personal training- good income?

[DepressiveJuice]

any personal trainers here? i was just wondering if you all make a good living. i know that if you work on your own you'll be well off- provided you have enough clients. but what if you work for someone like say a gym? does the pay suck then? i only make 32k a year now so i need to look into something that will make me some cash

 

[Silent Method]

This is a field of work that I am interested in as well. I'm going to start working as a personal trainer in about a month, and hopefully I'll really get rolling this summer.

Try a search for personal trainers with my name. I made a similar post myself and got many good replies.

As far as income, I've gathered that this is really one of those jobs where you get what you put into it. Working FOR a gym you may get good pay but it's probably going to be restrictive compared to what you could make on your own. The gym takes a cut of the client's payment. On the positive side, if you work for a gym they may help shuffle clients your way.

If you work privately your income could vary through a wide range. Depending on your skill level, rapport with your clients, the type of clients you'd be working with, etc, you could make anything from 10K to 100K a year.

For an average run of the mill trainer in my area, $30 an hour is standard. I know one trainer who charges $30 and works with as many as 10 clients a day. $300 per day ain't bad.

 

[adicus]

Silent M:
Like Djiuce said it varies. There are many different arrangements that you may have with the facility in which you train.
1. be an employee - get paid by the gym and also get new clients handed to you from the gym, pay taxes, maybe get benefits, have a boss.
2. be an independant contractor - pay rent to the gym, (about 400-700 bucks where I live) but what ever you make above that is all yours and is in cash (no taxes), get your own insurance, no boss, find your own clients, they may or may not have to join the gym in order for you to train them there.
3. In Home - if you can market yourself to the people with in home gyms you will be going to their houses, Good money but also more drive time, no boss , buy own insurance, no tax
4. Combo - I do this one. I work in a small training studio and when A CLEINT SIGNS UP TO TRAIN WITH ME, i GIVE THE CHECK TO THE OWNER WHO THEN GIVES ME HALF OF THE CHARGED RATE PER SESSION WITH THAT CLEINT. So we charge $60/hr and I get $30 of that, but use his facility, overhead, advertising etc. Sort of like paying rent on a "per client" basis. He will claim to the govt how much he paid me so I will have to pay taxes on that. But I am technically independant and can do inhome training on my own in order to supp. income. I also pay own insurance etc.

Sorry to be so long winded. maybe the answer was as simple as "it depends on the number of clients you have, your ability as a trainer to get quality, high income clients, what your rates are and where you train clients"
Adicus

 

[Silent Method]

Silent M:
Like Djiuce said it varies.

I think you meant Djiuce: Like Silent M said it varies.

 

[02gixxersix]

im thinkin of starting as well

 

[Mike P.T.]

This is a field of work that I am interested in as well. I'm going to start working as a personal trainer in about a month, and hopefully I'll really get rolling this summer.

Try a search for personal trainers with my name. I made a similar post myself and got many good replies.

As far as income, I've gathered that this is really one of those jobs where you get what you put into it. Working FOR a gym you may get good pay but it's probably going to be restrictive compared to what you could make on your own. The gym takes a cut of the client's payment. On the positive side, if you work for a gym they may help shuffle clients your way.

If you work privately your income could vary through a wide range. Depending on your skill level, rapport with your clients, the type of clients you'd be working with, etc, you could make anything from 10K to 100K a year.

For an average run of the mill trainer in my area, $30 an hour is standard. I know one trainer who charges $30 and works with as many as 10 clients a day. $300 per day ain't bad.

Well said.

 

[Hugh Gellatts]

try marketing yourself as a personal trainer to bored houswives. this has proved a good front for my highly lucrative male gigilo operation. it helps that i sorta look like a buff rob schnieder. do not offer group discounts. i ate out one knitting club and couldn't taste anything for a week...not worth it.

 

[Hugh Gellatts]

also bone up on Dr. Phil quotes. sometimes mumbling a bit of sage wisdom like "a step child should view themselves as a positive addition to nuclear family normality" whilst having erma's (erma is the trade name for scrawny middle aged upper class women johns...stay away from berthas unless you can deadlift 700+lbs) feet as earmuffs is enough to tip them into their "special happy time zone" (dr. phil term for multiple orgasm).

gradually prepare self for extended oral sex debacles by chewing mothballs.

 

[bigtex1125]

Personal training for a gym pays shit. I'd recommend going independant for sure. All you need is one or two male and female customers to get started, and the rest will come to you if you know what you are doing. I do this a couple of evenings a week for some extra income. It's worth my time, and I really do feel like i'm helping the people out, unlike the cheesy PTs i usually see working for clubs.

 

[KAYNE]

I HAVE A FRIEND WHO MAKES OVER 200K/YR. HOWEVER, HE HAS TWO COLLEGE DEGREES AND IS CERTIFIED THROUGH EVERY CREDIBLE ASSOCIATION KNOWN. HE KNOWS HIS SHIT. NOT TO MENTION HE TRAINS VERY HIGH END CLIENTS.

200K IN NEW ORLEANS IS ABOUT 400K ANYWHERE ELSE.




KAYNE

 

[Silent Method]

I HAVE A FRIEND WHO MAKES OVER 200K/YR. HOWEVER, HE HAS TWO COLLEGE DEGREES AND IS CERTIFIED THROUGH EVERY CREDIBLE ASSOCIATION KNOWN. HE KNOWS HIS SHIT. NOT TO MENTION HE TRAINS VERY HIGH END CLIENTS.

