Calling All Personal Trainers

[Silent Method]

I know some of you here are personal trainers. I need a fair source of income with flexible hours and I'd like to become a personal trainer.

I want to do it right. I'm not some spandex wearing imbecile who thinks he knows everything about training, but I do know enough to have a good deal to offer to entry level athletes and average people looking to "get into shape."

I'm asking for advice from those of you who are doing it. Keep in mind I'm a poor college student and don't have a great deal of money for startup. Whats the best certification to get? Do I NEED a certification? (I know some certs require CPR certification which I have.)

Can you offer some advise from the bussiness aspect? How do I start? Thanks for your help.

 

[JohnnyB#12]

bump

 

[G ChildlihC G]

Depending on where you go different gyms will accept differnet certs. At 24hr fitness you don't even have to have a cert, they will still hire you, send you to their little 2 weeks cert class and that's it. If you get the cert down the line you get a better percentage from them for each cliet, but I don't like 24hr fitness so I under cut them and take the clients for myself and get all the money.

 

[billyclinton]

I'm not a trainer but i just purchased the issa material. wanted some input on it. Is the ACE better if not what is? thanks for your time in advance!

 

[liftsiron]

Silent Method, I know that you have a good head on your shoulders from reading past posts. I've been a P.T. for a little over eight years now, so is my wife we make a good living at it. Until recently it was our sole source of income. You do not need to be certified but I would recommend it, as a selling tool. In this aspect one certification is as good as another, if you need to rely on the P.T. certification courses to teach you to how to train, forget it. You should also have a good working knowledge of nurtrition and physiology of exercise. I started out by working out a deal with the owner of the gym where I wanted to train. I do not jump from gym to gym or do in home training, for me its a waste of time. I sought out clients from proffesional circles who were interested in long term training, severel times a week. That way you do not have to hustle appointments or ever wonder where your next paycheck is comming from. I work with the same people week after week, year after year. This way I always know when I work and can set my own hours anyway that I want. What I did for years was work six sessions in the a.m. 6a.m. to noon. Take a few hours break then work several sessions after 4p.m. , this worked well with the various schedules of the individuals that I train. I hope this answers some of your questions, also it pays to look fit with some muscle.

 

[Mike P.T.]

www.fitnesseducation.com

pm or email me for further info.

 

[The Almighty]

I was in the same boat as you. I got my ACE two years ago...all I could afford at the time...simply so I could, like you said, make a side-job of training people, mostly at my school.

 

[onemind]

I got my cert from NFPT you can find there web site at nfpt.com they very nice and well established and the price is right the only thing is the cert tests are very hard and in my opinion you do need a cert I don't know to many people who would want a trainer without one and I know as soon as I got mine I had a lot of people asking me for help good luck

 

[soflaguy]

Onemind, just curious how good the other certification traning manuals are? I checked the NFPT Study Manual and thought it was pretty good. I think I will add it to my personal library.

http://www.nfpt.com/Manual/manual.pdf

I don't have any intention in becoming a PT, but do like to do self-education.

 

[Quadsweep]

Silent Method, I know that you have a good head on your shoulders from reading past posts. I've been a P.T. for a little over eight years now, so is my wife we make a good living at it. Until recently it was our sole source of income. You do not need to be certified but I would recommend it, as a selling tool. In this aspect one certification is as good as another, if you need to rely on the P.T. certification courses to teach you to how to train, forget it. You should also have a good working knowledge of nurtrition and physiology of exercise. I started out by working out a deal with the owner of the gym where I wanted to train. I do not jump from gym to gym or do in home training, for me its a waste of time. I sought out clients from proffesional circles who were interested in long term training, severel times a week. That way you do not have to hustle appointments or ever wonder where your next paycheck is comming from. I work with the same people week after week, year after year. This way I always know when I work and can set my own hours anyway that I want. What I did for years was work six sessions in the a.m. 6a.m. to noon. Take a few hours break then work several sessions after 4p.m. , this worked well with the various schedules of the individuals that I train. I hope this answers some of your questions, also it pays to look fit with some muscle.

Sounds like me exactly except I have a few years of phychotherapy...I mean personal training on you. I would get a cert if Iwere you Silentmethod. It does not matter so much which one. You will need it to get insurance. I am ACE certified but when it expires I am going to get this cheap ass NESTA cert just to keep my insurance up. I learned nothing from ACE so Iwill not do it again. (I did it 5 times now!) Also Do not sell yourself short on price. It is harder to raise your rates than it is to start high. Ask trainers in your area what they charge and go from that.

Peace, Quad

 

[Bulldog_10]

I have one question...These certifications and shit are great, but how do they compare to a college degree in Physical Therapy? Aside from money, what are the pros and cons of going to college for this type of thing?

 

[bigwillystyle]

200,000 plus

40,000 is the least you should make as a PT. Start high then go lower if you are struggling, take on a few to meet your needs, get some results and stay planted do not move around, if they have money they will come to you. Any cert if fine. Ace is not very good ISSA and NFPT is very good.


Also look for some certifications in sports nutrition. more credibility. but dont rely on that. For some reason people(the world) think that certifications are better than a BS in exercise Science, so give it to them. Get what you can afford and branch out into different avenues, treat it just as it is, a business. People have money you just need to convince them per say to give it to you. Have confidence , dont be shy or act surprised when they want to train with you. Confidence Confidence Confidence. Learn on the floor, dont wait until you think your ready, you will never be. Just jump out and do it. and if you get stumped, read online info, get workouts from credible online sources.

