Take workshops.
Visit websites like ptonthenet.com and acefitness.org.  Various workshops are usually offered throughout the year.
You can also find workshops offered locally at health clubs in your area. Workshops offer practical experience
whether it is working with different muscles or working with different age groups.

Buy books and/or DVD's.
Go to the book store. You will find several books that explain a variety of exercises. Find ones with photographs
that display the exercise. Choose books that show you workouts you can use with beginners or whichever target
market you will be working for.  You can also find DVD's with various workouts.

Get a job in a health club.
Health clubs are great training grounds for new personal trainers. Watch the more experienced trainers at work
and remember one or two exercises that they do. Ask them to show you one of their favorite training exercises.
Health clubs will also train you in sales
and you will get alot of practice gaining sales skills. And let's face it, you can't train
unless you sell your services first. You can also spend lots of time in the health club (since you get the free
membership) trying out all the machines and practicing
exercises which will build your confidence.








Write out a standard workout session for a beginning client.
Most of your first time clients will be people who are new to exercise, who have never worked with a trainer or who
haven't exercised for a long time (or perhaps never!). Put together 7 or 8 standard exercises that workout each of
the major muscle groups: upper body, lower body, core and flexibility. Add an 8-10 minute cardio warmup at the
start of the weight training. Be aware that you may have to modify some of these according to the individual needs
of the client you are working with at the time. So, for example, have some alternate exercises available for people
who have bad knees, people who are obese, or for older people with limitations. Don't forget to take assessments
in the beginning which should include health history, any injuries the client may have, any medications they are
taking and a fitness assessment to determine their weaknesses. Also measure their body fat percentage and
discuss healthy eating. Finish off by asking them to list their fitness goals.

Practice on a friend.
Now take your standard workout session and practice it on a friend. You will find this run-thru very valuable.

Learn to listen.
As a personal trainer you are really a coach. People come to personal training sometimes as a last resort or
because of doctor's orders. They are usually unhealthy physically and then as a result they are also not healthy
emotionally. Becoming a good coach and listener just takes practice. Learn to listen for what the client is asking for
and addressing those needs.

Find out what is your niche.
Every trainer has something special to offer someone. Are you good with older people? Do you have experience
losing alot of weight yourself? Have you overcome an illness through working out? Can you offer yoga training to
help people with flexibility?  Do you know how to especially work with women who have just had children? Find out
what it is that is special about your training and then tell people how you can help them!

Learning to be a Personal Trainer

Once you have your certification you have to learn how to actually train people! When you get certified through ACE, for example, you can study a book and pass a test and be certified. But how do you get the practical experience?