From the outside, learning how to become a personal trainer seems like an easy task.
What most people don’t think about when they want to become a personal trainer are things like personal trainer insurance, fitness trainer salary, working hours, education, and so much more.
I’ve been a personal trainer for over 15 years.
I’ve heard it all, seen it all, and experienced it all.
The first thing I can tell you is if you’re seriously looking at getting into the fitness industry, you’re in for quite a ride.
As a personal trainer, you’re not only entering the business of fitness, you’re entering the business of sales, nutrition, psychology, safety, motivation, therapy, role modeling, counseling, finance, accounting, marketing, and entrepreneurship, especially if you want to own your own gym or studio.
One day you may be helping someone learn to get up from a chair, the next you may be helping another squat 300 pounds, and the last you may be giving someone you barely know marriage counseling.
There is no limit to the number of different hats you could be putting on from one client to the next.
But with great responsibility, there comes great happiness, fulfillment and reward.
I’ve trained thousands of people during that time, been a part of different people losing hundreds of pounds, built my own business from scratch, enabled the elderly to rediscover their strength and motivation, and increased the strength and confidence of so many people.
Personal training has given me an endless number of avenues for success.
One hour I can train 1-on-1. The next, I can train a small group, and the next I could teach the evening Zumba or cycling class.
There is no restriction on the number of things you can do in a day, the number of people you can teach, and the amount of money you can make.
I personally believe it is one of the best professions you can do in your life.
But it’s not all glam and glitter, especially in the beginning.
You have a long road ahead, and without a roadmap, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Because I like you, I’m going to try and give you all the up’s and down’s, all the bumps and bruises, and all the steps you should consider when deciding whether or not you want to become a personal trainer.
If you are already a personal trainer or fitness specialist, I hope this guide will help you fill in the holes and gaps in your professional career you may have forgotten to consider.
Or maybe this takes you from a good personal trainer to a great one. I don’t care which, I just hope this helps you be the best trainer you can be.
Let’s start at the beginning on:
How to Become a Personal Trainer
#1 The Education Phase
At this point in your life, you’ve put a lot of thought into your desire to help others through fitness and the various reasons you want to learn how to become a personal trainer.
It’s time to get serious.
You need to establish your authority within the fitness profession. You need to become formally educated.
I knew this would be important in my career, so I got my bachelor’s in Kinesiology, followed by a master’s in Public Health.
I don’t care if you pursue a 2-year program/associates degree from your local college in athletic training, or doctorate in Kinesiology at your state school.
If you’re starting out, there needs to be a reason for people to trust you within the health and fitness industry.
Demonstrating your authority will give people a reason to confidently trust your knowledge.
If people do not trust you with their health, fitness, and safety, you will never close a sale, never lead a successful group, and never keep a client.
There are literally hundreds of schools offering a fitness or athletic training program to choose from.
Pick one of those schools and enroll in the program.
This is where you will learn your craft and become technically sound.
Take your education seriously and learn as much as you can. There are A LOT of bad/poor quality trainers out there. Don’t be one of them or you will end up very frustrated with little to no clientele and have an empty wallet, only to end up looking for a job as a waiter or waitress, giving up the one dream you had.
Get your degree, enjoy what you learn, and have a little fun along the way.
Near the end of graduation, it’s time to get certified.
You should do this sooner than later, so you will remember some of the things you learned in college and be able to apply this to your exam.
What Personal Training Certificates are Available?
There are about 5 different personal training certificates that you should consider:
- NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine)
- ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association)
- ACE (American Council on Exercise)
- ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine)
- NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association)
What Personal Trainer Certification is Best?
This really depends on what you are looking to do.
Each of these certifications have their own benefits and drawbacks.
You need to carefully consider what your focus will be on during your training career and pick the one that best matches your needs, goals and abilities.
For example:
- NASM is great for someone interested in corrective training. The personal trainer should be interested in the detailed analysis of bodily movements and fixing muscular imbalances.
- ISSA is the most basic and general certifications you should get. If you just want a certificate for the sake of having one, this is the one you would get.
