualified coach, but also to the coaches themselves, for whom it is useful to know what criteria they must meet.

Why do you need a personal trainer?

Let's start with the simple but surprisingly accurate statement that people see the world as they are. And then what does a person expect from a personal trainer?

Let's take a quick look at the most common reasons that push people to resort to the services of a personal trainer.

A person does not have time for an independent path, searches, moral and energy costs. He wishes to accelerate progress in his training.
A person is shy, feels bad in a team, prefers a narrow circle of communication and the “protection” of a coach.
Perhaps, on the contrary, he is trying to stand out through "individual training", to attract the attention of the environment in and out of the gym, to defend his social status.
Focused on the material evaluation of training. Get used to getting all the best and expensive.
Needs large-scale assistance from an instructor due to the complete lack of sports experience in the past.
Has a negative experience in training, hopes to progress through "personal training".
Applies to the professional level. Wants to compete, or be very similar to bodybuilders.
Poor health. A lot of chronic diseases, contraindications to sports activities, but pretends to be healthy and ready to train hard.

If desired, you can find a number of similar reasons, but less expressive.

If we return to the beginning of our reasoning, it is easy to find two aspects that we simply have to take into account: this is necessarily the relationship between the coach and the student, the coach and the trainee.

What determines the effectiveness of personal training?

A banal perception of the situation makes it possible to paint the following picture. A person comes to a personal training session and, completely putting himself in the hands of a coach, hopes for a miracle - that for a certain number of expensively paid classes, he will completely turn into a bodybuilder with iron muscles! What does a coach usually do? Having received an amount of money that is much larger than from subscriptions, he begins to psychologically “patronize” the client, sometimes he trains in tandem with him, or is limited in the directions of “bring-to-carry” dumbbells or “put-to-remove” the working weight, plus some small touches in their personal communication: “How are you? How is your mood?" etc.

Everything seems to be correct. But, alas, in general, the effectiveness of such personal training is still low. According to an analytical study of the rating of personal training, a large number of people who have tested the individual work of a coach have an unsatisfactory result. First of all, claims are made to minimal changes in one's own appearance, secondly, to the monotony and monotony of the style of personal training, and, thirdly, a large percentage of those "disappointed" note the low level of preparedness of the coach himself. And only a small number of people are satisfied with a personal trainer, explaining this fact with personal sympathies and contacts.

To a large extent, the quality and effectiveness of what constitutes personal training depends on a combination of a number of factors:

the personality of the coach himself;
personal training and actual coaching experience of the coach and his professional education;
material base of the gym;
optimal management structure in the field of personal training;
psychological aspects of the relationship between the coach and the client;
aspects of the material basis of the relationship "trainer-trainee";
the phenomenon of inter-gender conflicts and so on.

Principles of personal training

Any self-respecting club usually employs exclusively professional certified instructors who constantly improve their skills. A good personal trainer has extensive coaching experience, as well as many years of personal experience in sports, which allows him to provide personal coaching guidance to clients of various ages and physical conditions in achieving their various training goals. For example, a person who is overweight will be helped to lose weight, a woman after childbirth will be helped to get in shape, if you decide to turn from a stunted young man into a muscular guy, an experienced instructor will help here as well. Well, if your goal is to win bodybuilding and powerlifting tournaments, then you can’t do without the right coaching guide!

For those who prefer to train on their own, but need one, we also have such a service. True, it does not imply such “dense” support as personal training, however, especially purposeful athletes may well achieve excellent results using it.

What should be a personal trainer?

Of all the points listed above that make up the organization of personal training, the personality of a personal trainer still remains the central figure. It is on his behavior, appearance, manner of communication, style of work and level of professionalism that the success of this area of sports service depends.

I would like to note five basic principles of the work of a personal trainer:

the principle of research, collection and accumulation of materials on the initial and subsequent parameters of the client's physical and psychological readiness for sports loads;
the principle of mirroring – defining the style of communication and the manner of presenting educational and training material at a level accessible to the client; creation of a comfortable emotional sphere;
the principle of accessibility and consistency of physical activity, in order to form a single scientifically based educational and training process "from simple to complex";
the principle of independence, the purpose of which is to teach the client a certain amount of knowledge for the development of sports culture and the formation of sports taste;
the principle of visibility, which consists in the personal training of a personal trainer, his appearance, informative preparedness, mobility, self-education and sports qualification.

