Awareness about a healthy lifestyle has increased the demand for gym memberships, group and personal trainers and also the choice of workout.

UAE’s growing interest in staying fit and healthy has opened a host of opportunities for people who are interested in pursuing a career in fitness. But is it really simple to become a personal trainer in the UAE? Besides a lot of physical training, anatomy study, training courses, etc., here are some key skills which could make your journey to becoming a certified personal trainer easier and worthwhile.

• Continuous Learning:

As a personal trainer, you are likely to meet people from diverse backgrounds, and with various body-types, the ability to decide what plan will work for which client is something that requires a good knowledge about fitness, fitness equipment, trends, and nutrition. While on the job, you will be expected to be the expert. To establish this you will need to continuously stay abreast of the latest progress in the industry so that you can give the best possible advice and guidance to your clients.

• Excellent Communication Skills:

Excellent communication skills is more or less a necessity in any career you choose, and personal trainer is no different. The primary skill is effective listening. Lending ears to your clients, actively involving in conversation to demonstrate your empathy will give you insights about them.

The ability to articulate what you want to communicate in precise terms and in a friendly tone is another essential factor. This will come in handy to inform your clients of their current fitness level and the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of the fitness program that you will chalk out for them.

• Power of Persuasion:

Being able to convince people of a certain workout regimen or a particular diet is not an easy thing. Your power of persuasion will play a significant role in this aspect. Identifying what angle of conversation works with the client and leveraging it to explain why a plan is essential for them will be of advantage.

• Interpersonal Skills:

Your success in the field of fitness depends highly on the rapport that you can build with your clients and the trust that you are able to foster with them. If your clients have complete faith in you as their personal trainer, they are more likely to follow your instructions, and you will be able to do wonders with their health and fitness.

• Flexibility:

Fitness doesn’t follow the rule of ‘one-size-fits-all’. As a personal trainer, flexibility to change the style of training or the fitness plan as and when required is crucial. Knowing when to push and show tough love as well as when to mellow down and be supportive is important. There may also be instances where your fitness plan might not be working at all, being acutely aware of such situations and the ability to change things for the better will be your saving grace.

• Perseverance:

The work of a personal trainer is a demanding one and may, at times test your physical endurance and patience. Developing the quality of perseverance will help you not only to take care of your health but also to work through the toughest times and clients.

Aside from focussing on your own fitness and acing in your training certifications, these softer skills will prove to be the edge that you will have over other trainers in this growing industry. As you develop and specialize in these skills, you will be able to get better results from your training programs and sell your services better through your satisfied clients!