How to Gain Confidence as a Personal Trainer

Starting a career as a personal trainer is no easy feat.

It can be extremely daunting to take on your first few clients, as their health and wellbeing will be directly in your hands. At the same time, it’s incredibly important to exude confidence when working as a personal trainer so that your clients also feel safe and reassured. 

Just like fitness goals, confidence can take a while to build. It might be a good idea to approach this challenge in the same way you approach your clients’ fitness goals, which is by developing a plan. To improve your confidence in the first few months and years of your personal training career, try following the handy tips below. 

What It Takes to Become a Personal Trainer​

To build your confidence as a personal trainer, you’ll need to have the right background. This means developing some experience in the personal training world and obtaining the right education.

Build experience with the help of family and friends

It’s not always possible to land a personal training gig straight away, especially if you’re not certified yet. One way to start building experience right at the start of your career is to train family or friends for free. This will allow you to work with people of different ages and abilities, giving you a chance to learn how to tailor your exercise programs to their unique needs. Your friends and family can also provide candid feedback on your training style so that you can approach future clients with greater confidence.  

Learn from seasoned professionals

If you know a professional personal trainer, you might be able to sit in on one of their sessions (with the consent of their clients, of course). This will give you a glimpse into the training style and self-assuredness of a professional trainer. You can even ask them to observe your sessions and provide constructive criticism so you can learn and grow.  

Develop the required knowledge and skills

Finally, you’ll want to look into some personal training courses to become certified and solidify your confidence. After all, knowledge is power, and there’s nothing more empowering than having the required education. 

Getting certified means more than just having a piece of paper to show off. It’s about knowing what you’re talking about when clients ask you complex questions, understanding exercise programming, and developing tailored training programs with complete confidence. 

Plus, an accredited personal training course will also get you up to speed with human anatomy, safe practices, exercise science, and motivation techniques. With all this real-world knowledge under your belt, you will have far more confidence when working with clients to address their goals and challenges. 

How to Upskill as a Personal Trainer

To feel empowered and get started as a personal trainer, you’ll need at least a SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness. If you’re still after more knowledge and confidence, you could also consider studying a Diploma of Sport and Recreation Management or our Complete Personal Training Course.