But what does a "Personal Trainer" do?

Every single contestant on the Bachelorette is a personal trainer.

Ok, not every single one, but a lot of them are.

You’ll meet personal trainers everywhere.

Some are part time actors. Some are part time physical therapy students. Some are gym enthusiasts who wanted a free membership. Some are career coaches in the health and fitness industry.

So honestly, there is likely a great deal of variability in the roles and responsibilities of different personal trainers. And representations on tv or on popular fitness Instagram accounts may not be the best picture of what a personal trainer really does. While I love the Bachelorette, I’m guessing my day to day looks a little different than “Mark C, 22, Personal Trainer, Canton, OH” though I can’t be sure (no offense, Mark C.).

Let me take this opportunity to break down some popular myths about personal trainers and hopefully shed some light on what the real-life roles and responsibilities of the job are.

Myth: Personal trainers spend their whole days working out.

Reality: Personal trainers likely spend most of their days standing watching other people working out.

Don’t get me wrong. Most personal trainers likely have easier access to gyms, particularly if they spend their days working in a traditional gym setting. Right there is one less obstacle to getting a workout in; you are already at the gym. But in reality, many trainers working to make a living are likely limited on workout time. It can be a trading-hours-for-dollars game. During personal training sessions, coaches stand beside a client, moving around and observing movement. With the exception of one or two repetitions of an exercise for demonstration purposes, a personal trainer isn’t working out with every client (this is different than a group fitness instructor who is likely doing the workout while they teach the movements).

Myth: Personal trainers love working out.

Reality: Some do, some don’t!

I love working out! I would call it my hobby. I don’t do hiking, or puzzles, or scrapbooking. I lift weights. Have I always been this way? Nah. Are all my colleagues obsessed with working out? No! I would say for the most part it really varies. Some trainers would spend all their time in a gym if they could but maybe more recognize that movement and training has a positive impact on their health, their mood, and their life. And while they may not be eager to start every workout, or even enjoy doing each one, they feel happy to have done it. And this is a good thing because for so many clients, working out isn’t their favorite activity. These trainers can empathize with hesitation or even dread and can offer coaching support that can help clients adopt an open mindset about a sustainable exercise routine. A good coach doesn’t have to love working out!

Myth: Personal trainers have to have a certain body type, a specific fitness look.

Reality: How a person looks has no bearing on what kind of trainer they are.

I could spend a lot of time on this particular myth because it makes my blood boil. Body diversity exists in the world and in the fitness space (and should be more prominent). YOU CANNOT TELL ANYTHING ABOUT SOMEONE’S HEALTH BY THE WAY THEY LOOK. The emphasis was required. Body size does not tell us about someone’s strength, cardiovascular fitness, or endurance. When we start to ditch the “fit bodies are better bodies” mindset we can learn to respect and love our own bodies and how they move regardless of their size.

It’s also important to remember that physical capabilities, how much weight someone can lift or how many burpees they can do in a row, does not tell you whether they are a good trainer or not. It tells you that they can lift a lot of weight or do a lot of burpees in a row (it might even tell you that they have a good coach). While trainers benefit from experience and proficiency in all the exercises they coach, teaching movement is different than doing it. Explaining how to do an exercise requires high level communication skills, the ability to deliver visual, auditory, and tactile coaching cues, the ability to succinctly provide feedback, and the ability to instill confidence in complicated and challenging movements. Beyond movement coaching, a trainer will need to be able to provide consistent support and accountability all while creating a genuine connection built on mutual trust and respect. Training is a job about relating to people.

Myth: Personal trainers just sit back and tell people to workout. It’s a piece of cake.

Reality: There is a lot more to the job than just telling people what exercises to do.

So I’ll be very honest, personal training is not brain surgery, or social work, or any position at the United Nations. I simply mean personal training is a low stress job. Does that mean it is easy? That it requires little effort? That there is never any stress? No. For individuals who care about their job and their clients, training can be both meaningful and carry a good deal of responsibility. From writing detailed, specific programs, training and giving full attention to a variety of different kinds of clients hour after hour, staying current with continuing education and remaining sharp requires energy and focus that isn’t infinite. I’ve had the pleasure of working with so many incredibly smart and dedicated trainers who take their jobs very seriously and truly change the lives of their clients. They build relationships with people that last decades, some training the same clients they did 15 years ago. And on top of the rich experiences that come from helping people reach their goals, the job provides flexibility all while not having to sit at a cubicle in khakis from 9 am to 5 pm. I wear leggings to work every day!

I feel lucky every day to get to do my job and I sincerely hope all the Bachelorette contestants do too. And while they get sweet supplement deals that allow them to never train another client again, I’ll relish the opportunity to work with people who are looking to develop a long lasting relationship with movement and make sure everyone knows the powerful impact of training.