Work as a Personal Trainer for Weight Loss: Benefits & Tips

When you’re not happy with your weight, it can affect multiple areas of your life. You might have less confidence at work and in intimate situations. Carrying too much weight can also negatively impact your physical health, even increasing your cancer risk.

If your or your client’s goal is to lose weight, it’s important to realize two things. One is that you are not alone in your desire to hit this fitness goal. Two, hiring a personal trainer can help.

Weight Loss Is a Global Issue

A 2020 survey of 22,008 individuals from 30 different countries found that 45% of them were actively trying to lose weight. This amount increased to 60% for subjects living in Chile. Numbers were also higher (above 50%) for those from the U.S., Spain, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.

Of those surveyed, 52% indicated that they were willing to exercise and eat healthily to achieve their goal. For those with this goal, hiring a personal trainer is a good first step.

Benefits of Hiring a Personal Trainer for Weight Loss

Many clients have tried to increase their physical activity in an attempt to lose weight, only to get minimal results. Or maybe they got results but they were short-term. The reasons for this can vary. Maybe the workout wasn’t intense enough or long enough. Or perhaps they weren’t doing exercises that enhance the weight loss process.

As a personal trainer, you can help clients uncover the reasons their workout plan wasn’t producing the results they want. You can also devise a training session that is aimed at reducing their weight.

A personal trainer is to weight loss what a physical therapist is to helping an injury heal. If you are hurt, physical therapy teaches you exercises that can help reduce pain and improve mobility. If you are overweight, personal training teaches you the exercises that can promote fat loss, reducing the numbers on the scale.

Another way to think of a personal trainer is as a GPS to your fitness goals. Without them, many people might eventually experience weight loss. However, they can provide clients with a very specific map to achieve their fitness goals. This helps clients reach their goals in less time, and with less frustration or detours.

Hiring a personal trainer can also keep clients from getting injured as they strive to reach their fitness goals. Trainers do this by creating a workout program suitable for their client’s fitness level. If they push too hard, they risk an injury. Do too much damage and they won’t be able to exercise at all. This can slow progress and reduce the rate of weight or fat loss.

What Personal Trainers Might Do to Help You Lose Weight

Personal trainers can use a variety of strategies when the goal is weight loss. One of the most well-known is a cardio workout.

Cardio assists with weight loss by creating a calorie deficit. The constant physical movement forces the body to burn more calories. Burn more calories than you take in and the result is weight loss.

Personal trainers also know which forms of cardio exercise are best for producing this effect. Depending on your fitness level, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be suggested. If a client has joint pain, a low impact cardio routine can keep the pain from getting worse. High intensity low impact training is one option that offers the best of both worlds.

A personal fitness trainer would also likely include some type of strength training in their client’s exercise plan. The more muscle they have, the more calories their body burns—even while at rest. Muscle also helps the body look more fit and tone. 

Weight training often involves the use of either hand weights or machines. Bodyweight exercises can build muscle as well. The benefit of this latter approach is that you don’t need any equipment. This is helpful if following an online personal training program while working out at home. It’s also beneficial if traveling. Clients able to stick to your personal training sessions while on the road.

Another way a personal trainer can help with weight loss is by offering nutrition advice. They can provide the basics of a healthy diet. If they hold a certification in nutrition or precision nutrition, they can even provide a full eating plan.

What Clients Looks for in a Personal Trainer to Help with Weight Loss

With over 309,000 fitness trainers in the U.S., how do people find the right trainer to help them reach their weight loss goals? 

• Ask about their experience. How many clients have they helped reduce their weight? Have they worked with people who share your demographics (approximate age, gender, abilities, etc.)? Request to see photos of others they’ve helped with weight issues. The trainer may even have a list of references to contact and chat with one-on-one.

• Ask about their education. Technically, personal training professionals don’t need a degree to help clients boost their fitness. But if this is important to the client, they will ask about it. If they do have an education in this area, ask their specialty. Is their degree in exercise science, for instance, or sports medicine? This gives some idea of how they may be able to help.

• Ask about their training. Have they engaged in training related to weight loss or weight management? Do they have a certificate of completion in either of these areas? Being certified means that they have a certain level of proficiency in what it takes to resolve weight-related issues. They know what works and what doesn’t for losing weight.

• Ask about their style. While the principles of weight loss may be somewhat universal as they are based on science, each trainer has their own style. Some are more supportive while others are more directive. Asking about this beforehand enables clients to choose a trainer who will provide instruction in a way that they prefer and will respond to best.

• Ask about their program. What does their weight loss training program look like? How many days a week will a client need to exercise? How long are the workouts? This helps clients understand whether the program will fit into their lifestyle. 

Become a Certified Personal Trainer Specializing in Weight Loss Success

Maybe you’ve successfully navigated your weight loss journey and want to help others do the same. Or you get great satisfaction out of helping others lose weight. Specializing in weight loss as a personal trainer might be the right career track for you.

One way to establish yourself as an expert in losing weight is to share your success stories. Talk about your fitness journey and how you overcame your own challenges. Also share body transformation stories and photos of clients who’ve achieved their weight loss goal with your help. (Always obtain their permission first.)

When prospective clients can visibly see the fat loss others have obtained with your help, they’ll be more confident that you can do the same for them. They start to picture themselves losing weight with you as their fitness trainer. They begin to connect you with the ability to meet this fitness goal.

Getting your weight management certification adds even more credibility. It tells prospects that you have the education and training needed to help them lose weight. It backs up your claims that you know which methods can help them achieve this specific goal.

Ready to position yourself as the personal trainer specializing in weight loss? ISSA offers Weight Management Specialist certification. This trainer certification course provides an in-depth look at both weight gain and weight loss. In it, you will learn how to use nutrition and exercise to help clients achieve and sustain a healthy weight.

References

45% of people globally are currently trying to lose weight. Ipsos. (2021). Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://www.ipsos.com/en/global-weight-and-actions.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Fitness Trainers and Instructors, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm (visited June 08, 2022).