Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

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tony5412
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Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

I have a passion for health and fitness and looking for something to fall back on (currently work in IT full time)

I would start on a part time basis with the possibility of making it a full time business someday.

It seems that though certification is adequate so it would not be necessary to go back to college for another degree?

I am not the most outgoing/talkative person around but good at one on one communication.

Has anyone went this route or now anyone who has? How did it turn out?
livesoft
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by livesoft »

I meet housewives who are personal fitness trainers all the time. They are always marketing their services and handing out their cards. I think they start with friends as clients and basically do not progress from there. Then they try to run classes at the local Y or gym. They seem to get stuck in the "is it a hobby or business" stage.

I see other folks have started on YouTube with videos for everyone and anybody to watch.
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Lynette
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by Lynette »

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Last edited by Lynette on Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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TheTimeLord
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by TheTimeLord »

Lynette wrote:At my gym, most of the Personal Trainers not only have certifications but degrees in a relevant field. Apparently it is becoming quite competitive. I had a colleague whose son had a Masters in Sport Medicine and he could not find a job. I guess its all in the marketing. I don't know what the liability is for injuries. Years of personal experience could be a good substitute for a degree in the field.
Same at my gym and they are expected to sell their services to members since they are not included in the membership. Seems like the gym gets a very large slice of what they charge. Rates can vary by certifications. We used a trainer who is now a friend, they left the gym and cut a deal with another gym where she includes a membership in her monthly training fee. It allowed her to drop her rates and still make more money.
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TheTimeLord
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

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livesoft wrote:I meet housewives who are personal fitness trainers all the time. They are always marketing their services and handing out their cards. I think they start with friends as clients and basically do not progress from there. Then they try to run classes at the local Y or gym. They seem to get stuck in the "is it a hobby or business" stage.

I see other folks have started on YouTube with videos for everyone and anybody to watch.
Trying to charge people $40-$100/hr to use the level of equipment at the "Y" isn't a serious business.
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harryw
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by harryw »

tony5412 wrote:I have a passion for health and fitness and looking for something to fall back on (currently work in IT full time)

I would start on a part time basis with the possibility of making it a full time business someday.
I have done exactly that - burned out on IT and changed career to personal fitness training. Well, 'career' is too glorifying a word, I never made enough money to actually live on it but fortunately I had planned for that.
It seems that though certification is adequate so it would not be necessary to go back to college for another degree?
I can definitely tell you that any certification (including the 'gold standard' ACSM cert) teaches you next to nothing about what you need to know. Nor do college courses. I did take some courses covering exercise physiology and nutrition, but they didn't help much with real life clients. All the trainers I know who have a Master (in kinesiology for example) agree with me on that.
If you really want to do something worthwhile for clients you have to be ready to self-teach yourself a good deal of physical therapy techniques and anatomy. If it pans out like it did for me then the majority of clients you'll meet will come to you because they are in pain - usually induced by too much sitting. Then you'll have to assess which muscles are working, which ones don't, which ones they are using to compensate etc. For example - if you try to get somebody who can't use his/her glutes to do deadlifts you'll do much more harm than good.
I am not the most outgoing/talkative person around but good at one on one communication.
You don't have to be outgoing unless you want to do stuff like group exercise classes or boot camps. You do have to be able to make good conversation though and be very good at explaining things in many different ways. And be very, very patient.

Your best bet would probably be to find some trainer who already has his own business and see if they're willing to teach you and / or give you pointers. You're looking for somebody who might be C.H.E.K certified for example.

Since you are coming from IT (I assuming software engineering) you will probably be dismayed to see how much in the fitness industry is hype, fad and sales and how little is based on science and physiology.
To sum it up: It's a lot harder than I thought it would be and generates little money unless you are very good at selling yourself (which, of course would require you to be rather outgoing).
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tony5412
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

harryw wrote: I can definitely tell you that any certification (including the 'gold standard' ACSM cert) teaches you next to nothing about what you need to know. Nor do college courses. I did take some courses covering exercise physiology and nutrition, but they didn't help much with real life clients. All the trainers I know who have a Master (in kinesiology for example) agree with me on that.

