Reflections from 5 years of personal training

I was recently asked what I’ve learned during my time as head of education for Lift The Bar, interacting with 1000's of personal trainers. After a little reflection, and in no particular order, here’s what I came up with.

1. I’ve learned enough to know I know relatively little. 
2. Almost everything has a level of uncertainty. Control the controllable knowing you can’t control everything.
3. This job comes with peak and troughs, those that do best are those that learn to ride the waves.
4. Human first. Those trainers we look at with contempt due to their lack of professionalism or technical ability yet are fully booked often communicate well and make people feel great. We can learn from this.
5. Everyone needs support, no matter how “strong” or “confident” they are.
6. Some days you can feel like you’re flying, the next, falling. It might happen less frequently as you progress, but it still happens.
7. There is no magic formula for anything.
8. That one extra course, book or seminar you attend will never make you feel like “you’ve made it”. Stop looking for magic bullets.
9. Very little in this industry is black and white. Learn to think in shades of grey.
10. We are a service industry. The trainer that creates the best experience for their clients wins.
11. “Learning” and improving are not the same thing.
12. “Debating” arguing on the internet is a waste of 99% of people’s time.
13. Physiology only matters when someone is invested psychologically - Greg Nuckols
14. The better you are able to manipulate the physical the more chance you have of nurturing the psychological.
15. No one is going to save you. If you’re up shit creek without a paddle stop waiting for the tide to turn, hold your breath and swim like crazy.
16. Advanced does not mean better, advanced means advanced, which can mean inappropriate for most of our clients. 
17. The industry often sells a narrow view of success (6 figures). This leaves many feeling like they are failing despite succeeding in other areas. Success should be self-defined.
18. You will often expect/hope for more for your clients than they hope for themselves. Remember, it’s their journey, you’re just the support act.
19. We “learn” too much and apply too little.
20. Be confident enough to allow imperfect (but safe) technique in the right situations. Your client’s sense of competency will thank you for it.
21. Design learning opportunities, don’t tell. 
22. You’ve not known love until you see a StrongFirst instructor talk about kettlebells.
23. Forget what other (non-mentor) trainers think. They don’t pay your bills.
24. For the last 20 years, we have agonised over the content of our client’s programmes whilst neglecting the delivery of said programmes.
25. For the last 20 years, we have agonised over the content (macros) of our client’s diets and neglected the client’s ability to adhere to said diet.
26. The grass can often appear greener in certain parts of the industry, often due to its fertilisation with bullshit.
27. The industry talks a lot about “taking it to another level” and “continual improvement”. Many want to “tick the box” three times per week and age well whilst enjoying a few drinks on the weekend.
28. Cooldowns in session time are over-rated.
29. If a picture can paint a thousand words and analogy can speak a thousand words.
30. This industry is so embryonic those that claim to have all the answers still haven’t grasped how many questions we haven’t yet considered to ask.
31. Moderate levels of exercise will do little to create fat loss yet your client’s fat loss is often the barometer the industry will use to judge your competency as a trainer.
32. Industry defined “transformations” often have little to do with the trainer and everything to do with the client that’s willing to do anything to get in shape.
33. The real “transformations” often have nothing to do with the mirror.
34. It’s human nature to look for hacks and quick fixes. If they worked, they would just be called “the way”.
35. Constant lead generation problems are often a retention problem. Fix the hole in the bucket before looking to pour in more water.
36. The majority of commercial gym trainers are spending 95% of their CPD focusing on less than 5% of their paying clients (contest prep, powerlifting or athletic development). Get savagely good at coaching “the basics”.
37. I’ve learned enough to know I know relatively little…… because I still need to remind myself of this at times.

Gregg
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Want to Learn More About Lift The Bar Training?

If you’re thinking about becoming a personal trainer who doesn’t become part of the statistic of not lasting longer than 18 months in the industry and you want to give yourself the best learning platform for becoming a trainer, our course is for you.
 
The Lift The Bar Training qualification is the industries first personal training course that merges both online and offline learning while also having an extended Applied phase that supports you in the early stages of your new career. Rather than just receiving your qualification and throwing you out into the world (like Sarah experienced above), we guide you so that you get a fantastic platform to build from in one the most challenging stages of your career.
 
Having worked with 1000’s of personal trainers, the education team at LTB Training have created a 12-month long industry leading personal training course that includes a foundation level 2 and entry level 3 qualification, which allows you to become a fully certified personal trainer. This has been created with practical application at the core and with cutting edge research in mind so that you’re left with no stone unturned for starting off your career as a personal trainer. You’ll then complete our qualification by going through a 6-month applied phase, which teaches you the essentials of how to work with personal training clients and arm you with the knowledge on how to build a business that lasts and helps as many people as possible.

Our next course launches on the 4th of February 2019. You can find out more about what it includes by clicking on the "certification" tab at the top of this page. Our early bird offer starts on 5th of November 2018!