How do you have your own business as a personal trainer

[macos]

The way it works here in the UK is that you have to pass your NVQ level 3 qualifications which can take anywhere between 6 weeks full time to 6 months part time and costs around £3500 to complete although you can pay in installments usually or take finance.


You either have the option to work for the gym, which means you have to spend half the day or at least few hours a day maintaining the gym etc and the rest of the time you can train your clients. If you work for the gym you pay them a reduced rate, something like £500 a month usually.

If you work for yourself and are freelance you would pay the gym rent, usually £1000 a month here in London and then you train your clients whenever you want and that's it.

Off course you can totally go free lance and not even pay the gym rent and train people in the park or in their own houses or rent gym space from various places that provide that etc or just get a day pass at any gym etc.

Hope that helps.

This pretty much sums it up.

[macos]

I have 3 clients. All three approached me and offered me very good money to train them..so why not.

I train one at Lifetime Fitness..60 a month

I train one at LA fitness. 30 a month

I train one at 24 hr fitness. 34 a month

125 a month overhead to make an extra 600 a week CASH on average on top of my real job...ha ha ha

how many $/hr are we looking at here?

[dyslexic]

I believe he was joking.


To give a comprehensive answer to your question would require nearly a book's worth of answers.


To simplify: (All certs aside) know your shit. How? Experience and half a brain.


Communication skills. Computer skills, Understanding of Physiology, Kinesiology, Nutrition, Anatomy, Pharmacology, Psychology, Physical Therapy, Diplomacy, Tact and Management of people, time and money.


Find a gym that is privately owned. Make them money. Market yourself. Be in shape (I don't give a flying rats ass what ANYONE say's about that part, fucking STAY IN SHAPE!) You are your own advertisement. Eventually word-of-mouth and referrals will follow.


If you are intelligent, calculating, motivated, consistent, prompt and driven, you can make bank.


If not, find another line of work.

[ESFitness]

I'm a trainer, and have been for 14yrs now.

for the past few years, I've brokered a deal for a gym, which I run, so I train for the gym, as well as for cash, as well as training people at home and in parks or at the beach.

old school "personal training" is a dying business model. the money is in 'group training', bootcamps and crossfit-style training.

give me a medicine ball (jam/slam ball), a kettlebell, a 35lb plate, and a resistance band and I can train 6-8 people for an hour. each person paying 10-20$ and I can do that 3-4x per day no problem. (oh, and a stopwatch)

the days of bringing in a guy and siting him down on a machine and counting his reps are over because people are more educated because of the internet and magazines and tv... it's the 'unique' stuff like "functional cross training" that makes you stand out and draws in clients.

[macos]

Personal training is big money if you hit rich vhrientd

[Cleanest Natural]

I'm a trainer, and have been for 14yrs now.

for the past few years, I've brokered a deal for a gym, which I run, so I train for the gym, as well as for cash, as well as training people at home and in parks or at the beach.

old school "personal training" is a dying business model. the money is in 'group training', bootcamps and crossfit-style training.

give me a medicine ball (jam/slam ball), a kettlebell, a 35lb plate, and a resistance band and I can train 6-8 people for an hour. each person paying 10-20$ and I can do that 3-4x per day no problem. (oh, and a stopwatch)

the days of bringing in a guy and siting him down on a machine and counting his reps are over because people are more educated because of the internet and magazines and tv... it's the 'unique' stuff like "functional cross training" that makes you stand out and draws in clients.

sad but very true..I was just reflecting on this the other day

Here is my experience..

I do train clients the exact same way I have trained myself. Circuit training in the gym..

10 min cardio
abs, chest, back, biceps, side and rear delts, 3 sets 1 exercise 15 reps light weight
20 min cardio, stretching

I do their diets, everyone knows those, lean meats, green veggies and some healthy fats, monitor them daily and this is how I transform them.

I never worked with anyone more than 2-3 months. Never had repeat customers (2-3 in the past 10 years). 2 years ago I stopped training them in the gym.

