While it’s true that most people spend their time and money on ineffective fitness programs, you don’t have to. When it comes to fitness professionals, you want one with specific qualities. Make sure the person you hire for your fitness program has these traits: Good professional attitude A good fitness professional needs to be someone who can help clients make life-changing decisions without making them feel judged for their past, present, or future choices. While fitness professionals should always be kind and welcoming when speaking with clients, they should maintain professionalism. Clients who feel uncomfortable with how their trainer speaks to them are unlikely to stay on board. Knowledgeable Fitness professionals must have an understanding of their bodies and exercise. They must know that there are different types of muscle tissue and how the muscles are classified according to function, not just bulk or definition. They should know that aerobic exercise may help with weight loss, but anaerobic exercise will help with muscle-building more, which is more important for athletes like runners or weightlifters. In addition, they can’t just say that pump is essential in bodybuilding, as is something else, just to sell a certain training program. They have to know to be able to prove their claims. Approachable Clients can’t always listen to a trainer expounding on the benefits of strength training or the best ways to improve their explosive power. Fitness professionals need to know that it’s okay to have a bad workout, cheat on their diet, or engage in one of the many passive activities most people don’t realize are making them unhealthy. A good fitness pro will be approachable and provide this support outside the gym or studio. Bilingual It is a global world, and no matter what kind of fitness professional you are, chances are you will come into contact with clients who don’t speak your language. Many fitness professionals have simple bilingual skills (such as basic but sufficient) and are certainly in favor of others developing this skill in the future; it’s crucial for clients who don’t speak English or who live in countries where English is not the primary language. It’s hard to find a group of people more passionate about health and fitness than trainers, personal trainers, and exercise physiologists. Working with individuals on the road to weight loss, better health through regular workouts, or overall wellness keeps these professionals up at night. While it’s true that not everyone with these skills will excel in their career (no one ever said being good at what you do would be easy), there are a few things that many good fitness pros have in common.