PERSONAL TRAINERS VERSUS PROFESSIONAL TRAINERS

This weekend I had some time to think and for many years now I have been touting the difference between Personal and Professional Trainers. 

I want your opinion on this topic and have provided some questions to prompt the discussion at the end of this post.

YES there is a very large difference.

And YES there is a place, need and time for both.

Let me explain what I classify each as being, then explore why both are needed in today’s fitness industry and economic times.

A Personal Trainer is someone who provides you with a myriad of workout programs.  Typically a Personal Trainer works for a fitness company or gym.  A Personal Trainer may start their role with that company as a “programmer” providing first time tours and equipment know how sessions.  Most “programmers” will provide you with a generic program to follow.  As a Personal Trainer you will often times get a more customized workout routine.  This is often part of a package provided after an in depth assessment and fitness tests.  Often times this will be your program and you may follow it long term with or without adjustment.  Personal Trainers as I mentioned work for a company, but are typically building their reputation and client list as well as results and confidence in the business.  Many Personal Trainers work on an hourly rotation.  You can often buy 1-144 hours of time with a Personal Trainer through your gym.  A Personal Trainer has a goal adjacent to yours.  Their own goals are to get you to your goal as fast as possible.  Often times they do this within 3-6 months.

A Professional Trainer provides a personalized approach to your results.  A Professional Trainer often times owns and operates their own private training studio or works with a team of Professional Trainers in a private facility, not your typical gym.  A Professional Trainer most often works on “sessions” sometimes just under or over an hour, ranging from 45-75 minutes, providing you with the best results workouts and services in mind.  A Professional Trainer will constantly research and review new knowledge and opportunities to enhance your results with a strong 3 pronged approach to nutrition, exercise and supplements.  Most Professional Trainers will suggest a time line in terms of months and days to your goals and offer you a training package tailored to fit those time lines and your budget.  Professional Trainers are typically flexible in the packages they can provide you as they are not bound by a corporate structure and bundle pricing.  A Professional Trainer has one goal and that is to get you the best results in the shortest possible time with a very intensive strategy and reducing that as you achieve your goals.  Some Professional Trainers will even work you OUT of the training studio and wean you off into a touch up or tune up phase, meeting every few weeks to months to keep you on track for life.

Both Personal and Professional Trainers are focused on your results.  Both trainers want you to provide referrals; it is the source of their lively hood.  Professional Trainers may have a stronger motivation to get referrals as they are independently supported and new blood is not driven to their doors like large gyms will do for Personal Trainers.  Both trainers will have access to amazing new nutrition, exercise and supplement strategies and products that you may not have knowledge of.  Both Personal and Professional Trainers will fast track you to your results, save you time and money wasted on useless exercises and products and workout theories.  Both Trainers will provide you with the means to achieve your goals faster and more effectively than you could ever do alone.

Now there is one more aspect I have not covered.  Personal and Professional Trainers will do one more thing equally well.  They will motivate you and keep you accountable to your goals and the strategy you have structured with them to achieve those goals in the time frame you have set them for.

Accountability is the main reasons why Personal and Professional Trainers are a huge asset in your armory of weapons in the war on fat loss and muscle building.

Now I will try to quickly explain why they are both needed in today’s fitness industry and economic times.

Personal Trainers are highly skilled, often times certified with one or more training organizations.  Many are required to take ongoing trainer education programs.  Personal Trainers are employed by a large gym and the first line of professionals the mass population of gym seekers are going.  Personal Trainers are often times less expensive than Professional Trainers, providing many more people with the option to get a trainer and test the waters on their way to results.

Professional Trainers are also highly skilled.  Most are certified with several training organizations and constantly taking more unique certification courses on top of and outside of the standard trainer certification and continuing education programs.  Professional Trainers are typically sought out by referrals of previous clients by existing gym goers looking for greater results and a new or unique experience or increased personalization and customization of services and products.  Professional Trainers do cost more, but if you ask me they are worth every penny.

The bottom line is BOTH Personal and Professional Trainers will help you achieve your goals and cut down on the time it takes to accomplish these goals.  Both will work within your time lines and your budget to achieve these goals and BOTH Personal and Professional Trainers are worth a lifetime of mistakes on your way to a transformed body.

Do you think that there is a difference between Personal and Professional Trainers?

Do you have a success story working with a Personal or Professional Trainer?

Are you a Personal or Professional Trainer?  If so, then post your opinions and let the world know who you are.

Go ahead and post your comments below.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Tags: challenge, Client Referrals, coaching, Custom, Custom Programs, Customer Fitness, Customized, fat loss, Personal Trainers, Personalization, Personalize, Personalized, Professional Trainers, Programs, Referrals, Transformation, transformation challenge