Hard Truths to Stand Out as a Personal Trainer
By Jared Thomlison
We’re excited to bring you this guest article by Jared Thomlinson. Jared is a Fitness Trainer and Assessor, Educator, and Personal Trainer with over 20 years’ experience in the fitness industry and 30 years of boxing expertise. He is the founder of Further Your Fitness, established to support fitness professionals in advancing their skills and careers.
Jared specialises in personal training and coach education, delivering a broad range of training modalities including boxing, calisthenics, handstands, kettlebells, mobility, suspension training, and battle ropes.
Let’s be real — the fitness industry is flooded with average trainers handing out generic programs,
copying workouts from Instagram, and wondering why their business isn’t growing.
If you want to stand out, you can’t look, act, or think like everyone else. You need standards. You
need values. And you need the balls to back them up.
Here’s how to become the trainer people talk about — not the one people forget.
Pick a Side. Stop Trying to Please Everyone.
Trying to train “everyone” makes you invisible.
Choose your lane and own it. Fat loss. Strength. Athletes. Busy dads. Corporate warriors. Doesn’t
matter — what matters is that people know exactly what you stand for. Weak positioning is why most trainers stay broke.
Strong positioning is why the good ones are booked out.
Coach People. Don’t Babysit Reps.
Counting reps doesn’t make you a coach — it makes you a glorified stopwatch.
Real coaches change habits, environments, and mindsets. If you’re not teaching your clients how to train, eat, sleep, and handle stress outside the gym, you’re not coaching. You’re just renting space and time.
The best trainers don’t just run sessions — they run standards.
Build a Brand With a Backbone
If your content looks like everyone else’s, you’re not building a brand — you’re hiding.
Say what you believe. Call out bullshit. Educate. Challenge. Inspire. Your content should make people feel something:
- Fired up
- Called out
- Seen
- Motivated
Safe content doesn’t build authority. Strong opinions do.
Create an Experience So Good They Can’t Replace You
Anyone can write a “12-week shred.”
Not everyone can make clients feel unstoppable. Set standards:
- Track everything
- Personalise everything
- Hold people accountable
- Celebrate progress that no one else notices
Do things with your clients that they CAN’T do without YOU.
You’re not selling sessions. You’re delivering identity shifts.
Advocate for Health — Even When It’s Uncomfortable
This is where leaders separate themselves from influencers.
If you believe in disciplined training, disciplined nutrition, and high-performance habits — you don’t
whisper it. You advocate for it. Call out:
- Fitness myths
- Harmful shortcuts
- BS marketing
- Victim mindsets
Advocacy means standing for something, even if it turns some people off.
If no one disagrees with you, you’re not leading.
Practice What You Preach (Or Don’t Preach at All)
Nothing kills credibility faster than hypocrisy.
You can’t preach hard work if you don’t train hard. You can’t preach discipline if your habits are sloppy. You can’t sell confidence if you live in insecurity.
You are the walking billboard for your standards. Your physique, habits, mindset, and energy should silently prove your coaching philosophy before you open your mouth.
People don’t follow titles. They follow examples.
Deliver Results That Speak Louder Than Your Marketing
Hype is cheap. Results are rare.
The only thing that truly separates elite trainers from average ones is outcomes. Track data. Show progress. Build proof.
When your clients win, you win. When your clients lose, you own it. No excuses. No hiding.
Final Word
You don’t set yourself apart by being louder.
You set yourself apart by being sharper.
The industry doesn’t need more trainers.
It needs more leaders.
Be one.
About the Author, Jared Thomlinson
Jared is a Fitness Trainer and Assessor, Educator, and Personal Trainer with over 20 years’ experience in the fitness industry and 30 years of boxing expertise. He is the founder of Further Your Fitness, created to support the professional development of fitness coaches and trainers.
He specialises in personal training and coach education, with expertise across boxing, calisthenics, handstands, kettlebells, mobility, suspension training, and battle ropes. Jared delivers both in-person and online education, working with fitness professionals nationally and internationally, and remains committed to ongoing professional development and industry best practice.