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What do clients want in a personal trainer?

What do clients want in a personal trainer?

Posted by Tyler Spraul, Certified Strength and Conditioning SpecialistĀ® (CSCSĀ®) on June 11, 2021 ā€” Updated on March 8, 2025

Clients look for a personal trainer who is knowledgeable, certified, and able to create personalized fitness programs tailored to their goals.

What do clients want in a personal trainer?

Strong communication skills, motivation, and accountability are also important, as clients want a trainer who can keep them engaged and committed. Additionally, professionalism, reliability, and the ability to adapt workouts to individual needs and limitations are key factors that influence a clientā€™s choice. Many clients also value trainers who provide nutritional guidance and use professional personal training software and gym management software to track progress and keep sessions organized. So what do people want from a personal trainer? Here is a guide to what people want from a personal trainer, why it matters, and how Exercise.com can help:

What Clients WantWhy It MattersHow Exercise.com Helps
Personalized Workouts & Training PlansClients want workouts that are tailored to their needs, fitness level, and goals.Automates personalized workout programming and session planning.
Strong Communication & MotivationA trainer should be able to motivate, encourage, and clearly explain exercises.Built-in messaging and progress tracking keep clients engaged and motivated.
Expert Knowledge & CertificationsHaving recognized certifications reassures clients of credibility and expertise.Allows trainers to showcase certifications and build credibility.
Accountability & Progress TrackingTracking progress keeps clients accountable and ensures steady improvement.Automated progress tracking and performance reports for clients.
Flexible Scheduling & AvailabilityClients appreciate trainers who can accommodate their busy schedules.Streamlined scheduling tools to easily manage appointments and sessions.
Friendly & Approachable PersonalityA positive and welcoming attitude fosters a strong client-trainer relationship.Enhances trainer-client communication through app features.
Clear Goal Setting & AchievementSetting clear milestones helps clients see results and stay committed.Goal-setting tools to define clear fitness targets for clients.
Nutritional Guidance & SupportMany clients want basic nutrition advice to complement their fitness routines.Supports nutrition tracking and habit coaching for holistic training.
Technology Integration & Online TrainingOffering online workouts, mobile tracking, and hybrid training enhances accessibility.Includes online coaching capabilities, video workouts, and remote training options.
Affordability & Value for MoneyClients expect fair pricing that matches the quality of service provided.Customizable payment plans and packages to match client budgets.

If you’re wondering what clients want in a personal trainer, then understanding key qualities, coaching styles, and expectations can help you attract and retain more PT clients. From effective personal trainer communication (check out these questions to ask personal training clients) to personalized fitness programs (check out this guide on how to design workout programs for clients), professional personal trainer dress code, appropriate personal trainer client relationships, clients seek trainers who offer expertise, motivation, and results. Get access to all the free fitness templates you need, including a personal training consultation template, a personal trainer client intake template, and fitness program templates to enhance your training services.

Download All Templates

So, what do clients look for in a personal trainer? The best personal trainers demonstrate strong communication, goal-setting abilities, and adaptability to different fitness levels. Clients value trainers who listen to their concerns, create customized fitness plans, and provide ongoing support. Whether you’re focusing on in-person coaching or online personal training, understanding client expectations will help you build lasting relationships. Clients also appreciate trainers who offer accountability, motivation, and clear progression tracking. With Exercise.com, you can streamline client management, deliver personalized workout plans, and track progress effectively. Get a demo now and see how our platform helps personal trainers enhance client experience and retention.

#1 Ranked Fitness Business Software: Exercise.com

From understanding what clients want in a personal trainer to optimizing your training services, Exercise.com provides the best gym management software for fitness professionals. Whether you’re managing client progress, offering online coaching, or refining your personal training skills, our platform helps you grow and succeed. Get a demo now.

You might think that what clients want in a personal trainer is superficial. Good looks and an outgoing personality are all you need, right? Not so fast. It turns out that what makes a great fitness instructor is a lot more nuanced. Check out this guide to learn how to attract fitness clients.

Fitness Income Ideas

It’s one thing to start a personal training business, but it’s another thing entirely to attract enough clientele to make your business successful. What makes a great fitness instructor? How do you attract fitness clients? You might think good looks are all you need, but it has far more to do with your professionalism, the relationships you build with your clients, and the tools you use to help you along the way (such as workout and personal training software all integrated with the top personal training software platform). If you’re ready to get started, keep reading to find out what clients want in a personal trainer. Book a demo to find out more!