If you really want to do something worthwhile for clients you have to be ready to self-teach yourself a good deal of physical therapy techniques and anatomy. If it pans out like it did for me then the majority of clients you'll meet will come to you because they are in pain - usually induced by too much sitting. Then you'll have to assess which muscles are working, which ones don't, which ones they are using to compensate etc. For example - if you try to get somebody who can't use his/her glutes to do deadlifts you'll do much more harm than good

You don't have to be outgoing unless you want to do stuff like group exercise classes or boot camps. You do have to be able to make good conversation though and be very good at explaining things in many different ways. And be very, very patient.

Your best bet would probably be to find some trainer who already has his own business and see if they're willing to teach you and / or give you pointers. You're looking for somebody who might be C.H.E.K certified for example.

Since you are coming from IT (I assuming software engineering) you will probably be dismayed to see how much in the fitness industry is hype, fad and sales and how little is based on science and physiology.
To sum it up: It's a lot harder than I thought it would be and generates little money unless you are very good at selling yourself (which, of course would require you to be rather outgoing).
Thanks for your honesty.

That is interesting that you individualize your routines rather than having a cookie cutter routine to give to everyone like some trainers do. Most of us (including myself) do way too much sitting and that is an interesting topic. I have read some articles about how unhealthy it is to spend too much time sitting. Are there any books you would recommend?

That is a good idea to find someone who is already operating a business

I do realize that much of the fitness industry is a scam including most supplements and the fact is that just about all of the information that one needs can be found online. I think providing inspiration/motivation is just as important if not more important than providing instruction....although one cannot call themselves a personal trainer without providing instruction.

I also realize that doing this would require a significant pay cut and would have to crunch some numbers to see if this would be worth it. Of course I wouldn't just quit my job and dive into it, I would start out part time and see how it goes. I'm not sure how well I could sell myself as I haven't really done much of that but this is becoming an important skill to learn in any field (including IT)

Do you conduct your sessions in a gym, have your own studio, or train clients in their homes?
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by livesoft »

tony5412 wrote:I think providing inspiration/motivation is just as important if not more important than providing instruction....
Yep, look at the threads about fitbit. Perhaps you can sell fitbits for dogs?
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by Lynette »

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Last edited by Lynette on Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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tony5412
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

Lynette wrote:Personal trainers at my gym do give one another tips on training. As mentioned above, some of the reasons people go is related to having jobs that are too sedentary. Classes I attend such as Yoga, Pilates and Water Aerobics try to counter balance the slouch forward. My trainer also does massage so I guess he gets to really understand the human body.The reason I go is that my bone density isn't wonderful and its recommended to do weight lifting. I go twice a week for 30 minutes each. After a session, I'm quite exhausted. I no longer have the back problems I used to have. I pay $30 for half an hour. Clients are all ages, shapes and sizes. One of my trainer's clients was a young guy of about 14. He was an Olympic Class Ju Jitsu competitor. The parents flew in a trainer from California to the Midwest where I live for this young man.

My gym is quite expensive - $90 for senior rate. So, if you manage to get a gym that will train you, this might be the answer. My trainer says that all of the trainers can have as much business as they choose.

Good luck.

Lynette
There are lots of articles out there about how too much sitting is bad for you. Here are a few:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-kre ... 97289.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-livin ... q-20058005
http://mashable.com/2012/06/18/too-much-sitting/
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitnes ... tancy.aspx

Some of the articles mention that too much sitting is harmful even if one is getting regular exercise. As one article explains:

"If you work in an office, commute by car and watch a few hours of TV each night, it's not hard to see how you could spend the vast majority of your waking life (up to 15 hours!) sitting on your butt. This is far outside of evolutionary norms for humans, and has serious consequences for our health."
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by Drew777 »

In reality one of the most important factors is going to be what YOU look like. If you are a pro bodybuilder, fitness model, etc, you will have people coming to you with little effort on your part. If you look like an average person who is in decent shape then it will be much more difficult.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by stoptothink »

