Skills
Personal Trainer Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in personal trainers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do personal trainers need?
Personal Trainers need technical skills such as exercise programming, fitness assessment, and exercise technique, plus people skills like motivation and communication. They also use tools such as Free weights and machines and Cardio equipment.
Technical (hard) skills
- Exercise programming
- Fitness assessment
- Exercise technique
- Group class instruction
- Injury modification
- Nutrition basics
People (soft) skills
- Motivation
- Communication
- Empathy
- Professionalism
Tools, equipment and technology
- Free weights and machines
- Cardio equipment
- Resistance bands
- Heart rate monitors
- Training apps
- Body composition tools
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how personal trainers put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Exercise programming” and “Fitness assessment.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “motivation,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as NCCA-accredited personal trainer certification near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our personal trainer glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Personal Trainer training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.