Let's take a closer look at each.

Active collection of material at the initial stage of training significantly reduces the adaptation period between the coach and the student, helps to eliminate errors in the selection of strength exercises, maintain confidence and emotional mood, which is highest at the first stage of training. We recommend that you have a diary to record the initial data on the client's anthropometry, the presence of chronic diseases and the general physical condition at the time of the start of physical activity under your supervision. This will help to avoid subsequent claims to the lack of effect from personal training and to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of "before" and "after".

The principle of mirroring implies the merging of the emotional spheres of partners, the correction of the pace and style of behavior in the process of training, the most comfortable for the client. If he is melancholic or phlegmatic, the coach may have to keep this pace of emotional communication. For choleric or sanguine people, of course, you will choose another ... That is, you cannot oppose yourself and “crush”, “crush” the client; scientifically proven that the most productive is a harmonious type of relationship. If both of you annoy each other for any reason, and feel that you categorically do not harmonize with the person, give it to another coach, prudently freeing yourself and the client from obvious failure and subsequent conflicts.

The work of a personal trainer is akin to the work of a chemist who, adding and subtracting various ingredients drop by drop, sensitively monitoring the course of the reaction, as a result selects that unique success formula that is suitable only for you.

Accessibility and consistency implies careful attention to the informative volume of training. The level of physical fitness of a person may not correspond to the standard volume of complexes and exercises you have developed for beginners. Therefore, it is inappropriate to apply them without adjusting for this person. One needs to simplify the technique of strength exercises with weights as much as possible, possibly exclude complex coordination exercises, and carefully prescribe basic ones. And for someone, on the contrary, to complicate the training process due to the preparedness or experience of the trainee. For this, you collected material and information about the client at the initial stage of training. The main thing is to maintain the accessibility and safety of the training process, as well as to ensure a positive emotional background for the trainee by setting real goals.

One of the specific factors is the lack of formation of the client's "own status" in the training process. This is the main mistake in the work of a personal trainer. Usually, they try to “attach” the client to themselves, wean them to think and be independent in training. Of course, at the initial stage, this is acceptable. But without a certain amount of knowledge, a person will not be able to save even a hundredth of your work. That is why we started talking about the principle of independence. If the coach is periodically absent from the gym for any reason (business trip, vacation, etc.), the client will disrupt the training program by inaction due to lack of independence. Wouldn't it be better to train him, demanding continuity and a professional look at your own training, in order to stabilize the trend of progressive movement forward, because otherwise, you will also be presented with a claim of lack of performance in protest for paid personal training. Don't be afraid to "give out secrets". If you are a true professional, you are not in danger of losing a client. If you have approved the impression of yourself as a professional, then he will always turn to you for further consultations.

An important aspect of the topic under consideration is also professional education, personal training experience and the experience of coaching. Let's try to explain in what a bizarre relationship these three factors are. A world champion can turn out to be a bad coach for two reasons: either he completely devoted himself to the training process under the guidance of his own coach, without delving deeply into its essence, or, even when training on his own, he has a narrow experience of “fighting” exclusively with his own body, which does not he has good reason to extend this specific experience to all his clients.

A person who has received a specialized education, theoretical training, generalization of the experience of many people may be preferable to a champion coach, but he may not have enough practical knowledge.

Thus, the best option when choosing a trainer is a reasonable combination of these two factors, enhanced by personal experience in “training” a large number of clients with different physical conditions.

For the coaches themselves, accordingly, the goal is to become just such an experienced and educated coach. If at the same time you are also a titled athlete, success is simply guaranteed to you.

