What does a Personal Trainer actually do?

What Does a Personal Trainer Actually Do (and Not Do)?

If you’ve never worked with a personal trainer, the idea can feel a little unclear. Are they just there to count your reps? Yell like a drill sergeant? Build you a six-pack in 30 days?

Not exactly. Let’s clear it up.

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What a Personal Trainer Does

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1. Creates a Plan That Fits You
You’re not getting a generic workout PDF. A good trainer builds a program based on your goals, limitations, schedule, and training history. That means it’s your program, not something pulled off Instagram or Tiktok.

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2. Watches How You Move
A big part of training is movement quality. A good Personal Trainer will teach you how to move correctly, keeps an eye on form, gives cues, and tweaks things so you can stay safe and get stronger without wrecking your knees, back, or shoulders in the process.

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3. Holds You Accountable
Having someone expecting you to show up changes how consistent you are. Having someone expecting you to do the work changes how you approach individual sessions.  Accountability doesn’t mean shame, it means support, reminders, and keeping you on track when life gets chaotic.

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4. Adjusts On the Fly
Feeling beat up today? Tweaked your back at work? Got a surprise 12-hour shift? Randomly slept poorly? A good Personal Trainer will adjust the plan so you’re still progressing, not derailed. That flexibility matters when you are already down. And the same thing applies in the other direction, walk in feeling the fury and a good Personal Trainer will capitalize.

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What a Personal Trainer Doesn’t Do

1. Read Your Mind
If you don’t speak up, we don’t know what’s going on. A good training relationship is built on communication, how you’re feeling, what’s working, what’s not.

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2. Do the Work for You
We’ll guide you, but you still have to show up and push yourself. A Personal Trainer isn’t a shortcut, they’re a multiplier.

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3. Do the Same Work You Have Been Doing

Everyone romanticizes the past and their previous fitness capability. Here at Bishop Arts Fitness, we have a knack for introducing clients to novel stimulus and getting better results than before. Plenty of reasons for that, but the biggest is that it is new to you. Enjoy the new exposure, get comfortable with not great at them at first.

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4. Sell You Snake Oil
We don’t do gimmicks, detoxes, or miracle diets. We stick to things that actually work: training consistently, eating like an adult, and getting enough sleep.

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Bottom Line

A personal trainer helps you move better, stay consistent, and actually make progress. If you’ve tried the DIY route and keep spinning your wheels, it is time to make a change and let someone take the guesswork out of it.

At Bishop Arts Fitness, our training is personal, built around real people with real lives. If that sounds like something you need, reach out for a free consultation. Let's get to work!

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