Why do trainer's feel like they have to be a jack of all trades? Looking for a trainer on here within a niche' to refer to.

I'm going to make this short, sweet, and to the point.

The first step to true success is defining your ninche!

David

Rachel, great question? I look at it this way, perhaps most Fitness trainers are what i would call "general practitioners" would you agree? Most Trainers have a rudimentary knowledge of the human body and how it functions (biomechanics) not to mention, priciples of physics(forces). Do you differentiate between conditioning and performance? For me if you are talking about conditioning? You mus have an understanding of the human body and all the biology and psychology applies to everyone. If it is performance? a specialty is crucial, as a goalk keeping coach in soccer, people pay me for my expertice of that particular position and yet i coach an entire team as well as coaches. Hope it helps? but i also feel your frustration.

Louie - nice to know I am not alone in my frustration. Makes me a little less frustrated. And a little more hopeful I might actually get this network together some day.

I absolutely differentiate between conditioning and performance. That's a whole other issue I think....don't get me started.

My education is in Physical Therapy and I have a strong biomechanics background. But, that is not what I "specialize" in. Those to me are just tools to be even better at what I do specialize in. My niche is women 30-50 who are moms or have careers or both. They still want an awesome body, but, don't know how to put themselves first. That is what I am great at. That is what I can serve the best at.

Do I use my education and skills with these people even though they are not injured. Absolutely. My women lose body fat faster than any other trainers around here. Why? Because I movement screen each and every person and use corrective exercise to make them move and function their very best. Moving properly has better metabolic after burn. They look better faster because all of their postural issues get cleaned up. They don't get side lined from workouts due to injury. Consistency is key. All of education is part of that consistency.

Can I see other types of clients. Yep. I actually have a few that refuse to go anywhere else. I have a 78 year old hand ball player/golfer. Do I do a great job with him? Yes. Would someone else do better. Probably. Why? I have committed myself to being the very best at my niche. I am extremely passionate about it. Am I extremely passionate about the handball player? I care very much about him, but, I am not passionate about working with handball players or golfers.

I am very clear about my passion and who I can best serve. I just wish that I could find others in my area that weren't afraid to differentiate themselves so that I could send them lots of clients that I don't work with.

When I started out 20 years ago, I was in a large, upscale gym. The bottom line, at the time, was to make as much money as possible, so I focused on developing a very broad knowledge base, so I'd be able to work with any prospect. I think this mentality persists today; trainers don't specialize because they feel it may limit their income. In fact, the opposite is true. If trainers do not specify who their niche market is, it is very difficult to differentiate themselves from the next trainer.

For example, let's say that two trainers each want to work with female tennis players. One develops marketing for 'female tennis players' while the other markets to '25 to 40 year old female tennis players competing in league play.' Who will have an easier time targeting her market?

Even in a big-box gym, trainers can effectively specialize. Here's a quick how-to. Talk to the membership reps. Learn who the gym's largest demographic is. (30-40 year old women? 25-30 year old bodybuilders?) Choose a specific niche within that large demographic who you'd really like to work with, then communicate that to the membership reps, or whomever it is that assigns clients to trainers. Let them know that you are specializing in only that market, and that you'd prefer to let other trainers have the prospects who don't fit the niche. When you do get a new prospect, be sure to contact her in advance and invite her to bring a friend to her first session as a bonus. Last, bring enthusiasm to the session, and make them feel like they're your only clients.

Specialize your niche until you can''t get any more specific!

Best wishes,

Andrew

I support Joanne's view on this question as far as scope of practice is related to specialties.

However, as far as marketing goes, by selecting specialities on this portal in particular, it in no way means that I am the best or even FULLY qualified to educate others in these areas. I think that in this industry you'll find that experience and knowledge can outpay you considerably as compared to formal education. That trend seems to be changing, but I think that the majority of people who select specialties on fitness connect would agree with me in that they select these specialities as a way of letting others know that they have some personal experience in those areas, and that those areas are areas that they, as fitness professionals, are interested in.

In a perfect world, yes, every specialty chosen or advertised is backed up by a certification or a license, but for purposes of finding clients that are good matches, and allowing clients to choose a trainer with common interests, people often choose specialties based on personal experience rather than formal education. I think it works out well that way.

