What are the different types of personal trainers?
In this article I will discuss the popular types of trainers you might encounter at a local gym or in your community. By learning about the most common trainer archetypes, you will be warned what to avoid and what to consider when selecting your own personal trainer.
How Many Types of Trainers are There?
There are so many types of trainers out there. However, you can probably group all the trainers out there in one of 11 categories.
- The Drill Sergeant Trainer
- The Softie-Type Trainer
- The Armchair Psychologist Trainer
- The Bodybuilder Trainer
- The Bro-Trainer
- The Healthy Lifestyle Trainer
- The Science Minded Trainer
- The Friend Trainer
- The Cardio Trainer
- The Strength Focused Trainer
- The Well Rounded Trainer
Let us discuss each of these types of trainers in more detail.
The Drill Sergeant Trainer
The Drill Sergeant Trainer is just what they sound like.
These types of trainers hold their clients totally accountable and they do not accept any BS. They won’t give you any sympathy, so do not ask for it! These trainers might also deliberately create the most maniacally difficult workouts for their clients, even though their clients might not be fit enough to handle those workouts.
These trainers will not grant you any excuses. And quite honestly, that may be what you need.
However, this trainer might callously create workouts that are outside your current ability level–and this may cause safety concerns.
The Softie-Type Trainer
The Softie-Type Trainer is the opposite of the Drill Sergeant Trainer. This trainer might let your sessions devolve into endless whining sessions, crying about your feelings, or simply talking through the workout. This trainer is high on empathy, making you feel good in the short term, but not so much in the long term.
This trainer is empathetic the week your boyfriend dumped you or your dog died. Simply put, they understand the sometimes life takes precedence to fitness goals.
However, this trainer will likely coddle and enable you, which does not really help you in the long term. It is also not what you are paying for.
The Armchair Psychologist Trainer
The armchair psychologist trainer likes to perform counseling during the workout. They listen intently and offer advice, but sometimes, they get so wrapped up in giving you advice that they forget to, you know, coach you.
These unlicensed therapists may even give out some specious advice at times, and may intervene where it really is not their business.
You leave the sessions feeling good.
But, you also leave the sessions without even completing a solid workout . Plus your trainer is not even a licensed psychologist but that does not stop them from acting like one.
The Bodybuilder Trainer
The bodybuilder trainer loves bodybuilding, and trains every client like a bodybuilder, no matter their unique goals, life style or fitness level.
You will get more jacked working with this trainer. Whether male or female, you will probably improve your body composition and physique. Plus, this trainer is not afraid to make you push around heavier weights, which is really important for your results.
However, his trainer might not devote enough time to cardio training. They might also give each client a very similar program, which is not really customized to the client’s unique goals. Also, this client may insist on body part split programs, which are not as effective in the long run.
The Bro-Trainer
The bro trainer might have an impressive physique, which is why you have sought them out in the first place. However, they know very little about the body, scientific approaches to training, and how to train around your injuries and limitations. This person probably is not that well-educated about training, and they have no desire to improve their knowledge and skillset.
This trainer may have good people skills, selling skills, or their confidence in their methods might help increase client buy-in.
However, this trainer does not know a lick about proper training methods or scientific approaches to training. They are not interested in improving their skill set and base their training on anecdote alone.
The Healthy Lifestyle Trainer
The healthy-lifestyle trainer encourages you to develop healthy habits as part of a well-balanced routine. This type of trainer encourages you to follow more moderate approaches to diet and exercise, instead of encouraging extreme approaches to either.
This trainer wants to help you achieve better overall health without restrictive plans or grueling exercise regimes.
Sustainability should be the focus of any good exercise and diet routine, but this type of coach might not push you hard enough in the gym to achieve the best results.
The Science-Minded Trainer
The science-minded trainer usually has a degree in kinesiology, exercise science, or another science field like biochemistry or biology. This trainer is up to date on the research and has a firm understanding of anatomy, physiology, and exercise technique.
This trainer really knows their stuff. You should feel confident when working with them.
However, this trainer might be overly focused on creating perfect programs, but might not have the people skills to motivate you. This trainer might also create overly optimized programs that fail to take their own personal experience or anecdote into account.
The Friend Trainer
The friend trainer will do anything necessary to be your friend. They sometimes spend more time conversing with you than coaching you. This trainer often blurs the professional boundaries in order to keep you coming back to training.
This trainer will be warm, compassionate and friendly. They will not put themselves above you.
However, this trainer might behave in an unprofessional manner, or may put your friendship above your results.
The Cardio Trainer
This trainer is obsessed with cardio. This trainer dedicates most of your training time to developing your cardiovascular system.
Unlike some bro trainers, this trainer does not ignore or demonize cardio.
However, this trainer might just park you on an elliptical for an hour with a program in hand while they go into the office to look at Instagram. Or, they might disparage you from lifting heavy weights and developing a more well-rounded program.
The Strength Focused Trainer
The strength focused trainer might train you like a powerlifter or weight lifter. They are focused on getting you as strong as possible.
This trainer will build your physique and strength and push you to become strong as bull.
However, this trainer might ignore cardio, or they might not be able to help you achieve more versatile goals than just maximum strength. They might also take a long time teaching you complex lifts that are not right for your goals.
The Well Rounded Trainer
The well rounded trainer is arguably the best trainer out there.
This trainer knows enough anatomy and physiology and exercise science to train you effectively. They don’t follow bro-science, but they do allow both research and their independent experiences to guide their exercise selection.
They also know how to work with people, motivate effectively, and be warm and friendly without condoning your excuses. The best trainer is empathetic when they need to be, but tough when you need a bit of a kick in the booty.
The best trainer does not pretend to be your counselor, your physical therapist, or your doctor. They stay in their lane while also referring you to the appropriate people when you need a little extra help.
Now that you know a bit more about all the types of trainers out there, you can go out and find the right trainer for you!