Remember there are no right answers, only variations of the truth.

 

[Consistent1]

One thing that I might add is that certain gyms may be more interested in your sales or "closing" ability than your training knowledge. Sad, but very true.

 

[DrJMW]

Excellent comments. I am certified with NFPT. Aside from ISSA, NFPT teaches you what you need to know. The cert exam is very difficult; i don't know how anyone can pass it without having the first year of Med/Dental school under your belt. Since I am a doc, it was a tremendous review of that first year of professional school. I really like the magazine and the ease with which to get CE credits. The dues are very reasonable. As far as personal training is concerned, you need the image and the salesmanship. I got a job with World Gym here in South Florida and I lasted four months. I made no money. I was told that because of my lack of a"hard body", I would have a hard time selling and I did. Personally, one is better off being independent than working for a chain like Bally's, World Gym etc. Too many rules and regulations. I was told what diet to put everybody on. I was told how to exercise them. I have over 30 years of personal fitness experience and 15 years as a doc, and I have cockers telling me what to do. That's why I started my own online fitness consulting business--it fits my personality and gives me a chance to work with fine clientele. Everyone needs to find their niche in anything they do.

 

[argent]

Are you talikng about being a "house trainer" at a gym, or an independent personal trainer?

 

[cbeaks]

24 hour fitness gives you 35%-45% of what you charge a client depending on all of your certifications/degrees and they don't let independent trainers train others at their gym. Does anyone know how Ballies pays their trainers and do they let you train at their gym if you are independent? - cbeaks

 

[Mike P.T.]

24 hour fitness gives you 35%-45% of what you charge a client depending on all of your certifications/degrees and they don't let independent trainers train others at their gym. Does anyone know how Ballies pays their trainers and do they let you train at their gym if you are independent? - cbeaks

Bally's pays under a new system now. If I remember correctly because the new system was in effect when I had left. It's 7.50 to 8.50 an hour. But the hours you train people with whom you sighned up personally you get up to 20 plus dollars an hour or so. If you train someone and they got sessions from the sales people when they first joined and not from you prospecting that you get an 13-15$ an hour. It used to be that you got paid hourly and depending on how much in sales you made a month, anywhere from 30-50% But that's irrelevant because that was before.

 

[cbeaks]

Sounds to me like independent is the way to go. The problem is that where I live pretty much all of the gyms are large chains that don't allow independent trainers. - cbeaks

 

[JaTruTheGreat]

Well...

I'm certified by the IFPA which comes out of Tampa Florida. I'm from Pa but i took a course called Personal Training and the certification test was pretty long. I had to do 100 multiple choice, 7 long essays, and hands-on shit in the gym. The IFPA is an up and comming certification that will have a nice name someday. Anyways right now the best seems to be the ACSM certificaion which stands for "The American College of Sports Medicine" as they are the leaders in this field. The next i would have to say is prolly ACE which is also very good. Later!!!!

 

[bigwillystyle]

Hey DrJMW Please email me some info about your online consultation ok?



I would like to know more about it.


[email protected]

 

[bigwillystyle]

OOPS

[email protected] sorry a little tired today

 

[Silent Method]

Silent Method, I know that you have a good head on your shoulders from reading past posts. I've been a P.T. for a little over eight years now, so is my wife we make a good living at it. Until recently it was our sole source of income. You do not need to be certified but I would recommend it, as a selling tool. In this aspect one certification is as good as another, if you need to rely on the P.T. certification courses to teach you to how to train, forget it. You should also have a good working knowledge of nurtrition and physiology of exercise. I started out by working out a deal with the owner of the gym where I wanted to train. I do not jump from gym to gym or do in home training, for me its a waste of time. I sought out clients from proffesional circles who were interested in long term training, severel times a week. That way you do not have to hustle appointments or ever wonder where your next paycheck is comming from. I work with the same people week after week, year after year. This way I always know when I work and can set my own hours anyway that I want. What I did for years was work six sessions in the a.m. 6a.m. to noon. Take a few hours break then work several sessions after 4p.m. , this worked well with the various schedules of the individuals that I train. I hope this answers some of your questions, also it pays to look fit with some muscle.

Thanks for the input and encouraging advise. Right now I'm working on my bio degree and, as I said, am thinking of working as a trainer part time to cover some bills. However, the idea of making my living by teaching what I love is exiting indeed. Working with clients interested in long term training would certainly be the way to do it! How satisfying it would be to have such an instrumental role in the process of changing others lives for the better.

 

[Silent Method]

Sounds like me exactly except I have a few years of phychotherapy...I mean personal training on you. I would get a cert if Iwere you Silentmethod. It does not matter so much which one. You will need it to get insurance. I am ACE certified but when it expires I am going to get this cheap ass NESTA cert just to keep my insurance up. I learned nothing from ACE so Iwill not do it again. (I did it 5 times now!) Also Do not sell yourself short on price. It is harder to raise your rates than it is to start high. Ask trainers in your area what they charge and go from that.

Peace, Quad

By insurance, what are we talking about specifically?

Thanks for your advice on what to charge. I was kind of stuggling with this idea.

 

[Tombstonealley]

As far as certs are concerned it depends who you are going to be working with:
NSCA-CSCS-Athletes
NSCA-CPT-Everyday People
ACE-Everyday People
ACSM-Everyday People & Rehab (Clinical)
There are a ton of certs, but the ones above hold the most water. They are very highly respected even in academic settings. Trust me-part of my job is highering trainers.