As coaches and trainers accumulate technical knowledge, many struggle to connect with clients or build sustainable businesses. Lindsay Vastola, leadership coach and fitness industry veteran, identifies emotional intelligence (EQ) as the crucial element many fitness professionals overlook. Through years of experience running successful fitness businesses and coaching industry leaders, she’s witnessed how EQ transforms client relationships, business operations, and career trajectories.

EQ accounts for up to 58 percent of work performance across industries, but Vastola argues this percentage climbs even higher in service-based fields like fitness. “I would argue in the fitness industry, any service-based industry really, I’d say easily it’s closer to 70 to 80 percent,” she explains. The ability to read rooms, adapt communication styles, and understand client needs often determines success far more than technical exercise knowledge.

What Makes EQ Essential in Fitness

Emotional intelligence fundamentally changes how fitness professionals operate their businesses. For studio owners, high EQ influences hiring practices, staff development, and marketing strategies. For coaches and trainers, it enhances client interactions through improved communication and deeper understanding of client motivations.

Many fitness professionals make critical mistakes with clients due to limited perspective. A young trainer might tell a 55-year-old client with three kids and an aging parent to “just find one hour” for workouts, failing to recognize the complex realities of that person’s life. This disconnect stems from an empathy gap rather than technical incompetence.

The fitness industry suffers from what Vastola calls “soft skills with hard costs.” When gyms and studios neglect EQ development, they experience higher client turnover, staffing problems, and financial losses. Studio owners often make dangerous assumptions about staff capabilities, expecting employees to understand excellent service without proper training or examples.

Developing EQ as a Fitness Professional

Improving emotional intelligence requires consistent effort and self-reflection. Vastola recommends several approaches for fitness professionals looking to enhance their EQ skills.

Start with heightened self-awareness by paying attention to emotional triggers. “Notice things that agitate you or bother you,” Vastola advises. Those are the areas that need the most attention and work.  Physical manifestations like a racing heart or tension provide clues to deeper emotional patterns worth exploring.

Reading provides foundational knowledge for EQ development. Vastola suggests Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence,” “Crucial Conversations” for learning to handle difficult discussions, and Carol Dweck’s “Mindset” for developing a growth mentality.

Assessment tools offer valuable insights into personal communication styles. The DISC assessment helps identify dominant traits and adapt communication accordingly. Understanding your profile helps recognize how differently others may prefer to receive information. Some clients want concise, straightforward instructions (“just tell me the exercise”), while others need detailed explanations of mechanics, cues, and benefits.

Active feedback-seeking accelerates growth faster than waiting for evaluation. Ask questions from multiple sources, particularly from people who challenge you. This practice builds adaptability and expands communication range, making you valuable to employers and clients.

Final Thoughts

EQ functions as the connective tissue between technical knowledge and meaningful impact in fitness. As Vastola points out, it creates professionals who can adapt communication styles for different clients, read nonverbal cues, and provide experiences that keep people coming back.

The practice of emotional intelligence develops constantly throughout a career and a lifetime. Each new role, relationship, and situation stretches different aspects of EQ. While technical certifications provide essential knowledge, the ability to apply that knowledge through emotionally intelligent approaches determines who thrives long-term in this industry. For fitness professionals committed to making lasting differences in clients’ lives, developing EQ creates the foundation for everything else to build upon.

About Elisa Edelstein
Elisa is a curious and versatile writer, carving her niche in the health and wellness industry since 2015. Her lens is rooted in real world experience as a personal trainer and competitive bodybuilder and extended out of the gym and on to the page as a writer where she is able to combine her passions for empowering others, promoting wellness, and the power of the written word.