Is Personal Training a career for the unemployable?

[ProudVirgin69]

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.

$200k+ is possible but “very doable” is underselling the difficulties associated with it.  You’d have to be taking home $100 per hourly sessions, assuming you’re training 40hrs a week.  At a gym the owner is gonna want their cut, so closer to a cost of $140+ Per session to the client.  Are there that many people willing to pay $140/hr for personal training?

You see most credentialed trainers working for university or professional sports teams for a reason .. financial stability + benefits—neither of which come with the independent contractor employment under which personal trainers operate.

Assuming you train 40hrs a week, $200k would mean your take home per hourly session is $100.  If you’re at a gym, the owner is gonna want his cut so that’s a cost to the client of at lleast $120. 

[IroNat]

For $200k you'd need very high profile clients.

Maybe this is possible in very wealthy locales.

The average PT is working out of his local franchise gym with ordinary folks.

Private security guards can also make good money working for big shots.

Are you earning $200k from PT, Coach?

[Flexacon]

$200k+ is possible but “very doable” is underselling the difficulties associated with it.  You’d have to be taking home $100 per hourly sessions, assuming you’re training 40hrs a week.  At a gym the owner is gonna want their cut, so closer to a cost of $140+ Per session to the client.  Are there that many people willing to pay $140/hr for personal training?

You see most credentialed trainers working for university or professional sports teams for a reason .. financial stability + benefits—neither of which come with the independent contractor employment under which personal trainers operate.

Assuming you train 40hrs a week, $200k would mean your take home per hourly session is $100.  If you’re at a gym, the owner is gonna want his cut so that’s a cost to the client of at lleast $120.

PTs I spoke to in the past were typically doing a lot more than 40 hours per week. They'd have blocks of morning clients from like 5am and then blocks late afternoon/evening clients. Middle of the day there might be the occasional client. Then there's weekends...

Long days and unsociable hours.

[Coach is Back!]

$200k+ is possible but “very doable” is underselling the difficulties associated with it.  You’d have to be taking home $100 per hourly sessions, assuming you’re training 40hrs a week.  At a gym the owner is gonna want their cut, so closer to a cost of $140+ Per session to the client.  Are there that many people willing to pay $140/hr for personal training?

You see most credentialed trainers working for university or professional sports teams for a reason .. financial stability + benefits—neither of which come with the independent contractor employment under which personal trainers operate.

Assuming you train 40hrs a week, $200k would mean your take home per hourly session is $100.  If you’re at a gym, the owner is gonna want his cut so that’s a cost to the client of at lleast $120.

Respectfully, that’s not entirely accurate. Maybe in some areas, yes but in most it’s not at least not my area. Let’s say at the very least you’re charging $100 and running 8 clients a day five days a week.

100 x 8 = $800 x 5 = $4000 x 12 = $192k

Now for the OH. Gyms in my area that take outside contractors charge a flat fee. Usually between $600-800 Mo and you can have as many clients as you want. I’ll finish this in a bit

[Flexacon]

Respectfully, that’s not entirely accurate. Maybe in some areas, yes but in most it’s not at least not my area. Let’s say at the very least you’re charging $100 and running 8 clients a day five days a week.

100 x 8 = $800 x 5 = $4000 x 12 = $192k

Now for the OH. Gyms in my area that take outside contractors charge a flat fee. Usually between $600-800 Mo and you can have as many clients as you want. I’ll finish this in a bit

The calculations need seem work too

[Rambone]

The calculations need seem work too

You mean there aren’t 48 weeks in a year?

[Coach is Back!]

The calculations need seem work too

I wasn’t finished. I’m using voice to text right now so bear with me.

So that being said, in my last post, a lot of trainers, including myself at the time would train, doubles, husband and wife, partners, etc. that might be one or two sessions out of the day which would add an extra $200-$400 for that day love you do the calculations on that you’re still working a 40 hour week but your sessions increase. That would bring you up to I believe over 200,000 for that year or a year this is it uncommon and your overhead is still depending on the gym, six to 800 $ a month now if you go an extra day like most people do  And you work let’s say the extra four sessions on a Saturday that’s what? An extra $400 for that week or an extra $1600 a month. Also a lot of trainers do online training on the side that could bring in quite a few extra dollars as well .

