Is Personal Training a career for the unemployable?

[Andy Griffin]

Hi GetBig

I have been a lurker here for a while (years) and it took a long time for my profile to be approved so I missed the opportunity to contribute and participate in a lot of threads. So I thought I would start one.

My question goes to personal trainers and former personal trainers/strength coaches and if they have had more than 15-20 years plus in the job and now with the prevalence of Instagram, YouTube and social media if they have been able to compete and keep up with the trends? I am guessing for gym owners and staff things have changed significantly since the 1980s, 1990s and even early 2000s and how they have survived? There is a argument that why hire a PT if you can learn how to program your training and work out your macro nutrients and calories etc yourself? the other side of the argument is that PT's provide an valuable service and their work is impactful etc. What are you experiences as PT working in gyms and/or opinions of PT's in general?

You'd spend all the money you earn on clipboards and clown pants.

[michael arvilla]

QFT

When I did it, I would find ways to keep them moving literally the entire session so they would shut their yapping mouth.  If they were too tired to do something like bodyweight calf raises, I’d have them stretch.  Anything to keep them from talking

Anyways, in my experience it’s all about salesmanship.  Take a great car salesman w a gut and put him on the gym floor and he’ll have more clients than the other trainers in short order.  I’m not much of a salesman, hence I didn’t make much money with it.

Yup!! The gym owners didn't give one fuck how much weight my clients lost , or how they got off all their heart medications etc ..... all they cared about was " selling training packages (sessions) ...I'm not a salesmen ( actually hate salesmen) but that was a huge part of the job! It was high pressure also ( I remember an IFBB Pro who made a young girl cry because of the pressure he was putting on her to buy a package/ go out to her car and get her Credit card! ... it was sickening and I knew this wasn't for me! ) I actually genuinely liked helping people attain their fitness goals (losing weight mainly ) and was proud of them when they did so .... but the high pressure " sell sell sell" tactics just weren't for me .... that and spending too many hours in the gym daily told me I have to find another line of work!

[Humble Narcissist]

I don't really get why people do it, both hire and become a trainer.

But I came to the conclusion that wimpy men who hire jacked bodybuilder types as trainers are 100% playing out their cuck/homo fantasies. Brad Rowe for example had some very "interesting" client interactions.

I started weight training at age 12. The York Barbell course had posters with like 20 lifts to work the whole body on them. It took like 1/2 hour to learn the exercises. I can not understand hiring someone to "teach" this.

[GymnJuice]

I started weight training at age 12. The York Barbell course had posters with like 20 lifts to work the whole body on them. It took like 1/2 hour to learn the exercises. I can not understand hiring someone to "teach" this.

Whatever bro. You probably can't understand hiring a life coach either.

 

[Humble Narcissist]

Whatever bro. You probably can't understand hiring a life coach either.

 

There must be a million divorced, over 40, women who are life coaches usually with a cheap weebly website. I'm sure they have amazing insights I could learn to turn my life around.

[IroNat]

I started weight training at age 12. The York Barbell course had posters with like 20 lifts to work the whole body on them. It took like 1/2 hour to learn the exercises. I can not understand hiring someone to "teach" this.

It's hard, man.

[ChristopherA]

Everyone is like "Bro you should buy a gym!"  They don't understand that my love for training supercedes my potentially making a few dollars from a gym.  And you here this by many many people.  Even the trainers where I go say their own fitness and training suffers from always being there.

I used to get that my whole life. "Oh you should be a personal trainer." I couldn't think of anything I would hate more. I train for me and then I gtfo of the gym

[ProudVirgin69]

If I had millions to burn I’d open a gym just so I could enforce a draconian “CLEAN YOUR WEIGHTS UP” policy

[Andy Griffin]

If I had millions to burn I’d open a gym just so I could enforce a draconian “CLEAN YOUR WEIGHTS UP” policy

Also a policy that the benches, etc, are for weightlifting, not for meditation or phone use.

[pamith]

I'm willing to train people, anybody, for 20 bucks an hour, srs

[Rambone]

I'm willing to train people, anybody, for 20 bucks an hour, srs

My nikka

[Giovanni1443]

Ive trained clients since 1992 in NYC I have seen a massive change in the industry when I was working PT
Was just starting I remember making 25 bucks an hour and I thought wow that's great money
Over the years I supported my family bought a house and own a gym all from being a successful trainer
I would say 90% of trainers cannot make enough money to do it full-time.
Social media isn't something I use and most of the successful trainers in my gym say it's not important to their business

[IroNat]

Golf lessons are $35-$50 for a half hour.

[pamith]

My nikka

Bro...