I am not a personal trainer, but previously was a strength & conditioning coach for two of the best athletic training facilities on the planet and then as a head strength coach for a professional MMA club. My background: BS in kinesiology, MS in exercise physiology, PhD in kinesiology w/emphasis in obesity, also have pretty much every certification regarding strength & conditioning (CSCS, NASM-CES, NASM-PES, certified olympic lifting coach, etc.). I'd say at least 1/3 of my classmates from undergrad and my MS program are personal trainers, maybe 1/4 of them actually make a living to support themselves on it. It is sales , period. It doesn't matter how good you are, you have to sell. After trying it on their own, most end up at commercial gyms where they might make $20/hr, when they are training, and their co-workers are SAHM who do it for fun and former college athletes with few other career opportunities. The few that have been successful have spent years building up bootcamp type classes where they can train dozens of people at one time or own facilities where several other trainers pay rent.

It can be fun, but go into it knowing the chances are extremely slim that it will be a sustainable career.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by bottomfisher »

Prior to my current profession (physician), I was physical therapist. I did some personal training as well. My undergraduate degree was Kinesiology and my Masters in Physical Therapy provided exceptional credentials. But I don't recommend pursuing a degree to work in this line of work. I obtained additional certification (because I like learning). At the time I noticed many articles in health and fitness journals were written by authors with CSCS credentials. This stands for certified strength and conditioning specialist. I obtained this certification as well. I recommend you do the same. There are many different certifications with varying degrees authenticity/recognition. Same are basically pay a fee and get certificate to hang on your wall. However, CSCS is well recognized. It requires passing an in depth examination. I was well prepared for the test already. But for others the knowledge required to pass does indeed demonstrate proficiency in health, nutrition and fitness.

I also lived in New York City/Manhattan at that time. Clientele had deeper pockets and more willing to pay for personal trainer services. I would take your location into account prior to pursuing full time. Also consider personal training is a luxury for most paying clientele. Your success may be tied to economic climate to a certain degree.

Aspects I didn't like - in establishing yourself, hours can be challenging. My mornings were very busy. Get to gym at 5 or 6 am usually. Then pretty much hourly clients until 10, 11, 12'ish. Then lull in afternoon. Then evening back to work 5pm to 7 or 8'ish. Didn't have a family then, so it didn't bother me. But that is definitely something to consider if pursuing full-time. As you're more established, desired clientele can be added/dropped to a schedule more of your preference. For me, I eventually gave up the evenings. But those early morning hours were my bread and butter and I continued. Also initially you may be unable to schedule them all back to back. So you may have a 12 hour day at gym, but only earn money for 3 - 4 hours of work. I lived 3 short blocks and 1 long block away so it was easier on me than others that commuted.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

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stoptothink wrote: It is sales , period. It doesn't matter how good you are, you have to sell.
I agree with this. I am not a good 'salesperson' per se. But I let my work sell me/my services. I would keep my clients moving at good pace. The majority of my clients were interested in training for health reasons, not to get bigger. So I would do cycle training with them - sets of upper body exercise immediately followed by lower body exercise immediately followed by abdominal exercises; then repeat. I was instructing them in core exercises before it was all the rage. The core exercises were unique and this sold some clients knowing that couldn't do this on their own (although obviously anybody actually could with initial direction from trainer, books, video). The other aspect that sold was that clients could see the worth in moving the entire time. They were getting their money's worth the entire hour instead of typically rest between sets most other trainers provided. Also they recognized the pace I demanded was one that would be difficult to keep on their own for the whole hour and over the course of many months. Gym members often took notice and signed up and/or recommended me
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

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Drew777 wrote:In reality one of the most important factors is going to be what YOU look like. If you are a pro bodybuilder, fitness model, etc, you will have people coming to you with little effort on your part. If you look like an average person who is in decent shape then it will be much more difficult.
Good point. I will admit I am in the second category. Above average but wouldn't be considered a pro bodybuilder or model.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