And the last thing in this conversation… How confident do you feel as a personal trainer? Does your sports uniform correspond to the standard of imitation? Remember, looks are the calling card of a personal trainer. Even if you make the minimum amount of claims, then, alas, you must have a certain amount of muscle, an elementary press, or a voluminous biceps, maybe a wide back, or toned buttocks ... There is no difference, but you should be visible in the gym! Visually, a personal trainer is a person they want to be like, and therefore they choose him, in the hope of a high training result. Self-education, good physical shape, improving sports skills, lack of pride and love for people - the success of a personal trainer.

The article uses materials from the site ironman.ru, processing and addition: Pavel Avdokushin

Photos from open sources

Fitness classes have become very popular in recent years, because it is a proven way to stay young, attractive and healthy. In many ways, success depends not only on the choice of the place of training, but also on the instructor. This specialist is fully responsible for the health of the wards.

It is worth noting that specialists do not always work in some institutions. For such a profession, you need not only to be physically developed. There are many qualities that a good fitness instructor must possess. Therefore, before you buy a fitness subscription for a month in one of the gyms, you should pay due attention to communication with the staff.

Specialist Endurance

During his working day, the instructor works with dozens of clients. Everyone needs to point out mistakes, develop individual programs, and motivate them to perform certain tasks. Endurance must be physical: each exercise must be shown to an inexperienced beginner. At the same time, this exercise is often shown in slow motion, so a certain muscle group experiences enormous loads.

Contacts with numerous visitors to the gym exhaust not only physically, but also mentally. For each visitor, the instructor is a standard, so it is important to always maintain goodwill, a smile and a positive attitude. No one will come to train with a sad and boring instructor. The task of such a specialist is to show that physical activity really brings pleasure.

Modern instructors must be good psychologists. Often, some communication methods are completely inappropriate for a certain category of visitors. It is important not only to be able to maintain a conversation with a visitor to the gym, but also to support his interest in achieving results.

How to choose the right coach?

A professional fitness instructor is a person who is ready to learn on their own. In addition to basic knowledge, you need to have the desire and desire to develop, find new ways of communication and training. Not every professional athlete can become a good coach. This is evidenced by the experience of thousands of athletes who headed sports clubs, but could not become coaches for a long time.

To choose a fitness instructor and entrust him with your own health, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:

You should not unconditionally rely on the professionalism of the candidate if he is a professional athlete. After all, the task of a specialist is not to grow the same professional athlete, but to help get rid of health problems, bring the body into the necessary shape. Therefore, it is worth clarifying the qualifications of the candidate in the field of fitness.
The opinions of girlfriends and friends, reviews on the site are good sources, but you should not consider them authoritative. Only in the course of your own conversation with the candidate can you get a general impression. This is especially important when choosing a children's instructor, who should become an authority and friend for the child.
Often gyms offer free first workouts. It is during such classes that you can observe the trainer, his interest in clients.
A good coach will not only help with the selection of a set of exercises, but also choose the appropriate workouts, taking into account the wishes of the client.
The specialist must understand all the processes that occur in the body during stress, as well as explain the mechanism of their action to the client. If during the conversation it is felt that the beginner knows more than the instructor, then it is better to think about changing the specialist.

It is worth observing the changes in your own body. If there is no minimal positive dynamics, then there is an assumption that it is the instructor who is to blame. Thus, a person who is a fitness trainer must be an advanced specialist.

He must have knowledge not only in the field of fitness, but also be a psychologist, friend and authority. Having chosen such a good instructor, all that remains is to attend training and enjoy the positive changes in your own body. In everything you should obey your instructor: the result equally depends on both the coach and your own efforts.

Some of us come to the gym for the sake of health, some for the sake of a beautiful figure, some need increased loads ... And all of us need a fitness trainer to achieve such different goals.

Average salary: 26500 rubles per month

Demand

Payability

Competition

entry barrier

prospects

A fitness trainer, also known as a fitness instructor, is a specialist who develops sports programs for a client and controls the correctness of his exercises. Unlike a sports coach, he does not achieve the maximum sports result, but ensures the general physical fitness of a person.

History of the profession

The word fitness comes from the English verb "to fit", which means "to be in good shape". This direction of physical development appeared in the 20th century, and is now experiencing a period of rapid development.

