Qualities of a Personal Trainer

My previous client has terminated with me after a grueling 10 months or so due to personal reasons... but he will resume next year! Too bad no pictures to show his Before and After picture. Initially, his goal was to pass chin-ups. As easy as 1, 2, 3... from a Zero-Fighter (zero chin-ups), he progressed to a few. This is nothing. He has lost about 5 kilos (he is not fat in the first place, just need to gain some muscle mass and reduce his BF%). Most importantly, I think what I'm most proud of is that he look so much better now. Even under his T-shirt and Jeans, his friends are commenting that he look better now. I am glad that his hardwork pays off, and I wish him all the best in the future and continues to train on his own... which he promised. The area that I can improve on would be his diet. He has followed every training program, but diet-wise, I think that I should have done a better job on this. But overall, I am glad that his training pays off!

I have got a new client now, in his 30s. Some background information about him, he has very good eating habits. Oats and banana in the morning for sustained energy for his work as he needs to raise his voice a lot, so ya, a good breakfast is very important for him. Lunch, he always eat soupy stuffs and avoid oily food. Dinner he cut down on carbs. I am glad when i hear this, because I need not educate him on nutrition. Well, he is a smart guy, he knows better. But, he failed in the area of exercise. He only ran once a week, and each time around 20min. Surprisingly, he is still pretty average size due to his good eating habits. But now, he knows he needs to do something about his lifestyle. His goal is to be able to complete a marathon... a 42.2km marathon. Nothing is impossible. Currently the longest he ever covered is 3.2km, and that nearly took his breath away. After only 4 sessions with him, I have seen improvement in speed as well as stamina. His training will be focused mainly on cardiovascular, but also some elements of resistance training to strengthen his lower body. Upper body is not neglected as well. He is lacking of motivation, and I hope that in this area I can do something about it.

Qualities of a Personal Trainer in my opinion:

1. The most basic, the PT himself must have the passion for health and fitness.
2. They must be knowledgeable, and use these knowledge into practice.
3. They must be a role-model in mind, body and action to his client.
4. They must have good communication skills, can you imagine 1 or 2 hours of silence and just training? eeww... this will just bore the hell out of anyone.
5. They must help clients achieve the results they expect in the shortest possible time, but at the same time, ensure the the training is progressive so as to not lead to over-exertion.
6. They must know how to make the training interesting and fun but yet effective.
7. They must be responsible for the client.
8. They must constantly update themselves, and learn from others as well. Nobody in this world knows everything!
9. They must be able to put themselves in the shoes of the client
10. Lastly, they must inspire!