CAREER LONGEVITY
Top Tips for Gym Instructors: A Return to the Basics
After taking a 20-year hiatus, I recently returned to the fitness industry by volunteering as a Gym Floor Assistant at a Sports and Aquatic Centre. I wanted to get involved, be connected and help others within the community, and to reignite my long-standing passion for health and fitness. The result has been a renewed interest in this industry; in particular, the type of members and different demographics that present with a range of health conditions. This undertaking has also reminded me about the importance of personalisation and getting to know your members.
Members thrive on encouragement and appreciate you taking the time to listen to their needs. As a volunteer, I certainly do have the time and am amazed at my findings in regard to the needs of each individual I interact with. Their stories are teaching me what the gym industry should be prioritising when instructing their clients, and what I’ve realised is that the core of what the gym instructor needs to acknowledge is that no two individuals are the same!
Following are 17 basic tips that can help gym instructors succeed in their role
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01
Welcome people when they arrive. -
02
Make it your duty to know people's names and remember a thing or two about that individual and acknowledge them at every visit. -
03
Remind members that YOU are there to support them, and that they should never hesitate to ask if they need assistance, advice or guidance. -
04
Enquire about their progress and always offer encouragement. -
05
Seek out their level of satisfaction, their goal attainability and invite feedback about their training program; and respond accordingly.
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06
Listen to their questions and provide an answer. You can always provide a brief answer and let them know that you have some interesting reading on that topic. Ask them, ‘Would you like to read it’? This approach works well if you have time constraints, but also shows you are going the extra mile for them. It shows that you care about them, their goals, their interests and their success. -
07
Inform members about the value of setting small achievable goals (i.e., micro-goals), and how achieving these will help keep them moving towards their end-goal. -
08
Encourage members to write down their micro-goals and set a deadline for each one. Doing so will help them stay focused, on track and accountable to themselves.
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09
Throughout their journey, seeing improvements is the greatest reward. Equally valuable however, is accumulating knowledge during the journey. You don't have to use industry jargon or technical terminology, but members will benefit from knowing how and why they are going to train different muscles in a certain way. -
10
Offer information about nutrition and how this plays a very important role in gaining positive results. -
11
Explain to your members about the process of muscle repair and rebuilding, so that they can fulfil their strength potential and minimise the risk of injury. -
12
Explain how personal training can assist goal achievement and speed up progress. -
13
Where possible, encourage members to train smarter/efficiently, rather than harder.
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14
Encourage members to avoid injury by resting muscles after they have been worked. -
15
Explain to members how tricking their muscles into working differently (i.e., intentionally changing your workout routine by altering the exercise variations, movement patterns, or resistance levels to challenge your muscles in new ways). This is often referred to as 'muscle confusion', and serves to stimulate muscle growth by preventing adaptation to a single exercise pattern. This strategy also eliminates training boredom for members. -
16
Implement guidelines and tangible measurements, as these things will help make members accountable for their progress. -
17
ALWAYS follow up when you say you will.
Elevating the level of care and empathy you offer will result in happier members and higher retention. You may even find that there will be an increase in referrals.
Gail Cresswell-Dawson
Gail specialises in helping clients achieve weight loss, functional and optimal training, and body transformation goals. Her personal mission is to always be the best version of herself as she helps others achieve the same for themselves.