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stoptothink wrote:I am not a personal trainer, but previously was a strength & conditioning coach for two of the best athletic training facilities on the planet and then as a head strength coach for a professional MMA club. My background: BS in kinesiology, MS in exercise physiology, PhD in kinesiology w/emphasis in obesity, also have pretty much every certification regarding strength & conditioning (CSCS, NASM-CES, NASM-PES, certified olympic lifting coach, etc.). I'd say at least 1/3 of my classmates from undergrad and my MS program are personal trainers, maybe 1/4 of them actually make a living to support themselves on it. It is sales , period. It doesn't matter how good you are, you have to sell. After trying it on their own, most end up at commercial gyms where they might make $20/hr, when they are training, and their co-workers are SAHM who do it for fun and former college athletes with few other career opportunities. The few that have been successful have spent years building up bootcamp type classes where they can train dozens of people at one time or own facilities where several other trainers pay rent.

It can be fun, but go into it knowing the chances are extremely slim that it will be a sustainable career.
Thanks for the reality check.
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tony5412
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

bottomfisher wrote:Prior to my current profession (physician), I was physical therapist. I did some personal training as well. My undergraduate degree was Kinesiology and my Masters in Physical Therapy provided exceptional credentials. But I don't recommend pursuing a degree to work in this line of work. I obtained additional certification (because I like learning). At the time I noticed many articles in health and fitness journals were written by authors with CSCS credentials. This stands for certified strength and conditioning specialist. I obtained this certification as well. I recommend you do the same. There are many different certifications with varying degrees authenticity/recognition. Same are basically pay a fee and get certificate to hang on your wall. However, CSCS is well recognized. It requires passing an in depth examination. I was well prepared for the test already. But for others the knowledge required to pass does indeed demonstrate proficiency in health, nutrition and fitness.
Thanks for the information.
bottomfisher wrote:I also lived in New York City/Manhattan at that time. Clientele had deeper pockets and more willing to pay for personal trainer services. I would take your location into account prior to pursuing full time. Also consider personal training is a luxury for most paying clientele. Your success may be tied to economic climate to a certain degree.
Good point. I don't live in a big city so that is definitely something to consider.
bottomfisher wrote:Aspects I didn't like - in establishing yourself, hours can be challenging. My mornings were very busy. Get to gym at 5 or 6 am usually. Then pretty much hourly clients until 10, 11, 12'ish. Then lull in afternoon. Then evening back to work 5pm to 7 or 8'ish. Didn't have a family then, so it didn't bother me. But that is definitely something to consider if pursuing full-time. As you're more established, desired clientele can be added/dropped to a schedule more of your preference. For me, I eventually gave up the evenings. But those early morning hours were my bread and butter and I continued. Also initially you may be unable to schedule them all back to back. So you may have a 12 hour day at gym, but only earn money for 3 - 4 hours of work. I lived 3 short blocks and 1 long block away so it was easier on me than others that commuted.
That really breaks up the day. The more I think about it, perhaps I would be best suited to do this as a part time endeavor if I decide to move forward with this (IT in the day, training at night). It would be good to have something else to fall back on...although it's been said that it is better to focus rather than try to be good at too many things at once.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

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I'm not a personal trainer. But I have a good friend who's in that business. He has an undergraduate degree, a gaggle of certifications, and bought a franchise from a company that specializes in one-on-one training. He and I have spoken extensively about his business.

The bottom line is that personal trainers have become a commodity. Competition among trainers is often on the basis of price, which drives down what he can charge his clients. When he posts a job for a trainer (odd hours, no benefits), he's swamped with applicants even though the pay is low. (They're a commodity to him as well.) He offers bonuses for sales, but few trainers feel comfortable doing that. As the owner, he's covering his overhead expenses and taking only a small salary. If he sells the franchise, he won't get much for it. He's thinking of leaving and going to graduate school in physical therapy so that he can earn a decent salary.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