Although if you look into history, you can see that individual lessons with the offspring of aristocratic families have been a common occurrence since antiquity. For boys, an instructor was hired, whose duties included teaching the ward riding, fencing, shooting and physical education with him.

Starting from the 19th century, women also began to be involved in physical education, and this concerned not only simple gymnastic exercises, but also sports of high achievements. Now women are the main engines of fitness development, it is for them that more and more new types of activities are being developed.

Description and characteristics of the profession

The fitness coaching profession is booming in popularity. Many sports clubs, gyms, sections are constantly opening in the country, in which people of all ages and levels of physical fitness are engaged.

Fitness training can be very different, it is a very flexible system. A fitness trainer trains clients in a variety of ways. The main thing is that the ward is interested in doing it and that after a certain time the result becomes noticeable.

Most men and some women who come to the gym want to build muscle. Therefore, there are two main methods of strength training:

With the use of additional loads. This is work in the gym with barbells, dumbbells, special simulators. A fitness trainer must correctly assess the client's form and draw up an individual training program for him.
Using your own weight. This technique is based on different pull-ups, squats, push-ups and other exercises without additional weights. Such techniques are more in demand by women who want to improve their figure by pumping up the muscle corset. A striking example of this approach to training is classes using loops.

A fitness trainer is also an aerobics trainer. This type of sports load became very popular in the 80s of the last century, and now it has dozens of directions. The most famous of them are:

Classic aerobics. During classes, all the muscles of the body are well worked out, posture improves, and the cardiovascular system is strengthened.
Step aerobics. Students use only a small platform with which they perform a set of steps and jumps.
Aqua aerobics. A fitness instructor teaches wards to perform exercises in the water, which reduces the load on the skeleton and joints, but allows you to effectively work out the muscles. Good for the elderly.
Slide aerobics. For training, special shoes and a smooth track are used. Coaches teach clients to perform movements similar to those of skaters and skiers.
Pump aerobics. Classes take place in the gym using a special small barbell. Power elements are used (squats, bench presses, tilts), while everything is done quickly and to the music.

Women can improve their figure and stretch by engaging in many areas of physical activity. Shaping is good for weight loss and the formation of a beautiful figure. Fitball and Bosu use a large ball and a hemisphere, respectively. Pilates, stretching, callanetics and flex help stretch muscles and develop body flexibility. Various types of yoga help to harmonize the physical and spiritual components of a person.

Speaking of fitness, one cannot fail to mention dancing. With a little learning, a dancer can become a fitness instructor and teach Latin, half-dance (pole dance), zumba, funk or belly dance.

Directions, specialties and educational institutions according to the profile of training

You can study to be a fitness trainer in specialized secondary and higher educational institutions. As such, fitness education in the list of specialties is a rarity, but there are a number of areas that will become a good basis for acquiring the profession of a fitness trainer: "Physical Education", "Physical Health Technologies", "Fitness Technologies", "Sports Training System" ".

In principle, to work in the gym, it is not at all necessary to have any diploma, a certificate of completion of short-term courses is enough. However, most sports club leaders require applicants to have an appropriate education.

To quickly gain basic knowledge and become a fitness trainer, you can enter a school, technical school or college, for example:

Moscow City Open College;
Yekaterinburg College of Physical Culture of the Yekaterinburg Institute of Physical Culture (branch) UralGUFK;
College of the Bashkir State University. M. Akmulla;
Stavropol School of Olympic Reserve (college);
West Siberian State College (Tyumen).

A higher level of knowledge can be obtained in universities. This is for example:

Saratov National Research State University N.G. Chernyshevsky. At the Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, one can gain knowledge on health technologies, motor recreation, theory and teaching methods;
Russian State Vocational Pedagogical University (Yekaterinburg). Here you can study in the specialty "physical culture and health service";
The Siberian State University of Physical Culture and Sports (Omsk) graduates bachelors with a specialization in "Physical Education" in various sports;
The Volgograd State Academy of Physical Culture has a specialization in fitness aerobics among the areas of coach training.

The education of a fitness trainer, along with his communication skills, often becomes a decisive factor for a client. Each person cares about his health, so he wants to entrust the care of him to a professional.

