Success without the filter:
5 Ways Social Media Lies to new trainers
That shiny vision is every bit as filtered as the photos.
Too many great trainers give up on their career way too early, disheartened by unrealistic expectations and feelings of failure. Online business coaches claim you can make huge sales your first month in the game; they’re just selling something. Nobody goes viral talking about the grind.
You become a great trainer on the job. So what if you passed an exam for a cert? That just means you know some basics. There is no replacement for hours on the gym floor. Don’t expect to be handed a full client roster without the confidence and hard-earned skills you win through years of consistent action.
Being a trainer is a rewarding but complex career. It isn’t always glamorous. Social media is necessary for the modern fitness professional, but you can be smart about it and protect your passion from burnout. You need to understand these 5 problems before scrolling:
1. The comparison trap.
Social media inherently generates comparison… but it’s not reality.
Carefully composed pics leave both trainers and clients comparing their natural bodies to flexed physiques in perfect conditions. Fitness is about more than aesthetics, and you don’t need to look like a seasoned bodybuilder or a fitness model to be a successful trainer.
Keep in mind that many of your idols have been at this for years. They had to start from zero, too. Your year 1 is not comparable to someone else’s year 20…or 10, or even 5… whether you’re looking at business or performance.
2. Fitness models and influencers aren’t trainers.
If you want to be a content creator or a fitness model, those are valid career paths… and entirely different from being a trainer. Content creation is an advertising gig. It looks good- but has nothing to do with the deep understanding of programming and personal interaction that marks a great coach.
Training involves a unique combination of skills: understanding many styles of workouts and different types of bodies, as well as sales and business. You need the knowledge and flexibility to adjust for circumstances and goals completely different from your own.
The focus is on serving your clients, not yourself. You can watch a hundred viral workout videos, but the real gold comes from talking to experienced trainers. That’s where you’ll find insight on how to relate to a difficult client or adjust an exercise for someone with a disability.
3. Social media is only a highlight reel.
Camera-worthy content hides the daily reality of training. It’s not pretty, so failure gets completely ignored on social platforms.
Tiktok won’t show the exhausting days of hustling to fill your schedule, rushing to squeeze in your own workouts or clients who suddenly quit. Coaches post promises of constant income when in reality, for every client you book, you’ll lose count of how many times you hear “no”… or get ignored.
No post can teach you to navigate those situations. You just can’t skip the “suck phase”. You know that part- when it feels like you don’t know what the heck you’re doing. You have clients you don’t know how to program for, half your consultations no-shows, sales are mediocre, client retention is patchy at best, and you have no idea if you’re building real rapport.
This is 100% normal. It pushes you to expand and grow. But first… you gotta buckle up and accept the suck. This is what separates trainers who are truly willing to learn the trade. Turn every mistake into a lesson, and failure will become your greatest asset.
4. Social media pushes chasing views instead of clients.
Followers are not a measure of success as a trainer. We’re conditioned to reach for that dopamine hit with every like, but don’t let your IG popularity distract you from gaining valuable experience on the floor.
Watch out for circus trick workouts and fad diets. New and unusual content gets attention- that doesn’t mean it’s useful. Stick with tried-and-true methods based on science. Do real research before adopting a new technique.
5. Training is about more than a “before and after” photo.
Fitness is a lifestyle, not just a 6-week bikini body crash program. Meaningful progress is often slow. Few clients are going to have perfect adherence to a plan, especially if they’re new to fitness. It’s part of your job to set realistic expectations. Social media can only show visual results, so other forms of progress are often underrepresented. Movement quality, increased performance, decreased chronic pain, improved posture, and the list goes on… Explore different kinds of progress, both for yourself and for clients.
Building a business takes as much time and practice as building muscle. Don’t expect to go from 0 to 10 clients overnight.
So what does success for a new trainer actually look like?
You don’t tell a beginner client they’ll be deadlifting two times their body weight in no time. You focus on small increases every week. Do the same with your progress.
Track these markers over time:
- Increased sales and higher percentage of sales conversion
- Increased client retention
- Happier client feedback
- Feeling more confidence when prospecting, selling, and training
- More effective programming, communication, and training style
Any measurable improvement in these areas demonstrates you’re on the right track!
Are there any positives to using social media?
Even if the most important aspects of training happen offline, social platform presence is crucial for a modern entrepreneur. Use it to your advantage with these tips:
- Since so many people use social apps every day, regular posts are a great way to inspire people and remind them to stay on track.
- Your platform is a tool to spread informative content rooted in facts instead of fads. Show your audience you’re knowledgeable and reliable, not just after likes.
- You get to create authentic content that represents your values as a trainer and provides a hub for current and prospective clients.
Ultimately, social media is just a virtual tool. It can never capture the intensity of working hands-on with clients every day. Every moment that feels the exact opposite of Instagram-worthy is a stepping stone to success. Embrace unfiltered reality and milk each lesson for every drop of knowledge it contains. That’s the mark of a smart trainer playing to win the long game.
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