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Zabar wrote:The bottom line is that personal trainers have become a commodity. Competition among trainers is often on the basis of price, which drives down what he can charge his clients. When he posts a job for a trainer (odd hours, no benefits), he's swamped with applicants even though the pay is low. (They're a commodity to him as well.) He offers bonuses for sales, but few trainers feel comfortable doing that. As the owner, he's covering his overhead expenses and taking only a small salary. If he sells the franchise, he won't get much for it. He's thinking of leaving and going to graduate school in physical therapy so that he can earn a decent salary.
Thanks for the sharing his experience. It does seem like it is rough to make a buck in that field....although I will say that the commodity thing is an issue with IT as well these days (although there is more demand and higher salaries).
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by livesoft »

But you get to put a magnetic sign on your SUV and start deducting all the costs of driving around and advertising and even get to deduct your own gym fees and yoga pants.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

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Zabar wrote: The bottom line is that personal trainers have become a commodity. Competition among trainers is often on the basis of price, which drives down what he can charge his clients. When he posts a job for a trainer (odd hours, no benefits), he's swamped with applicants even though the pay is low. (They're a commodity to him as well.) He offers bonuses for sales, but few trainers feel comfortable doing that. As the owner, he's covering his overhead expenses and taking only a small salary. If he sells the franchise, he won't get much for it. He's thinking of leaving and going to graduate school in physical therapy so that he can earn a decent salary.
I strongly agree with this. The barriers to entry in personal training field are minimal (i.e. no required education; often limited required certification [some employers may require; but none required if self employed]; no required licensing. This factor is a double edge sword. Its beneficial for you that you can enter this occupation without spending a significant amount time, money, and/or resources. However, this minimal barrier to entry allows others to do so as well. This drives down salaries/earnings, job availability due to the ease of entry for the competition as well.
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tony5412
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

bottomfisher wrote:
Zabar wrote: The bottom line is that personal trainers have become a commodity. Competition among trainers is often on the basis of price, which drives down what he can charge his clients. When he posts a job for a trainer (odd hours, no benefits), he's swamped with applicants even though the pay is low. (They're a commodity to him as well.) He offers bonuses for sales, but few trainers feel comfortable doing that. As the owner, he's covering his overhead expenses and taking only a small salary. If he sells the franchise, he won't get much for it. He's thinking of leaving and going to graduate school in physical therapy so that he can earn a decent salary.
I strongly agree with this. The barriers to entry in personal training field are minimal (i.e. no required education; often limited required certification [some employers may require; but none required if self employed]; no required licensing. This factor is a double edge sword. Its beneficial for you that you can enter this occupation without spending a significant amount time, money, and/or resources. However, this minimal barrier to entry allows others to do so as well. This drives down salaries/earnings, job availability due to the ease of entry for the competition as well.
That is not much different than IT/Computer Programming
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by selftalk »

If you can be a champion at a sport and it`s widely known then people will come to you.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by stoptothink »

selftalk wrote:If you can be a champion at a sport and it`s widely known then people will come to you.
Yes, that doesn't necessarily mean you are going to make a significant living doing it. In the field I worked in for a decade, my colleagues were for the most part all former elite level athletes and a few IFBB pro bodybuilders; none of them were making a ton of money training, a few of them made a decent living because they owned the facility.
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

stoptothink wrote:
selftalk wrote:If you can be a champion at a sport and it`s widely known then people will come to you.
Yes, that doesn't necessarily mean you are going to make a significant living doing it. In the field I worked in for a decade, my colleagues were for the most part all former elite level athletes and a few IFBB pro bodybuilders; none of them were making a ton of money training, a few of them made a decent living because they owned the facility.
I am in decent shape but not anywhere close to being an elite bodybuilder so perhaps this is not such a great idea. It may be better just to leave this as a hobby.

