Hey Guys,

I was just recently interviewed by John Izzo. Check it out:

JOHN IZZO: Alwyn, you’ve performed a lot of work with fitness professionals over the years helping them develop into effective exercise program designers and lately, business-minded individuals. What would you say are 3 things you have seen change within the typical (or not so typical) personal trainer over the last 5 years?

Alwyn Cosgrove: Great question. I think that we’ve seen a massive shift in good trainers realizing that they need to know more about business, coaching, communication, customer service etc. The ability to just teach exercises and count sets and reps isn’t going to cut it anymore – particularly in today’s economy.

I don’t like to focus on the negative stuff, but for a while it seemed that the fitness ‘business’ had forgotten that there were real clients in gyms who needed help. There were people who wanted instruction, and that didn’t just mean downloading an ebook or buying a book.

So I guess I’d say that:

1) it’s an understanding of the entire picture of what being a professional entails. Not just marketing and sales, but customer service, your core values and your overall professionalism.

Good coaches and trainers are getting it. Those that aren’t getting it are dropping by the wayside pretty fast.

2) there has been a move towards a systems based approach to program and teaching exercise. For a long time trainers would “customize” every workout for every client. The problem with that is, there isn’t a consistent experience for the clients. How can you build a business when the experience of training with you is more of an art form than a science?

The answer is to start with a system so each client can experience the best you have to offer, while taking into account their personal goals, assessment, injury history and time frame to achieve their goals.

I think this is why assessments, the functional movement screen etc are so popular now.

3) I think the standards are getting better. We’re still not there yet, but I’d say 5 years ago the average trainer had an 18 -24month career cycle. Basically there were very few trainers anywhere with more than two years in the field. The pay wasn’t there, the job security wasn’t there, and the happiness wasn’t there. So we lost people.

For a long time we had expert trainers who maybe had 3-4 years experience. That’s not a lot of time in (particularly when you think of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hours to mastery rule) so it was hard for us to be taken seriously as we were a young profession with the bulk of our members being inexperienced. I mean, a guy with 4 years experience in martial arts may not even be a first degree black belt yet – but 4 years as a trainer you’d have been at the relative top of the field a couple years ago.

Now, when I’m on the road with the Perform Better crew or at some other event, I see trainers and gym owners who I’ve known for 5-6 years on the circuit. It’s not uncommon to meet a bunch of trainers with 5,10 or even 15 years in the field. That was unheard of even a few years ago.

Basically I think it’s too hard to make it as a trainer unless you’re good – particularly as we’ve just experienced the worst recession in a long time. Mediocrity quite simply cannot survive. Lots of gyms are closing and lots of trainers are giving up and moving into other areas. As a result – I think our profession is starting to get better.

JOHN: Alwyn, you lecture around the country and abroad. Do you see a difference in the personal training industry on the East versus West Coast?

Alwyn: You’re trying to get me in trouble here John!! ….

(For more of the interview click here)

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Alwyn

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