As far as being jacks of all trades fitness, I think any trainer worth his/her salt will know at least something about most areas of fitness. At a minimum, a trainer should have a good network of other fitness and health professionals from which he/she can learn. This network is also great for referring a client to others who will be able to further that client's needs.

Hello Rachel,
Great Question! What could have been one persons' "niche" or "specialty" in thier scope of CPT may change over the years. Many factors come into play, the once popular "niche" may not be as popular today or it has been renamed or repackaged.

A person might move to another facility or state and have to change their style or learn a new specialty to make a living. Or simply to grow, better themselves, as a CPT and learn new training methods and excel in their profession.

Sincerely,
Michael

With over 30 years in the industry you feel that I should just be addressing one niche of fitness. That would drive me up the walls. You want to know my "niche"? I can meet with almost any client and determine a safe, effective, and enjoyable program for virtually any need they should have. About 90 percent of the time, clients come to me for a specific issue or focus and find out that there is a completely unnoticed issue that has been holding them back from achieving their goals. My "niche" is striving to gain a comprehensive understanding of human movement, health, and wellness (including mental and spiritual). I spend at least one hour a day learning something new and one hour a day reviewing something that I want to make part of my skills and abilities. If you are looking for a fitness instructor with a specific set of skills and abilities that they feel very confident in being able to bring to your program, ask them about it. I would more concerned with a trainer who only feels confident in working with only one type of client. How little experience that type of trainer must have to be so restricted in scope. In some markets, there is enough need to be able to "specialize". But why? Why be stagnant? Why not grow?

I do not believe that we are jacks of ALL trades, but I also do not believe that we should stubbornly stick to our 'specialty'. I like to think of myself as a trainer who has trained enough older adults and people with special medical concern, that this has become me 'specialty'. That does not mean that I cannot or do not want train a younger healthy person (in fact, it's a welcome break).

However, for me it means that I recommend that a person look for another trainer if the potential client is a child or a teenager. I have also never trained a woman who is pregnant or who is post-partum, and since I have never been pregnant myself, I would refer out.

I also do not consider myself the best trainer for a competitive athlete; but that issue never arises because I would probably not be their first choince anyway.

I do not see your distinction between men's and women's fitness that I would consider those to be individual specialties (except as stated in the case of pregnancy).

Definition of Specialize - devote oneself to an area of interest. You can't devote yourself to both men and women. To devote is to be dedicated.

You may not be a jack of all trades trainer that I speak of. I don't know.

If you have a niche or specialty I am not saying you can't train outside of that. You certainly can't be the best of the best if you are training lots of different types of clients for all different reasons.

Maybe IDEA needs to call it services instead of specialty. I feel like people are checking every box because they are afraid to exclude themselves.

I believe you can best service your clients and yourself if you honor what you are great at and don't fear sending clients that you could be good at training to someone who would be great at training them. Trainers are a dime a dozen. If you want to set yourself apart and work in this field with passion for a long time, you will burn yourself out training whoever seems like they might be fun to train.

I believe you should strive to become the very best at the specific thing that you do. I find that the majority of trainers (at least in my area) fear niches because they won't fill their time. That is the exact mindset that will keep your schedule from being the way that you want it.

As far as the man/woman training goes. If your niche is injuries...of course you wouldn't call men or women a specialty. Unless you really had a paired down niche like women's knee injuries or something like that. If you specialize in women does it mean you can't train a man sometimes....NO. Just don't call them both your "specialty". You can't be the best at both. Training men is a completely different then women. Mentally and physically. I am one who believes that women can bulk up though too, so that may be another debate.

If you want your biz to soar - niche. Refer clients out that you are not 100% passionate about. Then you know exactly who your peeps are and major leverage.

If your dog (labrador retriever) needs medical care who would you rather have treat him..... Vet A who sees only labs. Vet B who sees all kinds of dogs or Vet C who Sees large animals but treats a dog here and there.