The I only way I think this could have a realistic chance of working is to buy a small building in town and setup a studio where personal trainers can train their clients. I would do it part time and rent the place to other personal trainers. There could be liability issues, however, so perhaps that is not such a good idea
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by freyj6 »

harryw wrote:
tony5412 wrote:I have a passion for health and fitness and looking for something to fall back on (currently work in IT full time)

I would start on a part time basis with the possibility of making it a full time business someday.
I have done exactly that - burned out on IT and changed career to personal fitness training. Well, 'career' is too glorifying a word, I never made enough money to actually live on it but fortunately I had planned for that.
It seems that though certification is adequate so it would not be necessary to go back to college for another degree?
I can definitely tell you that any certification (including the 'gold standard' ACSM cert) teaches you next to nothing about what you need to know. Nor do college courses. I did take some courses covering exercise physiology and nutrition, but they didn't help much with real life clients. All the trainers I know who have a Master (in kinesiology for example) agree with me on that.
If you really want to do something worthwhile for clients you have to be ready to self-teach yourself a good deal of physical therapy techniques and anatomy. If it pans out like it did for me then the majority of clients you'll meet will come to you because they are in pain - usually induced by too much sitting. Then you'll have to assess which muscles are working, which ones don't, which ones they are using to compensate etc. For example - if you try to get somebody who can't use his/her glutes to do deadlifts you'll do much more harm than good.
I am not the most outgoing/talkative person around but good at one on one communication.
You don't have to be outgoing unless you want to do stuff like group exercise classes or boot camps. You do have to be able to make good conversation though and be very good at explaining things in many different ways. And be very, very patient.

Your best bet would probably be to find some trainer who already has his own business and see if they're willing to teach you and / or give you pointers. You're looking for somebody who might be C.H.E.K certified for example.

Since you are coming from IT (I assuming software engineering) you will probably be dismayed to see how much in the fitness industry is hype, fad and sales and how little is based on science and physiology.
To sum it up: It's a lot harder than I thought it would be and generates little money unless you are very good at selling yourself (which, of course would require you to be rather outgoing).
This, for the most part. Personal training advertisements are beyond comical when you've actually been in the industry.

Let me share my actual experience though, because while I think the industry as a whole is a sinkhole, I've actually had a (mostly) great experience.

I work at one of the largest, most expensive health clubs in the world, located right next to Microsoft's main campus. This is my first job out of college. Most people I work with have an exercise science degree and a certification. They seem to like to hire people right out of college.

Compared to the rest of the industry, the job is pretty cushy. Trainers I work with average around 50k a year (charging $40-100 an hour and making about half of that), although those with tenure and a big client base and very long hours can make close to $100k. I think this is mostly a product of working with a very affluent clientele and therefore, a gym structure that would fail miserably in other places. We don't have to sell much, other than meeting with people who are interested in training and showing them that we know what we're doing.

Many of the people I work with work long, and sometimes ridiculous hours. Like having 4 or 5 clients spread over a 12 hour period and no pay for downtime. I've been more fortunate, and mostly just come in for 6-7 hours, train 5-6 clients and call it a day. But that's not typical. Like has been mentioned, most of the personal training industry is selling, getting minimum wage for floor time and $20 an hour when you do finally get a client.

Also, like has been mentioned, there's a huge difference between "a passion for fitness and helping people lose weight" and really knowing what you're doing. Training is kind of splitting between professionals with similar skillsets as Physical Therapists (except applied to fitness) and glorified workout buddies who throw random exercises at you. Unless you have access to an incredibly rich clientele base who are willing to pay $40-100 an hour for a workout buddy or some motivation, you have to be really good at what you do, and neither an exercise science degree or a certification has much to do with that.

Cheers :)
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by mayday23 »

livesoft wrote:
tony5412 wrote:I think providing inspiration/motivation is just as important if not more important than providing instruction....
Yep, look at the threads about fitbit. Perhaps you can sell fitbits for dogs?
already done, it's called "Whistle." Great product.
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tony5412
Posts: 604
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

freyj6 wrote:Also, like has been mentioned, there's a huge difference between "a passion for fitness and helping people lose weight" and really knowing what you're doing. Training is kind of splitting between professionals with similar skillsets as Physical Therapists (except applied to fitness) and glorified workout buddies who throw random exercises at you. Unless you have access to an incredibly rich clientele base who are willing to pay $40-100 an hour for a workout buddy or some motivation, you have to be really good at what you do, and neither an exercise science degree or a certification has much to do with that.
That is true. Thanks for sharing your experience.
livesoft
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by livesoft »

