Would you consider yourself a stand out personal trainer? 

Do you get better results than the other personal trainers in your area? 

Do you provide more in the way of service, resources, and personal touches? 

Do you get more clients than all of the other trainers in your gym? 

Do you invest more money and time into improving your education?

Are you always on the hunt to read more, learn more, and be more? 

If you said YES to all of the above… well done!

You are already a great personal trainer!

If you said NO to at least one of the above questions, then there’s room for improvement…

In this article, I want to help you by sharing:

10 traits all great personal trainers share…

#1 All Great Personal Trainers Are Patient 

They understand that building a successful business takes time – “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” 

They know that it will take time to get to where they want to be and are in no rush to get there, whether it takes six months, one year, five years, or ten years! Patience is a virtue, and all great personal trainers have it in abundance. 

#2 All Great Personal Trainers Seek Order

They are organised and prepared. They organise themselves, their content, marketing, client files, personal life, self-development time, etc. 

Everything is planned to a tee, and they know exactly how each day is supposed to look. They also know that if they follow this system on repeat, that success is inevitable. 

#3 All Great Personal Trainers Accept No Excuses 

This goes for themselves and their clients. They take full accountability and remind their clients to do the same. THEY are responsible for the outcomes and take ownership of that responsibility. Remember, “you can have results or excuses, BUT not both.” – great personal trainers get results because they have no room for excuses! 

#4 All Great Personal Trainers Are Prepared

All great personal trainers are prepared for each and every day. They plan and are prepared for the long, medium, and short term. They break down their goals into yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily objectives, and they stick to the plan. 

Alongside personal preparation – all great personal trainers are extremely organised with their 1-1 clients, either using additional software such as ‘mind and body’ or old school methods where they’ll have ‘client folders’ set up on their computer with data such as a clients weight, before and after pics, training programmes, meal plans, training records, results, personal bests, etc.

#5 All Great Personal Trainers Do Not Show Off

Of course, they take pride in their work, BUT they don’t show off. They know that they are good at what they do, and they also know that other people know that too! They don’t need to be egotistical, they are professional and let their reputation do the talking. 

A great personal trainer is a ‘true professional’ and has ‘professional standards’ that they uphold. Their focus is on serving clients. This is why they can charge higher rates (£60+ per hour) and have the same level of respect as a doctor, lawyer or any other professional with lots of experience and a specific skill set that adds value to peoples lives.

#6 All Great Personal Trainers Become A Master Of Their Craft

Firstly, all great personal trainers are qualified and usually have at least a level 3 personal training diploma – Check out HFE’s certified personal trainer courses if you’re interested in becoming a qualified PT. Becoming qualified is the first step to building a successful career as a personal trainer. On top of the basic qualifications…

The best coaches attend additional courses multiple times per year, always trying to level up their coaching skills. They will attend sports science courses, nutritional seminars, and listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and read books to become more highly skilled in their trade. 

It takes 10,000 hours to become a master of your craft, all great personal trainers have spent at least 10,000 studying, and have completed 10,000 one to one coaching sessions – that’s when you can call yourself a master! 

#7 All Great Personal Trainers Do No Hesitate To Ask For Help

They stay humble and reach out to other experts. It’s impossible to know it all! Therefore they remain grounded and always seek to learn more from people who know more than them. 

If they struggle with business, they hire a business coach, if they struggle with something specific concerning anatomy or nutrition…guess what? They go an ask for help until they gain complete clarity and have the answers they need to know. 

If you’re a personal trainer with less than 3 years experience then I’d recommend picking up my ebook The Ultimate Guide To Building Your Personal Training Business – it’s 85 pages of knowledge to help you get a full diary of paying clients and take your business to new heights!

I would also recommend following people like:

• Mark Coles
• Phil Graham
• Phil Learney
• Ben Coomber

#8 All Great Personal Trainers Endure Adversity 

They know that storms will arrive. There will be financial challenges, personal issues, and client obstacles to overcome. They prepare for these in advance and deal with them head-on when they arrive. They are pragmatic and take action, flipping negative situations in positives. 

#9 All Great Personal Trainers Recognise Their Limitations 

Great personal trainers are fantastic at getting people in shape, and they stick to what they are good at and most passionate about improving. 

When it comes to their limitations, they outsource, paying experts for help, and building systems to save time, and improve the efficiency of their business, so that they can continue to improve their strongest asset and stand out from the crowd. 

#10 All Great Personal Trainers Don’t Quit 

Clients will cancel on you last minute. People will pay late. Personal issues arise. The economy can crash at any moment. There will be days when you feel tired, flat, and demotivated. All great personal trainers ride the waves of life and NEVER QUIT. They take ownership and get back up after every knockdown. 

Thanks for reading,

Nick Screeton (Founder of LEP Fitness & Personal Trainer Business Academy)