If studying at a technical school or university did not work out, but there is a great desire to train, it is worth going to short-term courses, the choice of which is quite wide. We can recall the Ben Weider College of Fitness and Bodybuilding, the Moscow Higher School of Fitness, the Russian Fitness Aerobics Federation, the Fitness Profi Educational Center, etc.

Professional responsibilities

A fitness trainer usually performs the following duties:

search and attraction of a client, assessment of his physical form and state of health;
setting, together with the ward, a goal to be strived for;
motivate him to purposeful regular exercises;
drawing up an individual training program and its constant adjustment depending on the results achieved;
setting the correct technique for performing exercises, including through their personal demonstration;
development of individual recommendations on daily routine and nutrition;
providing the necessary equipment and observing safety precautions when performing exercises;
providing first aid if necessary.

In addition, to maintain the interest of clients in classes, you need to change the exercises regularly. Mastering fashionable areas of training will attract new people to work out in the gym.

Who suits

To become a fitness trainer, you first need to love sports and work with all kinds of people. In addition, the following qualities can be attributed to the advantages of good coaches: the ability to win over a person, perseverance and patience, goodwill and sociability, energy and optimism, stress resistance and willpower, discipline, responsibility.

Of course, the coach must be in great shape, otherwise people will not believe in his ability. He must be able to find an approach to each client, explain his requirements as intelligibly as possible and convince that a person is capable of doing it. Leading by example is the foundation of the lesson.

It is also important to have extensive knowledge in physiology and anatomy, nutrition, biochemical processes that occur in the human body against the background of stress. Also, a mentor is a personal teacher and psychologist who can understand the fears and concerns of the student.

The positive aspects of the profession are an interesting job, maintaining one's sports form, the opportunity to earn good money and gain new knowledge. Cons - fatigue from daily physical exertion, stress from communicating with dissatisfied customers, long working hours, since many can only train in the evenings.

Wage

On average, fitness trainers in the country earn about 30 thousand rubles, although the prestige of the gym and the number of clients seriously affect the salary level. It also matters what kind of training the specialist conducts: group or individual. Given the floating work schedule, a popular coach can teach at several sports clubs in parallel.

How to build a career

Constantly improving his professional level, a fitness trainer can become the head of a sports club or be responsible for this area in a network organization. Also, having a good track record, you can become an individual coach of a famous artist, actor or just a rich person, or appear on television, increasing your level of recognition and demand.

Prospects for the profession

The number of gyms for sports across the country is growing by leaps and bounds. This is a fairly promising area of \u200b\u200bactivity that can bring good income. Therefore, the words "I'm studying to be a fitness trainer" no longer cause an indulgent smile from the interlocutor.

Fitness instructor(English fitness, from the verb to fit - to fit, to be in good shape.) - an instructor who directs training, monitors the correct execution of physical exercises. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in physical education (see the choice of profession for interest in school subjects).

Features of the profession

Without proper guidance, fitness activities can be ineffective or even harmful to health. This is especially true for beginners.

The trainer can work with a group or individually. He can specialize in training with simulators (gym instructor, bodybuilding instructor) or in areas such as aerobics, aqua aerobics, tai-bo, pilates, fitness yoga, etc.

The first lessons are considered the most responsible, when a beginner masters the basic exercises. The trainer selects a suitable set of exercises, shows how to perform them correctly and monitors the progress of his ward. With a fitness trainer, not only ordinary citizens who want to tighten their figure are engaged, but also professional athletes. Fitness allows them to distribute physical activity more harmoniously and increases endurance. A fitness trainer is an expert not only in training, but also in a healthy lifestyle. He can advise which diet is better to follow, how to distribute loads outside of classes, etc. - the coach becomes a real mentor for the visitors of the gym. A good specialist eventually forms his own circle of clients who do not leave their coach, even if he moves to another fitness club.

A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise is part of the work of a fitness trainer. On the one hand, the ability to constantly maintain your physical shape is good. On the other hand, sometimes the loads turn out to be excessive, and this can be considered a minus of the profession. In addition, many visitors to fitness centers can only work out in the evenings. As a result, the working day of many coaches shifts towards the evening.

