Whether we’re talking about personal trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, physical therapists, athletic trainers, group exercise instructors, yoga & pilates instructors, or, I don’t know, bomb sniffing dolphin trainers1, conventional wisdom tells us that in each example every single one of those professionals would have a strong background in anatomy, kinesiology, exercise physiology, assessment, exercise prescription, exercise execution, manual therapy skills, human movement, and on the 0.001% chance that someone who trains dolphins is actually reading this…mammalogy.
Also, I am assuming one also needs to be a proficient swimmer.
Needless to say, sure, in order to separate yourself from the masses it makes a lot of sense to accumulate a base level of education in myriad of topics to become a bonafide fitness professional. On top of that, other things that come into the foray include (but are not limited to):
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Social and emotional intelligence (empathy)
- Behavioral and motivational psychology (cough, cough, nudge, nudge…Psych Skills for Fitness Pros Vol I and Vol II is the “go to” source. Check them out HERE).
- Nutrition (although, it’s important to respect scope of practice)
- Active listening
- Being an voracious proponent of Wu-Tang Wednesdays.
Being well-rounded in all of the above can come across as having some sort of super power given a vast majority of fit pros out there today – especially your run-of-the-mill commercial gym personal trainer – can barely name a rotator cuff muscle let alone have the ability to confidently program for someone who has chronic low-back pain. What’s more, and maybe this is the cantankerous, grumpy, old and bald strength coach – (waves his invisible cane in the air) “MEH, kids nowadays” – in me talking…
…but I find that more and more young fit pros fail to grasp the one quality that will undoubtedly impress and build unparalleled client rapport.
- No, it’s not how many letters you have next to your name or how many certifications you have.
- No, it’s not your ability to quote Zatsiorsky.
- And, no, it’s not having washboard abs or glutes that can crack adamantium.
The real (and forgotten) super power that separates a sub-par coach from an S-tier coach is…
…adaptability.
Possessing the ability to pivot or change course on the fly when a client shows up to a session late (time constraint), divulges a new injury (jacked up their knee playing pickleball), has an inability to perform a given exercise prescribed (an endless assortment of eye-wash I see on Instagram), or has explosive diarrhea (good luck!) is a true super power.
I have never written a perfect program. Meaning, it’s not uncommon for me to divert to plan B or C or even D in a given session because a client’s shoulder is pissed off. Sometimes, due to extenuating circumstances, I’ll need to scrap an entire program because a client decides they no longer have the same goal(s), or maybe I was overzealous as a coach and overestimated someone’s ability level.
It’s on me to figure it out and to do it quickly.
I truly believe that if you can seamlessly and effortlessly roll with the punches and not get flustered when inevitable curve balls are going to happen, provide a fun and practical training experience (even with the shit hits the fan), and demonstrate to clients that there is almost ALWAYS a way to get a training effect despite perceived road blocks…
…you will be a rock star in their eyes, and build a ton of trust and loyalty moving forward. Like I always say: long-term success in this industry has more to do with what clients you can KEEP around for awhile more than how many new ones you can attract month to month.