I agree with Karin. I specialize in working with female athletes on strength and conditioning and injury prevention. I've taken special training in this area and am certified as such. However, I started my career as a general personal trainer and to this day still LOVE working with clients of all types and with differing fitness goals. To my mind, to "specialize" is to have a special interest in, to have special training in, and to devote a significant part of your practice to... I analogize this to the medical profession. For example an oncologist may have a large portion of her practice dedicated to a certain cancer type, but at the same time see patients with other types of growths. Or a general surgeon... you get the idea.

I love my work with female athletes, and in general women's health and fitness, but I have seen plenty of male clients, and helped them achieve a wide-variety of fitness goals (e.g. a Marine pass his fitness test, an older male client continue post-rehab work after back surgery, a teen-aged hockey player etc). While I love my "specialty" work, I also enjoy variety, and that's one of the reasons I chose this profession.

LaRue, MHA, JD, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
lecfitness@yahoo.com

Rachel, this industry needs more passionate PT's and FT's, here in NC is also hard to find a FT to send a referral to, as a good majority of FT in my opinon still think that if you turn your hand during elbow flexion you will get a better "peak" in your bicep. My specialty is Chronic Pain, 80% of my business is Chiropractic referrals, 10% from PT's and the rest sport performance and general conditioning. Since you are in Michigan, have you contacted Gary Gray at the Gray Institute.com ? He can direct you to some of his FAFS (Fellow of Applied Functional Science) FT's and PT's in your area, and i guarantee you or your clients will be in very good hands. The FAFS in my opinion is the best certification, hands down! If you are not familiar with it check it out! Please never lose you passion about what you do. Good luck.

Thanks Rachel for your question.

I understand your perspective Rachel and have also questioned how is it that one can put so many specialties down if he/she hasn't had the experience or training.

All I can say is that the specialties that I have included on my profile are back up with a credential and experience.

I get your point as far as niche marketing is concerned, however, I think a natural progression in our industry is to continue one's education. This has proven to be very beneficial and profitable.

In fact, I've found much cross over among the credentials that I hold and that has indeed help be grow as a professional.

Thanks for your question.

This is a truly interesting question.

Having thought about it again, here is my position. I deliberately did not use opinion because my statement is based upon fact supported by industry standards.

There is a fool-proof way to refer clients to fellow fitness professionals even if one lists many specialties on their profile--simply look at their scope of practice. Working within one's scope of practice guarantees that the fitness professional carries insurance for the population that they are serving. If a fitness professional decides to offer their services to the general population, then look at their profile to determine if the general population falls within their scope of practice. If a fitness professional decides to offer their services to a particular niche, that make sure the fitness professional is performing services within their scope of practice.

I am not in a position to pass judgment on how a fellow fitness professional decides to market themselves on the IDEA Fitness Connect portal. Too, I don't mind being perceived as "jack-all-trades" as I know that is not how I define myself professionally.

For me it is not about specialties. It is about scope of practice.

To me "scope of practice" is simply something to keep people from practicing what they are not qualified to practice. And in some cases it limits what you may be great at. (not to be taken as people should practice outside of their scope.)

My outlook on this is that I prefer to have a niche and if we all had this mindset we would all be better professionals, trainers, coaches, educators, and provide a better service to our clients/patients. It is when you try to handle to many diverse clientele when things take a turn for the down. Obviously if you are not working with someone to refer a specific client too I can understand not turning down someone looking to progress - However, if you cannot provide the best service for the individual is it really worth the risk, satisfaction?

Fuel the Movement,
JM

It boils down to one question. Can you deliver the same level of service, expertise and benefit to each and every client type that you are training. If you answer yes to this, either you are "specializing" in what you are great at and passionate about or you are kidding yourself... If you have several different client types, one of those clients will be better off with someone else. (not that they don't receive some benefit from you) It doesn't make you a lesser trainer. It makes you a BETTER trainer. I am simply looking for trainers and professionals who aren't afraid of this fact. If we all grasped this concept, we would be able to serve the public in a better way and Personal Trainers would be held in a much higher regard. In general the publics thoughts on personal trainers isn't shiny and bright. If more people had phenomenal sessions with trainers instead of Ok or good sessions, it would benefit us all. You cannot argue that. You can but, the trainers that are looking to make our industry better and better won't.