Personal Training

When it comes to personal training for athletes, it is more than just a strength building program as it also is a way to prevent injuries, provide motivation, and a great way of tracking performance. Personal trainers work hard to target an athlete’s strengths, weaknesses, and goals in order to help them on the field. Workout plans are created uniquely to the athlete, understanding that their needs are different from other athletes, due to their specific sport and their skills. A great example of this is a runner will need more explosive movements to give them more power in each stride, while a soccer player will need more focus on agility and endurance.  

Personal trainers provide many sources to clients, such as direct guidance to their workout, nutrition, and lifestyle goals. This guidance will not only gear athletes into the direction of improving their play, but it will also form a healthier lifestyle to help keep their bodies healthy. The motivation component is a huge area that can really help athletes as a trainer’s uplifting spirit and knowledge will help clients understand the importance of the workout and how it will benefit them.  

Personal trainers use different types of training to target the different needs of athletes. Many of these types of training include: resistance training, polymerics, endurance training, and flexibility and mobility. A lot of the time, athletes will only target one area when going to the gym, which can ultimately slow their progress and increase risk of injury. A common area seen lacked within athletes training on their own is flexibility and mobility, causing muscles to be more tight, which results in a decrease in their overall range of motion. It is important to balance all of these types of training as they will benefit different areas of a sport. For example, in basketball, athletes will use resistance training to strengthen their legs, polymetric to improve their vertical jump, endurance to improve their abilities to last a full game, and flexibility and mobility to decrease the risk of injuries from accidents.  

Personal training also offers skill development, physical conditioning, recovery strategies, and mental training to athletes. During sport specific drills, trainers will conduct exercises that mimic drills for their sports to help them with coordination and enhance technique. Physical training will help athletes with their strength, speed, explosiveness, endurance, and flexibility. Recovery strategies will inform athletes how to properly care for their bodies after an intense workout through different therapies, rest, and nutritional guide. Lastly, mental training will help athletes with their focus level, visualization, and stress management. Improving their mental side of the game not only will help them be more focused on the game, but it will help them perform better and give them more motivation to want to succeed in what they do. 

For personal trainers, communication with the athletes is one of the most important aspects to the job. Building a strong relationship where the athlete is comfortable to discuss any achievements, failures, and needs can help athletes with their mental side of the game, but also help trainers understand what areas the athletes may need to improve. Also with communication, allowing athletes to have a voice in what they do can create a form of trust, making the experience better for them. It is also important to set clear goals with your athletes to ensure they stay on task, have a drive for success, and stay consistent with their training. 

Resources: 

Dias, M. R. C., Simão, R. F., Saavedra, F. J. F., & Ratamess, N. A. (2017). Influence of a Personal Trainer on Self-selected Loading During Resistance Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(7), 1925–1930. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001663 

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Val. (2025, August 8). Personal Training for Peak Performance. Club Superfit. https://www.clubsuperfit.com/post/how-personal-training-boosts-performance-for-athletes