I’ve been coaching for almost seven years.
In that time, I have learned a lot through research and certifications, by watching others, and via lots of experience.
Yesterday I had lunch with another Atlanta trainer who is in the process of opening his own space. He’s moving on because the environment he’s currently in has become toxic for his own development.
There are other trainers at his current gym who constantly break three rules that “should be” a given:
1. Start and finish on time.
2. Stay off your cell phone during sessions.
3. Don’t sleep/flirt with your clients.
Is that stuff obvious? I think so.
But are those rules violated in gyms every day? Absolutely.
Now I’m not recommending that every trainer out there who finds her/himself in a less than ideal situation goes out and opens her/his own gym. TRUST.
I’ve been on both sides of the gym-owner or trainer-renting-space scenarios and there are pros and cons to each.
BUT, I do recommend you work every day on improving your coaching skills.
One of my distance-coaching clients is beginning the process to become a coach at his gym. He just emailed me to ask for advice. Beyond the obvious stuff above, here’s what I told him:
1) Respect your clients and your position as coach.
This is not about your ego. It’s about the client.
How can you help them get better with every session?
2) LEARN! If you don’t already have a good grasp of exercise science, LEARN IT.
Study every day. Read. Watch videos. Observe other coaches. Put yourself in environments where continuing education is encouraged. Learn through experience. Don’t learn it all from one source. And never stop learning.
Learn as much as you can, FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES.
Dictionary.com (with help from me) defines dogma as “a specific tenet or doctrine authoritatively laid down, as by a church TRAINER/COACH”.
The world of exercise is full of dogmatic beliefs.
Don’t just take what your favorite coach says as gospel. Learn from them AND learn it for yourself. Explore new ideas constantly.
Coaches, what’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
~In strength,
Lis Saunders
IG @lissmash
USA Powerlifting Club Coach
Georgia Tech Barbell Club Coach
Former CrossFit & boot camp & youth cheerleading coach
Eight years coaching experience