Some good lessons:

I wanted to find the best formula that works in the advantage of the client .. bad idea .. it works against me

Learned, and now I am a little bit more fair with me.

Prices are relative. The ones who do it right, get great results and would pay even more for the same..the lazy, always feel they paid more than it was worth, obviously they never achieve what they set to do.

I looked at myself, and at other trainers who make a LOT more money and have a LOT more clients than me.

All of them do the cross fit thing like ES pointed out.

The PEOPLE like that stuff better along with the TRX bands crap, group circ du soleil chalestenics and so forth.

I admire them because they are smarter than me, adapted and make a nice living. I chose to perfect working out one on one with someone and focused more on diets and working from a distance. Obviously not the smartest of ideas. But I wanted to do this and disregard the financial aspect as much as I can.

[DroppingPlates]

I believe he was joking.


To give a comprehensive answer to your question would require nearly a book's worth of answers.


To simplify: (All certs aside) know your shit. How? Experience and half a brain.


Communication skills. Computer skills, Understanding of Physiology, Kinesiology, Nutrition, Anatomy, Pharmacology, Psychology, Physical Therapy, Diplomacy, Tact and Management of people, time and money.


Find a gym that is privately owned. Make them money. Market yourself. Be in shape (I don't give a flying rats ass what ANYONE say's about that part, fucking STAY IN SHAPE!) You are your own advertisement. Eventually word-of-mouth and referrals will follow.


If you are intelligent, calculating, motivated, consistent, prompt and driven, you can make bank.


If not, find another line of work.

Solid post!

[johnnynoname]

To anyone who wants to be a personal trainer I advise that you get a gun and blow your brains out



Your better off blowing your brains out than working as a trainer

[Mr Nobody]

They are merely repetition counters.

[johnnynoname]

They are merely repetition counters.

This but they are mostly therapists for people who don't want to go to therapists because of the stigma going to a shrink carries

[DroppingPlates]

They are merely repetition counters.

It's more effective than counting sheeps.

[YngiweRhoads]

Trainer...lol

Don't eat shit food. Sleep. Pick up weight, put down weight.

Wow.

[Hulkotron]

You fail at getting an education and a real job?

 

[Cleanest Natural]

The trainer transmits some of his energy and love for what he does to the trainee. The trainers who suck at it should look in the mirror first. When I was a bitter and sore people would not be knocking my door down. When I am happy and enthusiastic and trully enjoy what I do, meaning doing it from the heart, people pick up on that. And so it goes..

[Coach is Back!]

I'm a trainer, and have been for 14yrs now.

for the past few years, I've brokered a deal for a gym, which I run, so I train for the gym, as well as for cash, as well as training people at home and in parks or at the beach.

old school "personal training" is a dying business model. the money is in 'group training', bootcamps and crossfit-style training.

give me a medicine ball (jam/slam ball), a kettlebell, a 35lb plate, and a resistance band and I can train 6-8 people for an hour. each person paying 10-20$ and I can do that 3-4x per day no problem. (oh, and a stopwatch)

the days of bringing in a guy and siting him down on a machine and counting his reps are over because people are more educated because of the internet and magazines and tv... it's the 'unique' stuff like "functional cross training" that makes you stand out and draws in clients.

I see this as well but what I call "cattle call" workouts are cheapining the industry and giving more ammunition to people (like most on here) in thinking you don't have to know much to be a trainer, just have them jump around, sweat and count reps.

[Coach is Back!]

To anyone who wants to be a personal trainer I advise that you get a gun and blow your brains out



Your better off blowing your brains out than working as a trainer

Yes, because becoming a gay prostitute is something to aspire to.

[Coach is Back!]

You fail at getting an education and a real job?

Doesn't make sense since most full time trainers who work for themselves make more than the typical college grad in almost any field.

