Personal Training : Professional and Personal Relations

As a personal trainer and someone who works alongside personal trainers,it has been found that the job of training people to be in better physical health becomes more than sets, reps, and intervals. Clients begin to see trainers as friends and people who are in their support group. Just like coaching, personal training is difficult without a level of trust, communication, and accountability. As time goes on, and a relationship builds between the client and trainer, they almost can’t resist talking about their job, family, and personal problems going on in their lives. The client feels a sense of trust  from the time spent together and not to mention the fact that they have opened up about their self image and bodily insecurities. 1When clients begin to vent about work or whatever stresses they have, trainers listen to them because they feel their job is to help alleviate stress through exercise and release endorphins, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters.

2The issue that comes up with letting clients, who are mostly females, vent and confide in their trainers, who are mostly males, is getting too close or involved with clients. Trainers should stay away from giving input or speaking on relationship problems clients bring up and keep the relationship professional and not put themselves in the middle of the clients personal relationships. 3 This instance can happen both ways when trainers try to get involved with clients outside of work or try to trade off sessions for dates with a client, which is unprofessional and can potentially lose clientele and create a bad reputation for that trainer. What the trainer should do is avoid the situation if it gets too personal and if it continues to be brought up, communicate with the client about keeping the relationship professional. Clients should be reminded that the trainer’s  job is to support fitness goals and help in any way possible with nutrition and workouts to help them achieve those goals.

References

1. Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress. (2012, July 21). Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469

2.Personal Trainer Salary Statistics as of 2013. (2013, January 1). Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://jobstat.net/jobs/personal-trainer/

3.CONFESSORE, N. (2005, April 14). When a Personal Trainer Gets Too Personal. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E0DC133EF937A25757C0A9639C8B63