    Tony Gentilcore
    Exercise.com makes my life easier by providing an all-in-one solution and the opportunity to help those who otherwise would never have access to my programming!
    Tony Gentilcore
    Founder, Core Online

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    What Clients Want in a Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach

    Good looks are all you need to be a great fitness instructor, right? Not so fast. Check out this guide to learn what clients want in a personal trainer.

    Clients seek more than just a fitness coachā€”they want a motivating, knowledgeable, and supportive personal trainer who can help them reach their goals efficiently. Whether they are beginners or advanced athletes, clients value personalized attention, accountability, and expertise in their training.

    Below is a detailed breakdown of what clients expect from personal trainers, why it matters, and how Exercise.com helps trainers meet these needs.

    #1 – Clients Want An Experienced Personal Trainer

    A winning personality and a fitness model’s body are certainly great assets to a personal trainer. However, those aren’t enough to ensure your clients stick around. They’re looking for expertise that can help them achieve better health and athletic ability. If they’re paying for your services, the knowledge you provide needs to be more in-depth than what they could find by simply Googling “how to get in shape.”

    • Expertise is necessary to gain clients’ trust and respect.
    • Clients will need your support during their fitness journey.
    • Seeing positive results will help clients feel your services are worth the money.

    By investing in ongoing education and fitness and health certifications, you’ll have the credentials necessary to gain your clients’ trust and respect.

    #2 – Clients Want A Supportive Personal Trainer

    Getting in shape is hard, and your clients will have many moments of doubt. As the expert who is guiding them through this process, your support is crucial. By getting excited about their successes, encouraging them during their setbacks, and being available outside of training sessions to answer questions and concerns, you’ll help to reassure your clients that you’ve got their back. If you continually work to improve communication with your personal training clients, it will pay off in spades.

    #3 – Clients Want Their Personal Trainer To Be Worth The Money

    According to Lessons.com, the national average cost of an hour-long personal training session is $40 to $70. If you want to make sure your fees become a non-negotiable line item in your clients’ monthly budgets, they need to feel they’re getting their money’s worth from your time together. How do you accomplish this? Expertise and support are two crucial sides of this triangle, but the third part is results. Eventually, your clients need to see positive outcomes from the money they’re spending.

    Help your clients set small, manageable goals, and use a tool, such as fitness assessment software, to track their progress. And don’t be afraid to remind them how far they’ve come. When they reflect on their accomplishments, they’ll remember who it was that helped them along the way.

    It turns out that what makes a great fitness instructor has almost nothing to do with your physical appearance and everything to do with how much work you put in. Increasing your expertise, supporting your clients, and helping them achieve valuable results are all areas you can improve upon. Keep applying yourself, and soon other personal trainers will be coming to you to ask, “How do you attract fitness clients?”

    How to Be the Best Personal Trainer for Your Clients

    āœ” Personalize every workoutā€”Clients want training plans that match their goals, fitness level, and lifestyle.
    āœ” Stay engaged & communicate oftenā€”A great personal trainer motivates, encourages, and checks in frequently.
    āœ” Use fitness tracking toolsā€”Clients appreciate progress reports, data tracking, and performance insights.
    āœ” Offer flexibility & hybrid trainingā€”Providing in-person and online coaching makes personal training more accessible.

    Why Use Exercise.com for Personal Training?

    šŸ“¢ Exercise.com is the best personal training software to help trainers manage clients, automate programs, and increase retention.

    āœ… Create and deliver personalized workout programs effortlessly.
    āœ… Automate client progress tracking and goal setting.
    āœ… Offer hybrid coaching with both in-person and online training options.
    āœ… Streamline payments, memberships, and client communication in one platform.

    šŸ“¢ Want to improve your personal training business? Request a demo of Exercise.com today! šŸš€

    Exercise.com can help you stay engaged with your clients outside of your training sessions. Book a demo today to learn more!

    Our overall experience with Exercise.com is a breeze. We love how easy it is to integrate this app with our current workflow while providing great fitness programs for our customers and save us time in the process.
    Julie Ledbetter
    Owner, Ledbetter Fitness

    Get a demo now!

      Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-Certified Strength and Conditioning SpecialistĀ® (CSCSĀ®). He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life.
      We make fitness businesses happy and successful. We are a next-generation software platform dedicated to making it easy for fitness professionals to manage their entire fitness business in one place.
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