freyj6 wrote:Many of the people I work with work long, and sometimes ridiculous hours. Like having 4 or 5 clients spread over a 12 hour period and no pay for downtime. I've been more fortunate, and mostly just come in for 6-7 hours, train 5-6 clients and call it a day. But that's not typical. Like has been mentioned, most of the personal training industry is selling, getting minimum wage for floor time and $20 an hour when you do finally get a client.
So one can do the math: 50 hours a week at $20 an hour is $1000 a week or $52K a year. Clients can pay only about $1K to $2K a year for a trainer, right? So one would need about 25 to 50 clients to make this kind of annual income.
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freyj6
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by freyj6 »

^Yes, except getting long-term, consistent clients is very hard at most gyms. You're more likely to be there 50 hours a week and only actually be training someone 25% of the time.
livesoft
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by livesoft »

So one's effective hourly wage dropped to 25% of $20 an hour or just $5 an hour. Not quite a McJob.
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freyj6
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by freyj6 »

Well, it's usually not quite that bad. Most gyms with structures like that would pay you minimum wage when you're not with clients. At my own work, we're only paid for training sessions, but we get closer to $30-35 an hour on average -- which still isn't great if you spread out a few sessions over 12 hours, but not bad at all if you're able to condense your schedule.
uwbadgers
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by uwbadgers »

I'll chime in here with my experience as a trainer, as I have been training for the last 8 years. I have spent the last 6.5 years with the same place, a smaller, studio type setting. While some of the above info posted about the "big box" gyms is true, my experience has been vastly different. Like many jobs, PT is something where you get what you put into it. Here is a quick summary of my progression

Year 1+2---Worked 2pm-9-10pm Mon-Fri + 1-2 Saturdays/month

Year 3+4---Started doing split shift Mon-Fri---5am-9am and 3pm-6pm + 1-2 Saturdays/month

Year 5 to present---Mon-Fri 5am-12pm most days, occasional Saturday, probably 1x every 3 months

I don't have exact figures right in front of me, but I would say my gross has went from ~37k to 44k. So, I'm not making the big bucks, but see my next paragraph for more about my scenario.

I worked both hard and smart to get to where I am. We started as a small studio of 4 trainers and ~2000ish sq feet and we now have 7 trainers, 2 yoga instructors, and expanded to ~4000 sq feet. I built up my schedule as the years went on and because I created a high VALUE with my clients, many followed me to my new schedule. So, I normally am at the gym for 6-8 hours a day, I averaged 6.6 sessions/day for 2014 (yes, I like to keep track of investments and my work stuff!). One benefit that is worth more than $ is now that we have a baby (10 months), I come home when I am finished and I am with my son until my wife arrives home. We are extra lucky as she is a mortgage originator and can work from home most of the time.

I have great health insurance, paid time off each year, and honestly I have the opportunity to train more sessions if I wanted, but I kind of prefer my time commitment right now.

Let me respond with a few other thoughts/comments

1. I disagree 100% with a few of you that have said you "need to look like a bodybuilder" or things like that. What does a 50 to 75# overweight person want to see? Someone they are intimidated by? Most people that come to see a trainer aren't going to be highly confident or have the highest self esteem. Of course, I'm not saying you should look like you don't workout at all, but there are plenty of "types" of trainers. For example, my first 5 year where I am now I spent the majority of my time running, I ran the Boston Marathon 2 times. So, I was probably ~25# lighter than I am right now. Doesn't make me a bad trainer, makes me SMART as good trainers know that you can't be the best at everything at the same time, you must FOCUS and specialize...only in boglehead stocks do we want to spread it out in index funds :)

2. As far as the 12-14 hr days w/4-5 sessions, it is probably more likely in those big box settings. In a big box, you have 0 privacy with clients. In my gym, we have 6 different training rooms, but we have an open wall setting in which we have walls ~8-9 feet high, but the 8-9 ft above that are open. So, it still feels open but clients have their own privacy.