- ACE is another popular program. Like the NASM program, ACE has their own integrated fitness training model. The model focuses on progressing clients systematically through a workout program. Most people are going to get this one or the NASM certificate.
- ACSM is the certificate I have. It is one of the oldest certifications to date and has gained the respect of the health and fitness community. This certification is especially supported by the hospital and wellness center community. It is the one I personally endorse.
- NSCA is the certificate one should get if your focus is sports, athletics, power, and performance. If you want to be a strength and conditioning coach, grab this certificate.
What Personal Trainer Certification is the Most Respected?
The most respected personal trainer certification is the ACSM certification. This health-based certificate is grounded upon years of research, a wealth of knowledge, and a general science-based approach. Its goal is to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health, and quality of life. An ACSM member can work in a variety of fields including medical specialties, allied health, and many scientific disciplines.
How Much Do the Personal Training Exams Cost (2020)?
The cost of 5 well known personal training exams are as follows:
- NASM – $599
- ISSA – $799
- ACE – $395, Re-test – $75
- ACSM – Members – $279, Non-members – $349, Re-test – $175
- NSCA – Members – $300, Non-members – $435
Don’t forget, once you pass the exam, you will have to pay for classes and other things that will provide you continuing education credits in order to maintain your certification status.
The costs and number of credits you need will vary from certification to certification.
Which Personal Training Exam is Easiest, and which is Hardest?
The easiest exam, by far, is the ISSA exam. If you have a logical bone in your body, you should be able to pass this no problem. If you want the hardest test, but the one that carries a little more prestige, go with the ACSM exam. The others will fall somewhere in the middle. If you are taking your job and future self seriously, it will be better if you take one of the more difficult and knowledge-based exams.
#2 The Experience Phase
Now that you have passed your exams, it’s time to investigate your options as a personal trainer.
You need to apply to jobs where someone can mentor you, train you, and help get you where you want to be.
If you’re thinking about owning your own fitness business someday, you need to first get the experience. At the same time, someone should be looking over your shoulder and challenging your every move.
One of my first jobs, I had one of the most detailed and scrutinizing perfectionists you could ever imagine.
If everything was not exactly right every time, she would get very upset.
As much as I hated every minute working with that person, it instilled a high quality of work output within me that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.
You need to find the invaluable fitness professional you can shadow and learn from, even if you earn next to nothing in the process. Apply for a mentorship, internship or a job where your primary goal is to learn the ins and outs of your craft. The experience can often be considered invaluable!
Now that you have a little coaching, it’s probably time you learn how to put a fitness program together for one of your future clients.
There are 10 steps you need to be aware of when putting a fitness program together for prospective clients. These include:
- Taking Body Measurements, Fitness Measurements and Assessing Health Concerns
- Setting Goals
- Creating a Fitness Schedule
- Creating a Diet Plan
- Designing Workouts
- Tracking Results
- Mixing It Up
- Challenging Clients to Compete
- Analyzing Results
- Doing it Over Again
You can go over this in more detail in my article: 10 Steps to Create and Design Your Ultimate Fitness Program
You will need to create and understand all these things ahead of time.
All the mentioned items above will take time to fully comprehend, prepare, and utilize, but all are necessary to give your clients a quality experience.
The comprehensive diet and workout plan will be the most difficult aspect of the setup process.
You will need to prepare the diet and workout plan at least a couple months ahead of schedule, and for different types of clientele.
A personal trainer needs to be prepared for all body shapes and sizes and the goals of anyone who walks in the door.
You may have one for a 60-year-old woman who wants to increase strength and balance, and another for a 25-year-old male who wants to bulk and cut.
If you’re not the type to train everyone, over time it might be best for you to specialize in a certain client type.
Maybe you really like training athletes, or you really like training for weight loss.
If you specialize in a certain training regimen and clientele, you can potentially become more valuable as a personal trainer or fitness specialist.
As a specialist, you can concentrate your practice, and become the expert in your field.
If you want to lose weight, you may think of Jenny Craig. If you want to train for competitions, you would think of Arnold back in the day.
