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Welcome to episode five of Aim Higher, this week Victoria Brookes from South Yorkshire shares her experiences of her first year in the industry as a self employed personal trainer. Starting anything for the first time is not easy but it is always possible if you give it your full attention You will make mistakes along the way, this is part of the learning process, you will learn a lot from your mistakes as you go that will make you a better trainer each day.
Tell us about yourself; who you are, where you live, your personal training business
My name is Victoria Brookes and I am currently working as a personal trainer at The Gym Group in Doncaster. My personal training business currently consists of 11 clients at 15 sessions a week.
How did you start out in the industry?
I first started personal training in January 2017 but whilst I was studying for the level 3 qualification I worked in the gym from November 2016 as a level 2 fitness instructor. I also did promotional work such as leafletting in my spare time to help spread the word for the opening of the gym.
What challenges have you faced during your career?
The first challenge I faced was lack of experience, I was a novice in the industry and I hadn’t worked on the gym floor before, never mind building a business from scratch. I overcame my challenges by putting a plan in place, setting goals such as spending so many hours a day in the gym, getting creative with challenges to build report with members and using my best customer service skills to convert gym members to clients.
How has your personal training career changed since you started?
My career has changed immensely, I have gained more experience and knowledge in personal training which has helped me become a better PT. I have also become wiser to potential personal and business opportunities, such as expanding my services outside of the gym and creating a well branded group session which has promoted myself and my business.
What do you enjoy about the industry?
The job satisfaction is very high, the more work you put in to it, the more you gain. I love being in the gym and leading the classes where I get to meet new members and see the improvements of regular gym goers that attend my classes. Also, from the personal training side of things, seeing your clients progress strength to strength has got to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the job!
What’s the best advice you could give to our future students?
Learning about your passion and going on to working in it is something that not many people can say they get to do, take every opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the industry and about the business side of personal training, as well as the practical side. Also, listen to podcasts, buy books, and always trial different approaches on yourself before you begin to apply them to clients, that way you will know how they feel, what they should expect and the advice you will be able to give them will be the foundation of their progress.
During your first year as a Personal Trainer you can see that from Victoria’s post, every day you will meet new challenges while you learn how to be a successful trainer. Vicky as very importantly highlighted customer service as a highly important skill that all personal trainers need to learn. We have all had bad customer service experiences at some point in our lives and in personal training a bad experience could lead to a lost client or lost opportunity.
Our courses offer flexible study options so that you can continue to earn and learn. You can also choose to take part in our twelve week Trainee program, learning how to be a successful trainer in a commercial gym as you work and study. If you would like to learn more about our Diploma in Fitness Instructing & Personal Training, please take time and visit our website. If you would like any questions answering please contact us and our enrolment team will be in touch.
Paul Dunn
Founder & Tutor
#AimHigher with #PTSkills
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