Five Areas to Specialise in as a Personal Trainer

Are you working as a personal trainer and want to find new areas to specialise in? Know how to become a personal trainer but now want to branch out and find new ways to connect with clients?

In this article, we’ll go through five key areas you could explore and specialise in your career as a personal trainer and walk you through the qualifications and skills you’ll need to succeed. 

When starting out as a certified personal trainer, whether you’re self-employed, working for a gym or fitness centre, or running training sessions part-time, there are always ways you can improve your skill set in order to build a career as a successful personal trainer.

Picking an area to specialise in can give you a chance to give new clients or market to potential clients your unique offerings as a fitness professional. Whether it’s using your skills to set up a specific training programme that’s focused on conditioning and strength training, helping clients with mental health and wellness issues they face, or providing them with a diet plan that can reduce the risk of obesity or help with weight loss, there are many routes you can choose on your career path within the fitness industry.

You’ll be able to offer your personal training clients in-person or online courses that go beyond just physical activity that fully meets their fitness goals and aims.

Personal trainers should be equipped to work with clients of all ages and all abilities. With that in mind, learning how to become a prenatal personal trainer, as well as one that can offer post natal training as well, can open up your client base to a whole new demographic. 

Many pregnant women will be keen to stay in shape and stay healthy during pregnancy but may be unsure of the specific advice and guidance they should follow when exercising at that time. They may want the answer to questions like, ‘Can you go to the gym when pregnant’ or, ‘Can I exercise when pregnant’. The answer is yes. However, specialist guidance may be necessary. 

Exploring personal training courses that feature modules on how to deliver personal training for pregnancy and for post-pregnancy can be a great way to add a string to your bow as a personal trainer. Instead of having to take a nine-month or longer break with your client, you can maintain high-quality, tailored training throughout their pregnancy and during the postnatal period.

Yoga can be an excellent area of specialisation for personal trainers. Not only can it be an excellent tool for mental health, but it can also form a part of a well-rounded and effective exercise plan. 

Becoming qualified in this area can be great for personal trainers who are working with those that are new to exercising regularly and want to improve mobility, as well as older clients who are keen to maintain or improve their mobility. 

If you want to explore yoga teacher training options, you can explore personal training courses that feature modules on yoga and how to lead yoga sessions as a personal trainer. Explore courses to find the best online yoga teacher training for you and upskill in this exciting area of fitness.

Although personal training typically focuses on the physical aspects of health, becoming qualified in mental health can also be a good idea for personal trainers who want to specialise in more areas. 

Becoming a personal trainer for mental health means that you can offer a better service to clients who are struggling with mental health issues or are using fitness and exercise as a way to manage any issues they might be facing. In fact, GPs can even prescribe exercise as a way to manage depression effectively. 

If you want to specialise in this area, explore personal training courses that feature modules on mental health and how knowledge about mental health can be applied in a training setting.

Although many people are aware of the basics of personal training, they might be unaware of the higher levels of exercise and training that can be provided. So, what is strength and conditioning, and why should personal trainers specialise in this area?

This specialism focuses on building up muscle and overall strength whilst reducing the risk of injury. For most typical gym goers, this level of training may be optional, but for those who are competing in sports that rely heavily on strength, such as powerlifting, rugby, or other physically demanding sports. 

To become a strength and conditioning coach, you’ll need to explore specialist personal training courses that focus on developing your skills and knowledge in this area.

Nutrition and exercise go hand in hand, as both are vital when it comes to maintaining your overall health. With this in mind, personal trainers should consider this as an area to specialise in if they want to help their clients improve every aspect of their health. 

Understanding nutrition can accelerate your personal training career and give clients an additional reason to trust them with their physical condition. Becoming qualified in this area also gives you a chance to pivot and become a nutritionist full-time if you want to change the focus of your career. 

Keen to add nutrition to your personal training CV? Nutrition courses can give you an understanding of how nutrition and personal training work together and how you can help clients make the best decisions when it comes to food health. If you’re keen to brush up on your other personal training skills, some personal training courses feature modules on nutrition and can show you how to practically apply your knowledge in a personal training environment.