The lesson is, when someone is ready to make a commitment to a certain program, you need to be the first person that comes to their mind.
#3 The Marketing Phase
The next 2 phases could be some of the hardest things you will do as a personal trainer.
Marketing for prospective personal training clients is probably one of the things you have the least experience in, and something you’re not too excited about doing.
Your marketing end goal should be to get as many potential clients in the door as possible in as little time as possible.
The fact is, you will not survive without a steady flow of clients coming in the door.
You need physical bodies coming into your fitness club or studio daily.
How do you get personal training clients?
There are 5 steps that will help you acquire more personal training clients.
Step #1 Get Yourself and Your Business in Front of Your Local Community Members
Anytime someone in the local community has a thought about fitness, they should be thinking of you.
You need to be constantly in the forefront of their mind when it comes to the ideal fitness professional.
There are many ways to get noticed, but the easiest and most effective way (especially in this day in age) is through social media.
You must create social media content daily for the public to view, whether it be an informational video on YouTube, an exercise on Instagram, a workout on Pinterest, or an ad on Facebook.
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. You’re here to make money and help people achieve their health and fitness goals.
Once people get it in their mind that you are the go-to for their fitness needs, people will start pouring in the doors.
Step #2 You and Your Business Should Look Professional and Presentable
When people show up to see what you and your business are about or they see a picture or video from an ad, they need to be impressed by the way you look, the way your fitness space looks, and the feeling they get when they enter the building.
If you slack on presentation, you may miss out on an abundance of clients.
People will look at pictures and hear stories about the neatness and cleanliness of you and your business location.
If they didn’t have a good feeling on their first impression, they are much less likely to make a commitment to you and your organization.
You need dress for success and show them you are serious about your profession.
Step #3 Market to Your Existing Clients
Who’s better to get your good name out there than the people that know you best?
Turn your existing clients into a human billboard for your business.
Offer them 2 months of free training for any referrals they bring in.
Your clients know you the best and would be happy to put in a good word for you.
Step #4 Create Advertising Campaigns on Several Sites
How much is a client worth to you? $1,000, $5,000, $10,000?
This is going to depend on how much you charge and how long you can retain them.
If you charge a client $299 a month for 12 months, they will be paying you close to $3,600 for the year.
Don’t you think spending a little money on advertising is worth it in this situation?
You should be spending about $100 to get a client.
Even if your cost of client acquisition is $500, you are still making $3100 on that client for the year.
If you have 30 clients, you are putting away $93,000 a year. Not too shabby…
Increase your price to $399 per month and you can make that much more!
The lesson is don’t be afraid to spend a little money to make a little money, especially if it makes financial sense.
Advertise on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Thumbtack, Angie’s List, Nextdoor App, Craigslist.
Put yourself in front of everyone.
Step#5 Offer Great Deals to Get Them in the Door
If you struggle to get people in the door, offer your services for free!
Who is going to turn down an offer for free personal training?
Once they are convinced you are worth the price tag, by showing the value and quality of work you provide them, they will start paying.
Give your prospective clients time to know, like and trust you. Once that happens, everything else is gravy.
Get them in them in the door and work from there.
Better to have 100 people coming in the door a month than 6 or 7.
#4 The Sales Phase
Congratulations, you got the prospective personal training client in the door.
The hard part is done.
You’ve successfully found a person taking an actionable step towards their fitness goals.
Now it’s time to make the sale.
Step #1 The Introduction
Introduce yourself and make the prospective fitness client feel comfortable.
Keep the conversation light and prod for some general information about the him or her.
Ask them about their job, what brought them here, and what they are looking for in general with regards to their health, fitness and diet goals.
The information you get from the prospective client can give you valuable insight as to how you will swing your sales pitch to them, so pay close attention to what they are telling you.
Continue the introduction by showing them around, giving them all the ins and outs of the gym and giving them a little bit of insight into the general workings of the club or studio.
Step #2 The Fitness Assessment
This is the sales pitch.
This process will decide whether you spend the next 3-36 months together.
