Routine is an essential part of our lives. Most of us have a set of habits we do in the morning to help us prepare for the day, things we do at night before we go to bed, or both. Our routines help us get into whatever mindset we need for that point in our day. Another routine every professional has to learn is how to manage their workload, prepare for the day, and prepare for the next day. If you’ve ever been to personal training, you understand that you are not the only client your trainer is seeing that day, and you might wonder how they balance it all. Are they really able to give you the attention you need and deserve?
The truth is that every personal trainer, just like anyone else, has to develop a routine that works for them. To give you a snapshot of a typical physical trainer’s routine, I sat down with the director of our personal training program, Jesse Douglas, and discussed a typical day in his life. Through Jesse’s story, you can learn how he balances his day and still gives each client a 5-star experience.
Jesse’s daily routine
Jesse’s first client of the day is at 7:30, but his alarm goes off at 4:30 am. This allows him to get breakfast and coffee, listen to a podcast or YouTube video on his way to work, and get his own workout of the day once he gets to the gym around 6:30. Once his first client arrives, he hits the ground running. As a program director, he has other meetings to attend and reports to present throughout the week, and he also hosts a trainer skills session with all of our trainers every other Wednesday. But other than his lunch break, he doesn’t stop much during the day. Between one-on-one and semi-private clients, as well as the CoreAlign classes he teaches, Jesse is arguably one of the busiest people at EW Motion Therapy. But once he cleans up after his last client of the day, he is usually home by 7 pm to get his kids to bed, have some dinner, and get some sleep before he wakes up at 4:30 and does it all again.
How his routine has changed
While Jesse seems to live his life at a break-neck pace, he has been doing the above routine for 18 years now and doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. As a young trainer working at the YMCA and trying to build his clientele, he worked the front desk to make some extra money starting at 4:45 am, and wouldn’t get home until 8 or 9 at night after his last client. Unsurprisingly, he realized quickly that that was not sustainable. Jesse started training at EW as our first full-time trainer, and it didn’t take long for his schedule to fill up. He ended up training for 10-12 hours a day when he was one of the only trainers. When he got married, he decided to cut out the first and last hour, so he can start around 7:30 and be finished by 5 with a gap in the middle of the day. This schedule works for him and allows him to be present for his clients and ready to take on his program director duties.
Now that Jesse is a program director, he understands that to maintain both availability and full schedules among a team of trainers is both a balancing act and a moving target. You want a busy and productive team, but you don’t want exhaustion among trainers who aren’t taking care of themselves in between. Now, there is a morning and afternoon shift of trainers, to help them avoid the burnout that Jesse experienced when he started.
Jesse’s advice for personal trainers
Over his years of experience, Jesse has realized one primary takeaway about being a personal trainer and being a responsible human in general: you cannot pour from an empty cup. In order to fulfill your responsibilities and commitments to others, it is imperative that you take care of yourself. The specific ways you fill your cup will vary, but for Jesse, he fills himself up by living a healthy lifestyle, prioritizing his own fitness and health so he can show up and motivate his clients. This is why he gets to the gym an hour early, gets a good night’s sleep, drinks plenty of water, eats a balanced diet, and takes his vitamins. If he doesn’t feel fit, energetic, and motivated, it makes it much more difficult to put that energy out for his clients. Jesse has also had to set healthy boundaries to ensure that his cup continues to get filled, which is why, on the weekends, he puts it all away to rest and spend quality time with his wife and kids.
Jesse has also realized that, with the almost frenetic energy his days take on, he cannot rely on his memory, as sharp as it may be. His appointments are on the hour, every hour, plus he has mentorship and leadership duties to fulfill. Without his online schedule, he would be much more disorganized. Having a paper and pen planner or some kind of online planning tool is vital for any trainer wanting to fill their schedule and keep everything in sync. This kind of system also allows you to keep notes on your clients - remembering details about their life story and history will set you apart and help you create long-lasting, deep client relationships.
Client relationships are the backbone of every personal trainer’s career. When your clients come to work out with you, especially if they are new to exercise, they are putting themselves in a vulnerable position, and putting a lot of trust in you. It is paramount for every personal trainer to meet clients where they are and be an encouraging presence in order to build trust and earn a client for life. Jesse has learned that a lot of clients may not necessarily be happy to be exercising, and they may get mouthy or annoyed with you. He knows not to take it personally and to always assume positive intent - humility, confidence, and the ability to take a joke will help your clients feel comfortable. Another essential part of building trust is open communication - trainers need to learn each client’s “why” and stay in constant communication with them about their goals to ensure that they’re on the same page.
Above all, Jesse wants all trainers to remember that “gratitude helps with your attitude.” Consider yourself lucky - you are in a position to help change people’s lives and lead them toward a lifetime of health and wellness. EW Motion Therapy’s trainers work every day with this mindset, and we are always looking for like-minded trainers to join our team. If you’re interested in EW personal training, click here to learn more about our program, and click here to see open positions with us.
