A personal trainer can be defined as an individual with a qualification which shows that they have attained a recognised level of competence for designing and delivering effective and safe exercise programmes for people of obvious health and fitness levels or those with access to medical consent to exercise.
The personal trainer certificate, which is obtained after a specified number of hours training in the relevant area is the most common of these certifications. However there are other certifications which may be required by some state bodies and it is always preferable to check with the relevant authorities as to which personal trainer certification is the most appropriate in your case.
Personal trainers can be divided into two categories, one of them being public and the other private. Public fitness trainers are usually employed by gyms and sports clubs and are responsible for the design and delivery of fitness training programs for a wide range of people. This may include weight loss, muscle building, aerobic exercise and rehabilitation.
Private personal trainers on the other hand may work for themselves and set up individual sessions with clients for specific goals, including weight loss or fat management. The personal trainer certificate acquired after a certain amount of training within the relevant field should then be cross verified against certain standards set out by national or international agencies to ensure competency.
One of the main roles of a personal trainer would be to design and execute a well structured fitness program for their clients. The exercise programmes could be tailored to achieve specific goals such as increasing strength, improving flexibility or stamina or achieving peak performance in an area such as running or swimming.
The programmes should be monitored and instructions provided for every exercise session by the personal trainer with feedback given via text message or phone call. It is very important that all goals are met by the programme so that the client is able to reach his or her full fitness potential and achieve the maximum possible degree of fitness improvement. As the client exercises and works out more the fitness improvements will show but it is also important that the clients are still allowed some off days to allow them to recover.