[Flexacon]

You mean there aren’t 48 weeks in a year?

48 paid weeks per year might make sense for the purposes of a calculation as clients might take 2 weeks off for Xmas and 2 weeks for a summer holiday, but $4000 x 12 does not equal $192K

[Rambone]

48 paid weeks per year might make sense for the purposes of a calculation as clients might take 2 weeks off for Xmas and 2 weeks for a summer holiday, but $4000 x 12 does not equal $192K

Serious PTs don’t take days off! I thought it was a typo 12=52, but it could very well be him incorrectly using months instead of weeks. Either way, 4000x48 = 192K

[michael arvilla]

For me it's was a tough way to make a living! ( like someone stated long long hours at weird times /5 am ... 9pm and everything in between that! It was mostly a salesman position ..  whoever can sell the biggest and most expensive training packages.....clients come and go ..  you have good months/ you have bad months ..   it's always a " hustle " sell sell sell! You get extremely tired of being in the gym all the time! .... weekends / holidays etc .. the clients needs come before yours so the next thing you know, you have put on some weight / have a " spare tire" around your middle .. or in my case you get skinny af ...  no health insurance/ no dental / no 401 K / or retirement...  I got to the point where I just wanted a steady paycheck and set hours! .. I could go to the gym for myself! And to me that meant everything!!

[michael arvilla]

The most I ever got was $45.00 per hour and the best deal I ever had was $500.00 a month " rent " to the gym and I could keep what ever I made .. the worst was at World Gym a 60/40 split with the $60 going to the gym and me selling training packages and the gym pocketing all the money and paying me in dribs and drabs by me filling out a sheet every time I trained a client and the gym paying me my 40% hour by hour! (And if the client stopped coming to the gym after purchasing like a $1500 dollar training package..  the gym kept all the money!)

[joswift]

The most I ever got was $45.00 per hour and the best deal I ever had was $500.00 a month " rent " to the gym and I could keep what ever I made .. the worst was at World Gym a 60/40 split with the $60 going to the gym and me selling training packages and the gym pocketing all the money and paying me in dribs and drabs by me filling out a sheet every time I trained a client and the gym paying me my 40% hour by hour! (And if the client stopped coming to the gym after purchasing like a $1500 dollar training package..  the gym kept all the money!)

they would never get away with that here

As long as you pay to train they cant tell you what to do or claim any of your earnings
There are two PTs at our gym, they are both paid up members and they pay £5 a day for their clients

[michael arvilla]

they would never get away with that here

As long as you pay to train they cant tell you what to do or claim any of your earnings
There are two PTs at our gym, they are both paid up members and they pay £5 a day for their clients

That's how I moved to south Florida initially...  a former Mr USA and IFBB Pro (retired) coaxed me down here to do personal training in the gyms he managed ... when I got here I realized what it actually was and it was very difficult to even earn a halfway decent income / living ...after a few years IFBB Pro Marty Vranicar made me the director of personal training at his gym (didn't have to pay him or the gym a dime) and that was great until he sold the gym ... and now it's " Busy Body Fitness" where I am just a member and very happy about it!

[michael arvilla]

$5 a day to train clients would have been a dream! Back when I was training people ....

[michael arvilla]

* plus now I get to see Rambone at the gym and we can gossip about Hankins for hours like two old broads!

[Coach is Back!]

48 paid weeks per year might make sense for the purposes of a calculation as clients might take 2 weeks off for Xmas and 2 weeks for a summer holiday, but $4000 x 12 does not equal $192K

Oops, yes, I meant $4k a week = $16k Mo = $192k yr

[The Scott]

* plus now I get to see Rambone at the gym and we can gossip about Hankins for hours like two old broads!

Two really "hot" mature broads!    Give the bhanky some Hades, brother!

[michael arvilla]

Two really "hot" mature broads!    Give the bhanky some Hades, brother!

LOL! 🤘