Good point. If you want to work at that high end, your more likely to succede if you have the education to support it.

 

[bullcocky]

The more perfect your body looks, the better you'll do. You need to be able to have patience w/ people. This is something I lack

Get on the fuckin treadmill for an hour fat-ass !!!



Oh my god, I think my personal trainer is on those steroid things!
He didn't just say what I think he just said........did he???

 

[Vectork39]

back at home (not school) the personal trainers come in all different shapes and sizes, from meatheads to skinny guys, to hot girls to the butch almost man like female trainers. But i have to tell you that you need to do a little bit of advertising and marketing to get the word out. sometimes a great body and smile wont cut it, you have to do some dirty work to capture the target markets. In my area, the two easiest groups to capture are the 30-40 yr old mother (who has teenage daughters) who wants to be like her daughter and still look young, these women pay exorbitant amounts of money just so they can beat the aging process. Plus, most of these women have very wealthy husbands who will keep payin as long as their wife looks and performs better.
The other group is the 50-60 woman who is determined not to turn into a fat old hag. Although these women are not the prettiest thing to lay your eyes on, most of them have fat pockets and are very succeptible to persuasion. Obviously every person regardless of age or gender may be in your target market, you just have to decide which ones offer the greatest amount of profit and sustainability.

 

[bullcocky]

sometimes a great body and smile wont cut it.

Yes it will............. trust me. Let's see, do I want the string bean to train me or do I want this guy that has abs the size of by head...........hmmmmm......tough decision.

 

[FreakMonster]

back at home (not school) the personal trainers come in all different shapes and sizes, from meatheads to skinny guys, to hot girls to the butch almost man like female trainers. But i have to tell you that you need to do a little bit of advertising and marketing to get the word out. sometimes a great body and smile wont cut it, you have to do some dirty work to capture the target markets. In my area, the two easiest groups to capture are the 30-40 yr old mother (who has teenage daughters) who wants to be like her daughter and still look young, these women pay exorbitant amounts of money just so they can beat the aging process. Plus, most of these women have very wealthy husbands who will keep payin as long as their wife looks and performs better.
The other group is the 50-60 woman who is determined not to turn into a fat old hag. Although these women are not the prettiest thing to lay your eyes on, most of them have fat pockets and are very succeptible to persuasion. Obviously every person regardless of age or gender may be in your target market, you just have to decide which ones offer the greatest amount of profit and sustainability.

Another great market that would be a money maker is GAY MEN!!

 

[bullcocky]

Another great market that would be a money maker is GAY MEN!!

?????????????????????Okay Christopher Lovell

 

[Vectork39]

hey i thought we put the homo topic to bed with that narcissim thread

 

[Triple J]

My buddy from college who was never that smart in school or anything was a bodybuilder who got started early in the PT business. He had a reputation from when he competed and ran with some world-known champions at the time, and he was always really personable and enthusiastic about training. He opened his own gym which is used exclusively for personal training by hime and his staff of trainers. Sometimes he will get 2-3 guys at a time who pay him $50/hr each to be run through together. So between him and the money he makes off his staff, the guy has been rolling in dough for years. For instance, he just built a $700,000 house and bought his wife an H2 to haul groceries and the kids.

 

[T-Rage]

You can learn alot from this guy's site.

www.underdogfitness.com

 

[bullcocky]

hey i thought we put the homo topic to bed with that narcissim thread

Sorry bro, I'll try not to mention it next time......I realize that it's a touchy subject for ya my apologies

 

[bullcocky]

There is a trainer at my gym that is 5'08"240lbs and looks like a hoss. He makes about $6000 a month , he's got about 20 clients!

 

[PatBateman]

^

 

[juiceddreadlocks]

what about opening up some sort of health food franchise, maybe a smoothie king, there's someone that trains people out of the one in my college town and he makes pretty good money

 

[PatBateman]

^ once more

 

[georgie24]

BUMP

 

[manny78]

There're two extremes. The one described by KAYNE which is highly certified and educated trainers and those big mofo you find everywhere. This last category is filled with guys that are usually using this job as a second income or student job. No need to be highly certified. My best friend was doing this at the age of 19. No certification at all. He was just among the biggest guys in the gym. But he never got rich this way. If you're thinking about this as a career, then you might consider hitting college.

 

[beefybull]

^

 

[jjfingers]

The money is out there. Try to find a niche to cater to housewives, athletes, etc.
If your schedule allows try training on the side. Build a name and a client base. In time, if the numbers work, try taking it on full time. As mention earlier, training as your own entity is much more lucrative. Research state and federal laws to avoid getting nailed by taxes.

 

[Mike P.T.]

There're two extremes. The one described by KAYNE which is highly certified and educated trainers and those big mofo you find everywhere. This last category is filled with guys that are usually using this job as a second income or student job. No need to be highly certified. My best friend was doing this at the age of 19. No certification at all. He was just among the biggest guys in the gym. But he never got rich this way. If you're thinking about this as a career, then you might consider hitting college.

Like me. Highly educated and jacked. So I'm on both ends. Guess that's why I'm kickin ass at my gym. Ahh it helps that I look good too face-wise though.