Workplace

The idea of a healthy lifestyle is becoming more and more stronger in society, and at the same time, the number of sports halls and fitness centers is increasing. A fitness trainer can work both in a large fitness center and in a small gym that has the necessary equipment. He can also become a personal trainer and conduct classes at his client's home.

Salary

Salary as of 11/19/2019

Russia 20000—120000 ₽

Moscow 25000—100000 ₽

Important qualities

Potential clients evaluate a fitness trainer by his appearance, by how athletic and healthy he is. It is also important for them how attentively and kindly the coach treats them, whether they are ready to come to the rescue when it is required. And of course, not only the right methods are expected from the coach. For successful classes, a person needs positive feedback, which gives self-confidence and determination to engage in.

Psychological approach

What to do if the client came to the hall all on edge after a hard day? In this state, he is capable of feats and rushes to the bar to lift a lot of weight in one fell swoop. But an experienced instructor will not allow this: he would rather send an angry ward to the treadmill - put his emotions in order and at the same time warm up for further training.

People want to see an optimistic coach in front of them, ready to work with even the most unsportsmanlike occupant of the office. An experienced trainer knows how to find a balance between benevolence and rigor, without which effective training is impossible. He is always full of energy and charges his wards with it. A good coach is focused on communication with people, he knows how to listen carefully, understand other people's emotions and, if necessary, direct them in the right direction.

Knowledge and skills

A fitness trainer needs knowledge in the field of physiology, anatomy, and biomechanics. To prepare a training program, it is necessary to take into account not only the wishes of the client, but also the state of his health. Also, the trainer should be aware of new fitness trends and technologies.

Fitness trainer training

On this course, you can get the profession of a fitness trainer remotely in 1-3 months. Diploma of professional retraining of the standard established by the state. Completely distance learning. The largest educational institution of additional prof. education in Russia.

In our time, the service sector is significantly expanding its capabilities and is able to provide work for specialists of even the narrowest profiles. Agree that when you often come across newfangled job titles and these professions themselves, you notice some similarities between them, but they still differ in nuances. In this article, we will try to carry out parallel between such professions, as , personal trainer and sports coach.

At first glance, it may seem that there is no special difference, as such, and, in part, you will be right. Not every sports coach can or a personal trainer, if he wants to, and not every fitness trainer will become a sports coach, even with a strong desire. Why is that? To answer this question, one must interpret each concept separately from the other.

A fitness trainer, personal trainer or fitness trainer, fitness instructor is one and the same person whose duties include:

Selection of the necessary and most suitable training program

depending on the required goal of the client or clients, the trainer can work individually or with a group;

Structuring classes

Technique and control

making sure that all exercises are performed correctly and in the right amount

In simple words for us, fitness trainer- one who conducts people training, which decide to take care of your body coming to the gym. We know what result we want to achieve, but we don’t know how, or we are sure what needs to be done, but we don’t see the final goal. A fitness trainer will be happy to answer all these questions for you. With it, you have the opportunity to train in the sports complex that you visit, or invite a coach to your home.

Sports coach- the man, who specializes in some certain sport and work with athletes. Directly in duties of a sports coach includes:

Education and training

Improving the skill and endurance of an athlete

Development of its capabilities to the maximum

The ultimate goal of a sports coach is to make a champion out of his student.

It is worth noting that a sports coach can also specialize in sports that are not directly related to the formation of a human body culture, unlike a fitness trainer and a personal trainer. It can be equestrian sports, archery, rowing, volleyball and so on.

What can be done conclusion from all of the above? Both professions require deep knowledge in medicine, sports, anatomy and even psychology. In both professions, coaches help their students achieve certain goals. The only difference between these activities is that the goals of the wards are different. If a fitness instructor helps to make your body more beautiful and change your lifestyle, then a sports coach with your help will create a real master of your craft from you, reveal your sports potential and doom you to the championship. You only need to remember one thing: all goals require great effort, and no matter how good any coach is, the result will depend only on you!