[robcguns]

I’m pretty much unemployable so I’ve always had to work for myself mostly. I did in home personal training years ago and had a couple rich clients that paid me 200 per hour and would sometimes one would have his wife and kids join and he would pay me 800 per hour for 4 of them guy was worth hundred of millions. Another one was a gay guy and he would have his partner join once a week for 400 per hour. I was making a couple grand a week for just a few hours for about two years then got bored of it. In gym training I wouldn’t bother the gym owners make all the money it seems.

The guy that was married with kids would make deals with me first one was when he could bench 225 he would give me a 5k bonus, then when he hit 175 lean another 5k bonus, then when he benched 275 10k. He was a vegetarian marathon runner so it wasn’t easy but we hit all the goals and then some. He also got me a Rolex submariner as a Christmas bonus. Nice rich guy.

[joswift]

I’m pretty much unemployable so I’ve always had to work for myself mostly. I did in home personal training years ago and had a couple rich clients that paid me 200 per hour and would sometimes one would have his wife and kids join and he would pay me 800 per hour for 4 of them guy was worth hundred of millions. Another one was a gay guy and he would have his partner join once a week for 400 per hour. I was making a couple grand a week for just a few hours for about two years then got bored of it. In gym training I wouldn’t bother the gym owners make all the money it seems.

The guy that was married with kids would make deals with me first one was when he could bench 225 he would give me a 5k bonus, then when he hit 175 lean another 5k bonus, then when he benched 275 10k. He was a vegetarian marathon runner so it wasn’t easy but we hit all the goals and then some. He also got me a Rolex submariner as a Christmas bonus. Nice rich guy.

Is that a thinly disguised G4P post?
 

[robcguns]

Is that a thinly disguised G4P post?
 

Hahaha,I was waiting for that. No neither of those guys offered but I was offered by a guy once to train him and I did and after the second time he asked if I would train arms naked while he jerked off and he would pay me 1000 a session. I said no.

[IroNat]

Cool, rob, except for the perv.

Glad you stayed pure.

 

[Coach is Back!]

If you look at it like a business, even if you don’t own a gym, treat it like any other business. You get out of it what you put in. I’ve done very well with it. Better than most.

$200k + is very doable. As for Charles. His rates very but the average is about $200 and he’s booked all day long 6-7 days a week.

[pamith]

Hahaha,I was waiting for that. No neither of those guys offered but I was offered by a guy once to train him and I did and after the second time he asked if I would train arms naked while he jerked off and he would pay me 1000 a session. I said no.

I think you said ''yes''

[Phantom Spunker]

I think you said ''yes''

Hahaha, big P-dawg's in here swinging haymakers.

[Humble Narcissist]

I’m pretty much unemployable so I’ve always had to work for myself mostly. I did in home personal training years ago and had a couple rich clients that paid me 200 per hour and would sometimes one would have his wife and kids join and he would pay me 800 per hour for 4 of them guy was worth hundred of millions. Another one was a gay guy and he would have his partner join once a week for 400 per hour. I was making a couple grand a week for just a few hours for about two years then got bored of it. In gym training I wouldn’t bother the gym owners make all the money it seems.

The guy that was married with kids would make deals with me first one was when he could bench 225 he would give me a 5k bonus, then when he hit 175 lean another 5k bonus, then when he benched 275 10k. He was a vegetarian marathon runner so it wasn’t easy but we hit all the goals and then some. He also got me a Rolex submariner as a Christmas bonus. Nice rich guy.

$800 an hour? Why did you ever quit?

[SF1900]

Hahaha,I was waiting for that. No neither of those guys offered but I was offered by a guy once to train him and I did and after the second time he asked if I would train arms naked while he jerked off and he would pay me 1000 a session. I said no.

Rob, why did you say no?

[AbrahamG]

I’m pretty much unemployable so I’ve always had to work for myself mostly. I did in home personal training years ago and had a couple rich clients that paid me 200 per hour and would sometimes one would have his wife and kids join and he would pay me 800 per hour for 4 of them guy was worth hundred of millions. Another one was a gay guy and he would have his partner join once a week for 400 per hour. I was making a couple grand a week for just a few hours for about two years then got bored of it. In gym training I wouldn’t bother the gym owners make all the money it seems.

The guy that was married with kids would make deals with me first one was when he could bench 225 he would give me a 5k bonus, then when he hit 175 lean another 5k bonus, then when he benched 275 10k. He was a vegetarian marathon runner so it wasn’t easy but we hit all the goals and then some. He also got me a Rolex submariner as a Christmas bonus. Nice rich guy.

You told a funny story before about your dad asking you about one of your clients.  Please tell it again.   

[joswift]

Hahaha,I was waiting for that. No neither of those guys offered but I was offered by a guy once to train him and I did and after the second time he asked if I would train arms naked while he jerked off and he would pay me 1000 a session. I said no but eventually agreed on 1500.

fixed