Personal Trainer Info

[ae5843]

Hello, I am new to this group. My name is Ashley and I am looking for any information on becoming a personal trainer. Currently I am looking to go to a local community college in my area for a 6 week course on personal training, then possibly become certified with NSCA. I have been reading up on the field and fitness is something I am very passionate about. I would just like to talk to anyone I can that could give me any tips and information.

How long have you been training?
Do you recommend group training or one on one?
Do you work for a gym? Or for yourself? What do you prefer?
How much money do you make out to start? When you work for a gym, what do you do when you are not training a person? Is it all hourly?

Any info would be appreciated to me at this point, since I am still learning about it. Thank you!

 

[Kallisthenos]

Hi Ashley. If you are passionate about this then go for it. I love what I do. Employment for fitness instructors is growing about 25% faster than most other industries, about the same rate as physicians and surgeons. Training is becoming mainstream while concerns for youth fitness, widespread obesity, athletics, corporate health and wellness programs, aging populations, and the evolution of instructor based training centers are increasing demand for good trainers.

Many trainers pursue physical therapy (or a host of other therapeutic modalities)and many physical therapists or related professionals work directly in group or personal exercise programming.

The average trainer, whether in a health club, studio, or in home, makes about 30K a year on a "25" hour work week. A 25 hour work week built around a clients schedule isn't necessarily tidy. A 5 session day for a personal trainer might mean you're out of bed before 5 a.m. and you leave the gym at 10 p.m. On the other hand it might mean plenty of open time during the day to workout, continue college or just chill at a coffee shop. There are highly paid positions available in different fields of training. Many trainer work part time and have another job.

Gyms may hire you as a per session group exercise trainer, paying you a fee or commission anywhere from 30-60% of the cost of a session, and the time between sessions is yours. Other trainers may be gym employees who work the check in counter, sell memberships, or clean toilets in addition to training.

What are your interests, what might you see yourself doing in 5 or ten years?

 

[ae5843]

Currently I do office work and I feel the need to get out of it and pursue a different route, which brought me to wanting to be a personal trainer. I have a strong passion for fitness and I also would love to be able to help people, so I thought it would be a good fit for me. I want something that I can feel good about doing.

I wanted to get all the info I could from people who actually do this for a living. I realize I will have to start at the bottom, then work my way up. I just wanted to get different opinions on what is a good starting point. Do you recommend starting at a chain gym and building a client base there? I do not have business experience so I probably wouldn't feel confident opening my own studio, unless I was extremely confident that I could bring many people in and make a good living from it. What does a normal schedule look like for you? How many sessions do you do each day? I don't know what would be better - to work for a gym and get a steady paycheck, or to do independent work, and the gym would get a cut (am I right?) I am assuming I will learn all this in my class when I get certified. I would like to start out part time at first and then work my way into doing it full time as my career. I would also like to teach spinning classes so I was going to get certified in that, as well.

Any tips and pointed are appreciated though. I have been reading some books and getting info online about it but I find talking to actual trainers helps the most.

 

[Kallisthenos]

I recommend finding employment at a gym to start. A desk clerk/trainer position might be a foot in the door but serious trainers usually either take a percentage of each session or "rent" the privilege to train in a gym, paying the gym a set fee each month. Some trainers make a salary and have other duties in addition to personal training. They can put clients in your hands and you will likely have other trainer there to learn from as well. You can begin to develop your skill, get a taste of types of clientele, and begin to build contacts and references. The certification program at the community college will cover some of the basics from a business perspective as well.


I used to run a crazy amount of session in a week. Up before 5 and home after 9 p.m. was the norm. Now I train a few people in a gym every other morning, meet separately outside with two others outside almost daily, and have about 10 clients who are part of a coaching program. I also teach... personal trainers believe it or not!

 

[rav6962]

New Personal Trainer

I'm a new personal trainer and I have no hands on experience. So I figured the best place to start is at a commercialized gym. I've applied at a few gyms and I'm assuming because of my lack of experience and my age (46) they're pushing that I lean towards a Sales Manager position. I've never worked in sales at all before and I'm not sure if that would be a good fit for me. However it is a based salary plus commission and it might be a good place to start since I'm new (this is what they're telling me). However my passion is to train and to help people. While the money sounds good I'm afraid if I take a Managers position I will not get a the experience needed as a trainer.

Any input or pros and cons on a Sales Manager position opposed to a Trainer position? I feel like I may be trapped in the managers position and will never get the experience I need to train.

Appreciate any input from experience trainers or Managers.

Thanks,
Rob