Become a Personal Trainer
Reviewing Each Session Is The Habit That Makes A New Personal Trainer Better Every Week, And The Level 3 Course Teaches It As A Short Routine
From the FASTER syllabus: this article is taught in full in the Level 2 and Level 3 personal training course from scratch →
In short: Reflective practice means taking the time to summarise and evaluate the training sessions you deliver. The Level 2/3 personal training course gives five reasons to do it: it highlights where you can improve, it points to the CPD courses that will build your skills, it shows clients you are always progressing, it shows colleagues and managers you are willing to learn, and it lets you build a career-long training plan. For a career changer, that makes it the habit that turns a first year of beginner sessions into a visible climb.
The short version
Reflective practice means taking the time to summarise and evaluate each training session you deliver. If you are changing career and wondering how a brand new trainer becomes a trainer worth hiring, this is a big part of the answer. One of the things you learn on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course is how to review a session in a few minutes and what to do with what you notice.
Key Takeaways
- Reflective practice is summarising and evaluating the sessions you deliver.
- The course gives five reasons it matters, from finding what to improve to planning a whole career.
- It is a short routine, so a beginner can start on the first session.
Five reasons the course gives
The course text is plain about why reviewing sessions matters. It lets you:
- Highlight areas where you can improve your own practice.
- Identify the CPD courses that will build your skills.
- Show the client you are always trying to progress and get better.
- Show colleagues and management that you are willing to learn and grow.
- Build a career-long training plan.
Notice how little of that is about being already good. Every item works for somebody in their first month.
What it looks like for a beginner
After a session, you take a few minutes to write down what happened. What you planned, what the client did, what you would do differently next time. That is the whole routine. The course teaches it alongside client feedback, because the two feed each other. Feedback during a session helps a client with technique, shows their progress, keeps them motivated and builds trust. Your review is where you decide what to feed back next.
Why this suits a career changer
A new trainer has two things to build at once: skill and a reputation. A review habit builds both. The skill grows because you spot what to improve while the session is fresh. The reputation grows because clients and managers see someone who keeps getting better, which is exactly what they hope to hire.
It also gives you something concrete when you choose what to learn next. A review that keeps showing the same gap tells you which CPD course to take. You are choosing from evidence about your own sessions, so the money you spend on learning goes where it counts.
Where PT Manager fits
PT Manager, our free software, keeps your clients, sessions and notes in one place, so a review has something to look back at. It opens the moment you sign up with FASTER, and adding real clients unlocks the day you pass a course. Take a look at PT Manager.
If you are new to the industry, the Level 2 and Level 3 course gives you PT Manager from the start of a career.
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Also worth a look: PT Manager, free with any FASTER course.
See what the course covers →Frequently asked
What is reflective practice in personal training?
It is taking the time to summarise and evaluate the training sessions you deliver. The Level 2/3 personal training course teaches it as a routine you repeat after sessions.
Do I need experience before I can do it?
No. The routine works from the first session you deliver, which is why the course teaches it early rather than as an advanced skill.
How does it help me get hired?
It shows colleagues and managers that you are willing to learn and grow, which is one of the five reasons the course gives for doing it.
Does PT Manager help with it?
PT Manager keeps your clients, sessions and notes in one place, so a review has something to look back at. It opens when you sign up with FASTER, and adding real clients unlocks the day you pass a course.
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