Message from the Founder
I have recently returned to personal training on a full-time basis. As some of you may or may not know, I have worked in a management setting in the fitness industry the last 4 years and did some personal training on the side with my home clients. Although, my managing skills still reside with leading a team and establishing facilities from the ground-up, I have always yearned for the one on one connection I am capable of making with an individual. I missed the ability to look into a client's eyes and speak to them with conviction and see the affirmation on their faces as we established what exactly it will take to reach their goal. The pure essence of personal training is "change". It is not about building one's muscles or burning off unwanted fat...those are the tangibles that come with the profession. The real "training" is exercising one's mind and making them believe that they possess the power and support to bridge that gap between dream and reality. Empowerment takes on another meaning in the world of personal training...its not only about instruction, knowledge, or impressions. It is about heightening the human spirit in those that feel it has shortened. 
3 Common Personal Trainers...
Over the last couple of years, there have been an influx of new trainers and strength coaches that have entered the field and reaching popularity via the Internet. I came up with a few commonalities that I have found between the bunch.
The Unprofessional Trainer
1.) These trainers are made up of the typical testosterone-driven males ages 19-26, that preach the same ideologies to their gym buddies.
2.) These are the same trainers that act like old high school bullies that take your seat in the cafeteria.
3.) These are the ones that keep blogs and write about nothing but the latest trends in building muscle and laundry list of sexual conquests.
4.) These are the same trainers that post videos of their gym accomplishments in order to achieve the mighty convented "in the trenches" title.
5.) These are the same trainers that maintain a "circle" of friends that support one another via the Web, only to make readers believe that there are two ways of achieving a goal: the wrong way and their way.
6.)These are the same twenty-somethings that quote big-time strength coaches in order to gain validity and exposure...I mean, you can only quote Mike Boyle so many times.
7.) These are the same trainers that never heard of Mike Boyle prior to 2002....oh yeah...most of the experts were still in college at that time.
8.) These are the trainers that boast of hard work results, but plaster their articles on supplement-laden websites that characterize steroid use and gigantic biceps laced with perpetual vascularity.
9.) These are trainers that write for one audience--college guys ages 19-26.
10.)These are the trainers that make a living at training athletes because you don't have to change an athlete's behavior--only the program.
The Emotionally Attached Trainer
1.) This is the trainer who loves to train clients, but not one client has changed.
2.) This is the trainer that likes to talk about the weekend, rather than listen to client breathe heavily. (oh yeah...see #1)
3.) This is the trainer that cannot separate work from life.
4.) This is the trainer that doesn't learn anything new--only uses what they have used in the past to train clients (which is always basic).
5.) This is a trainer that cannot diversify.
6.) This is the trainer that only trains one specific type of client--usually the same gender and same age bracket as herself/himself.
7.) This is the trainer that fulfills the missing void in their personal life with training clients.
8.) This is the trainer that once is fired, cannot accept it.
9.) This is the trainer that refuses to recommend their clients to other trainers for specialized training.
10.) This is the trainer who doesn't understand that gym clients belong to the gym--not the trainer.
The Inexperienced Trainer
1.) The trainers that carry a clipboard.
2.) The trainers that buy every book on fitness, yet don't just go into the gym and experiment themselves.
3.) The trainers that quit personal training in hopes of following a marketing strategy to make millions of dollars (and they usually don't).
4.) The ones that occupy discussion forums.
5.) The trainers that use exercise programs outlines in magazines for their clients.
6.) The trainers that don't understand the "business" of personal training.
7.) The trainers that think "Selling" is evil, but seek out marketing strategies by millionaires with bloated work experience.
8.) Any trainer who has trains under 20 clients a week.
9.) The trainer who decided to become a trainer because they lost a bunch of weight; hired a trainer themselves; or watched a bunch of fitness videos.
10.) Any trainer who acts unprofessional and is emotionally attached. Personal training is a profession, a business, and a skill.
If you are a member of PTontheNet.com, you can read John's new article "5 Ways to Retain Your Clients"
Other helpful websites:
Create a free website at Webs.com