Personal Training: The Name of the Game is Change

Happy holidays to all and enjoy the end-of-the-year breather.

As we look forward to the New Year, I would like to remind you of the one thing we all must attempt to do: Change.

Change is an important aspect of growth, and a necessary component in personal training. We often discuss how our clients need to change their lifestyle or workout habits to achieve their goals. But how, as fitness professionals, can we change to get our clients the results they want? What are some “New year’s resolutions” we can make to help our clients and our business? Below are some suggestions I have implemented:

1. Apply your CEC knowledge: So many times we take a course or a class and apply that for a few months, then slip back to our old ways. Instead, every quarter review your past CEC courses or take a new one and apply that approach consistently with your clients. This will bring a new training modality your clients haven’t experienced or have not done in a while.
2. Be methodical in planning your business for the year: Everyone is busy in January. But how can you take that business and prolong that to August? Can you plan out eight-week programs, offer fitness challenges, sell packages that are good only in the months you are slower? By planning out your business over a 12-month time frame, you can more easily come up with methods by which your business does not experience dips in revenue.
3. Change yourself: It’s hard to be an objective critic of yourself. So I suggest asking five people (clients, coworkers, supervisors and friends) how they think you can improve. What changes do they suggest for you to become better? It is important you ask different people from your life so that you get a complete view of how others perceive you in all aspects of your life. Don’t take the criticism as negative and ask the people giving feed back to be honest.

While “change” is difficult for all, it is also an opportunity for growth and development. As the saying goes: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” That’s at least what I see from the trenches.

Vic Spatola is a personal trainer, martial arts manager, fitness business consultant and NASM master trainer at Greenwood Athletic Club in Denver, Colorado.