There are no universal answers when it comes to questions about specific jobs. However, you can become a fitness trainer or a personal trainer in the UK, provided that you meet the requirements. Let’s find out what those requirements are.
A Fit Body
There is no going around this one and we are not even talking about aesthetics here. Aesthetics do play a very important role in the fitness industry but that is a separate point we will discuss later. A fit, strong body is something that you will need to complete your coursework, get your licence, crack the interview, and do your job. Even if you have health conditions that make it difficult to stay fit, it won’t matter if you do stay fit despite the difficulties.
Necessary Qualifications
Different gyms in the UK have different criteria, but in order to work in any good gym as a fitness trainer, you must have an accredited Level 2 Fitness Trainer’s Certificate at the very least. If you wish to work as a gym trainer and/or an advanced personal trainer with certified credibility, look to complete a CIMSPA-approved personal trainer course. To land the best jobs, a Level 3 personal trainer certification or higher is advised. Study Active offers a range of qualifications for PIs and gym instructors. There is also lots of career support on the site.
Depending on whether you decide to work in a more specialised field, further qualifications might be necessary. For example, personal trainers will often apply for a licence to treat patients as a physiotherapist as well. However, they cannot do so without meeting all the necessary educational qualifications and training requirements needed to even apply for a physiotherapist’s licence.
Aesthetic Proportions
It is true that fitness is not just about having a proportionate figure and that is why the qualifications take precedence. That being said, you will still need to sculpt your body into an aesthetically pleasing shape, irrespective of your gender.
The fact that having an aesthetic body is a big advantage in personal life is not something that requires stating separately, but it’s a different ballgame altogether in the field of professional fitness.
Why is Having an Aesthetic Figure So Important for Fitness Trainers?
Most people who go to a gym or hire a personal trainer, do so for a few common reasons such as:
- Weight loss
- Muscle gain
- Medical needs (recovery)
- Body sculpting
- Athletic performance improvement
Sometimes, these five primary reasons are one and the same. Now, the question is that unless the personal trainer coaching a client is in top shape, why should they hire them? If you are not following what you are proposing to teach, why should they believe that you can help them achieve their goals?
It may not matter much while working with recovery patients, but if you plan to work the high-paid jobs (athletes, actors, models), you will need to be in your best shape. Then there is also the fact that nearly everyone in the industry you will be competing against for those lucrative jobs will be in top shape!
Gyms tend to hire on the same principle as well because of the reasons that we just discussed, but they also have an additional reason to prefer trainers in better shape. When a gym trainer walks around wearing a branded t-shirt, they are representing the gym in front of existing and potential clients.
If you are in great shape, it is excellent marketing for your employers but if you are not, that does not reflect well on them. Also, since fitness and aesthetics are literally about the shape, size, and tone of the human body, there is not much to complain about that either.