[johnnynoname]

Yes, because becoming a gay prostitute is something to aspire to.

a) easy for you to say anything because you do have clientele brother....and it took you years to develop said clientele....Don't lie, joe...It took you a while to develop your clientele
2) I imagine being a gay prostitute is very difficult for a heterosexual man with a drug habit....actually, who am i kidding...being a rent boy was pretty low but thankfully I had said drug habit to blame for that dumb mistake...BTW- the only reason I had to "do that" was because I couldn't making money as a legit gigolo at the time

[Coach is Back!]

a) easy for you to say anything because you do have clientele brother....and it took you years to develop said clientele....Don't lie, joe...It took you a while to develop your clientele
2) I imagine being a gay prostitute is very difficult for a heterosexual man with a drug habit....actually, who am i kidding...being a rent boy was pretty low but thankfully I had said drug habit to blame for that dumb mistake...BTW- the only reason I had to "do that" was because I couldn't making money as a legit gigolo at the time

Instead of blasting the training industry and saying you'd rather blow your brains out, you could have made a legit business from training, you have knowledge, you were/ are in shape, etc. drugs suck, trust I know, but you're the one who ultimately makes the decision. Where you're at, it doesn't take that many clients to make a very good living, even where I'm at I couldn't demand that kind of rate. Sorry I offended you, but fuck!!

[johnnynoname]

even with that aside I still think that any starry eyed 20 year old who wants to get into the training business should still keep there day job and perhaps consider blowing there brains out....do one of the two....or both

[Coach is Back!]

even with that aside I still think that any starry eyed 20 year old who wants to get into the training business should still keep there day job and perhaps consider blowing there brains out....do one of the two....or both

Unfortunately you have 20 year old who have good reading skills coming out as online gurus who are making a fortune without even have trained an actual client.

[Darren Avey]

 which including snorting lots of cocaine in the office bathroom and fornicating with many of the female employee's

    

You re describing me there  to a tee 

[DroppingPlates]

Trainer...lol

Don't eat shit food. Sleep. Pick up weight, put down weight.

Wow.

It's not just a matter of sharing the knowlegde & experience. The mental part (motivation/social/feedback/etc) plays a very important role.

[ESFitness]

I see this as well but what I call "cattle call" workouts are cheapining the industry and giving more ammunition to people (like most on here) in thinking you don't have to know much to be a trainer, just have them jump around, sweat and count reps.

well, you have to understand the market. the market for 1on1 PT sucks. the clients usually only train with you for no more than 3 months, and the one's who do a year or more at 3x per week usually want a friend/therapist as much if not more than a trainer.

bodybuilders or fitness girls? they'll pay you to get ready for a show and that's it.. maybe 3 months at most then they're done and either think they know it all, or they'll move on to a new trainer next time.

pt is full of 6-session deals or 10, then they're done.. so you have to constantly be picking up new clients.

with 'group training', the people will sign up for a year at a time no problem, and get 12 sessions a month.

now, group training isn't easy. no two sessions can be alike or else the people will get bored... AND they have to be effective. it isn't bodybuilding. it's full-body depletion workouts combined with high intensity interval training. every muscle gets stimulated in proper order.. no haphazard bullshit. AND it has to be 'fun' and the people leave feeling like they just got their ass kicked (in a good way).

without drugs and a serious fitness/bodybuilding lifestyle (diet, ect... that they STICK TO when they leave the gym), the results from bodybuilding-style 1on1 workouts are minimal for most people (soccer moms, ladies and men 40+... their hormones just aren't what they used to be).... but the full-body crossfit-style, high intensity interval training stuff actually PRODUCES RESULTS, especially in people who've done nothing but sit at a desk for the past 30years. they're not used to moving.

I don't train that way myself (I'm a bodybuilder), and I was reluctant to train others that way, but once I began (and did my research and put effort into structuring the workouts), their results of the clients skyrocketed. if it didn't work, I wouldn't do it.

[Cleanest Natural]

I came to the same conclusions. But I am not going to give up and start doing jumping jacks ...