3. Something else that separates us apart is unlike the big box settings where you might buy 5, 10, etc sessions, we have a minimum of 8 workouts per month. That might mean someone does 4 PT sessions and 4 small group sessions, but we ensure they are coming at least 2x/week in order to stay accountable and to get better results. We are higher priced than some places, but when you battle to charge the lowest price, the VALUE goes down.

4. A few things I do to add VALUE to our clients: hand written cards for accomplishments, flowers to work/home if someone passes away or for a birthday, organized outside events (We are going indoor rock climbing in ~3hrs today!), knowing everyone's name and saying "Hi Jane" when they walk in the door.

5. As far as learning goes, I got ACE certified ~8-9 years ago. To be honest, almost all the certifications are worthless in my opinion. Sure, they teach you the basics, but the ACTUAL training and how to craft that skill, it takes time. In college, I spend time shadowing trainers, basically allowing me to watch their session and their mannerisms and all the ways you interact. I really enjoy what I do so I have learned so much from conferences I have attended and really just reading a lot. Plus, over the last 6.5 years, I have trained ~10,000 total training sessions. I am still learning, but I do have some pretty good knowledge of how to keep clients, how to speak with them, and everything else that goes into it.

6. Edited quick here to explain salary. I get a combo of salary/hourly. In additon to that, we have a bonus structure that is basically tied in with the gym doing well. Gym does well, we get more bonus. It is motivating when you know some things are more directly in your control.

7. Another edit. As far as the outgoing part, I am definitely not a large group speaker/presenter. However, in a individual or small group setting, I am very confident in my skills. I think it is just a different feel that standing and speaking in front of people. With PT, you are moving around, correcting form, altering when needed, and preparing the workout. It is a different type of "outgoing"

Sorry I have went a little all over the place here, but wanted to share my ideas on this. Can you start part time? Sure, but know that like most things, part time training in big box settings isn't going to be too profitable and it will be hard to build up a schedule.

I would suggest checking out your area for smaller, studio type settings. Again, this may vary depending on where you are. I am in a Madison, WI so a decent sized city. Clients spend anywhere from $160/month to $1000/month. So for people that say training is too pricey, if you have the right service offerings you can be able to train a wide variety of clients.

Hope this helps give you some more insight on the profession!
Greentree
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by Greentree »

Why not try to start an IT side business? Maybe that would be something more sustainable to fall back on.
Topic Author
tony5412
Posts: 604
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

uwbadgers wrote:ISorry I have went a little all over the place here, but wanted to share my ideas on this. Can you start part time? Sure, but know that like most things, part time training in big box settings isn't going to be too profitable and it will be hard to build up a schedule.

I would suggest checking out your area for smaller, studio type settings. Again, this may vary depending on where you are. I am in a Madison, WI so a decent sized city. Clients spend anywhere from $160/month to $1000/month. So for people that say training is too pricey, if you have the right service offerings you can be able to train a wide variety of clients.

Hope this helps give you some more insight on the profession!
Thanks for sharing your experience, it is appreciated.

It does seem like the big box gym is NOT the way to go unless just starting out. The thing is that there are no smaller/studio type settings around here. There are a few big box places and that's about it. What I envisioned was to rent a small space and buy some equipment and conduct training sessions there (rather than work at a gym or go to someone's home). Perhaps lease the space to other trainers during times that I do not work. Not sure this is a feasible business model, however (I'm thinking mid-size town with population of 40,000).
freyj6
Posts: 554
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Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by freyj6 »

The ideal option would be to pay a gym a few hundred a month to train a private client base there. You could charge $75-100 an hour and do pretty well. The hard part though would be establishing that client base, especially if you're not already experienced.
Topic Author
tony5412
Posts: 604
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2014 12:09 am

Re: Thinking of becoming a personal fitness trainer

Post by tony5412 »

freyj6 wrote:The ideal option would be to pay a gym a few hundred a month to train a private client base there. You could charge $75-100 an hour and do pretty well. The hard part though would be establishing that client base, especially if you're not already experienced.
That is a good idea if a gym would be open to that. I am not sure how the local gyms work that out, I assumed the trainers worked for the gym. Pretty much all the nearby gyms are chains.
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