Fitness motivation is at the core of personal training. If you don’t have it as a PT, your clients won’t get the best results - worse yet, they probably won’t hire you again. But let’s be honest. Maintaining personal training motivation can be difficult.
If you have personal stress, are physically drained, or are just disinterested, you may subconsciously sabotage your client’s training. We’re all human, and we all lose motivation sometimes. But as a PT, it’s your responsibility to maintain your own motivation.
To help you find personal training motivation when you lose it, try the ideas below.
Let Clients Motivate You
Your clients hired you for a reason. Learning about their story and goals will allow you to create fitness programs that could have a real impact on your client’s lives. But sometimes we forget about the bigger picture and get caught up in day-to-day routines.
So, if you’re feeling unmotivated before a training session, ask these three ‘whys’:
- Why is your client training? E.g., They want to reach a fitness goal.
- Why do they want to reach that goal? E.g., They want to be able to keep up with their kids.
- Why are you there? E.g., You can help them achieve that goal.
When you focus on why you and your client are there in that moment, you’ll realise the importance of your role. After that, personal training motivation will come naturally.
Tip: If your client’s story inspires you, share that with them. That’s empowering feedback for them to hear and will reinforce the value of what they’re working towards.
Refresh Your Frame of Mind
Life gets busy sometimes and we all have a lot on our minds. It can be hard putting your personal life out of your mind so you can focus on your job, especially when there are stressful things going on. While it’s possible to go through the motions, not being fully present in your work will drain your motivation.
Practising mindfulness can help clear your mind, leaving you with more energy for finding meaning in your work. Take a couple of minutes before a training session to step outside and be alone. You can sit down and focus on your breathing, or go for a walk.
Especially if you train in a gym, finding time to meditate or just take a break will help you refresh and declutter your mind. That way, when you meet with your next client, your fitness motivation won’t be bogged down by heavy thoughts.
Tip: You can do simple breathing exercises anywhere. Just breathe in, hold, then exhale and hold. Focus completely on your breathing to help quiet your mind.
Continue Learning
The fastest way to lose motivation is to repeat something. It’s the same in PT. If your training sessions with clients are too similar, then it’s a lot easier to lose your personal training motivation.
Learning and evolving the fitness programs you provide is energising. It keeps you on your toes and lets you offer a more customised approach to each client’s training sessions. And by changing and adding in new exercises when appropriate, your clients will face new challenges that can increase their fitness motivation too.
If you’re looking for professional learning in your PT journey, consider enrolling in a Health and Fitness Course with AIPT. We’ll teach you the skills you need to excel as a PT - and even start your own business.
If you’re a seasoned personal trainer, you can continue your learning with our article on How to Set Yourself Apart as a Personal Trainer.