It’s crucial you have the fitness assessment process locked down.
Try to get them to do the fitness assessment the first time they walk into the gym. If they leave the gym, they may not come back. If you do it right, this should only take 45 minutes.
Tell them in order to get started, you need to assess their:
- Fitness Goals
- Body Measurements
- Fitness Measurements
- Current Workout Plan
- Current Diet Plan
- You will start by asking them a series of questions about their fitness goals and past health and fitness experiences with or without a personal trainer.
- Follow this up with body/circumference measurements. Make sure you explicitly tell them what you are about to do and make sure they are ok with you doing the body/circumference measurements.
- Next test them with a couple fitness movements. Maybe a wall sit, plank, or lunge. Analyze where you think they are in terms of beginner to advanced. Let them know this information. Write down the data.
- Next, it’s your turn to discuss the benefits of exercise with them. Give them a summary of everything exercise is good for and how it can benefit them.
- Last, tie everything together and tell them exactly what you and your program will do for them.
- Offer your product or service at your price point. Give them at least 2 options to choose from and ask them what works best for them.
TIP: I highly recommend a membership-based model. Offer 12 months at $299/month or 6 months at $399/month, for example. You will make much more money in the long run then using a set price model.
If they choose a plan, great! You’ve got yourself a new client.
Have them fill out the paperwork and you are ready to begin their program.
If they cannot commit, train them for free anyway!!!
You’re here to help everyone you can right!?
Put them into a group of people who can’t commit right away. If you are good, they will eventually commit.
Also, because of your generosity, they will recommend you to their friends and you can potentially train them as well.
You don’t know how many potential clients you may lose by turning someone away.
A client who leaves without committing to anything may also have a bad taste in their mouth and leave a bad review online, which could be detrimental to your business.
#5 The Retention Phase
You have your clients, now what?
Treat them like GOLD because they are paying for your livelihood.
Client retention is going to be one of the easiest ways to keep your schedule full.
One of the best ways to keep your existing clients is to mix up their workouts and track their progression.
If they feel like they are coming to a new, refreshing workout every time they come to the gym, they will never leave you.
Make it easy on yourself by using different pieces of functional fitness equipment for every workout.
Check out my article: Top 20 of the BEST Pieces of Functional Fitness Equipment for all the best equipment you need to keep your clients coming back.
This could be suspension training one day, slam ball training the next, and a stability ball workout on the last.
If they are seeing bodily progress and you can show that in a graph or chart, they will be happy and can tell all their friends of the progress they are seeing.
Another great way to make your personal training clients feel special is through perks or thank you gifts or cards.
Give them a free week of workouts on their birthday, send them thank you cards every once and a while, or send them the latest nutrition book to help them with their eating.
These little things will add up over time, allowing you to keep your clients forever.
Personal Trainer FAQ
How much do personal trainers make? What is a personal trainer’s salary?
This will depend if you are working for yourself or someone else.
If you are working for yourself, you could make thousands to tens of thousands of dollars a month.
If you are working for someone else, you will probably only make about 25-50k per year, depending on how good you are.
The thing about working for someone else is, you must play by their rules.
You may have to share client prospects with other trainers and the picking could get thin.
I recommend working for someone else to start, get the experience, then move on to your own fitness club or studio.
You will have to incur overhead costs, but if you do it right, will be much more lucrative in the end.
What is the personal trainer’s working hours?
A personal trainer will typically work in the early morning (5 a.m. to 9 a.m.), the early evening (4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.), and a little bit around the noon hour.
This is usually dictated when people are not at work and are able to train with you.
You’ll have tons of free time throughout the day. You need to use this towards your advertising and marketing efforts.
It’s also best if you work in 30-minute sessions to maximize the number of clients you can train and the amount of money you can make.
You can also try grouping people together to try and get the most bang for the buck.
Just make sure you don’t overextend yourself. Safety should be your number one concern.
How long does it take to become a personal trainer?
If you account for 2 years of education and one year of experience, you could be a quality personal trainer in about 3 years’ time.
If you go to a 4-year college program, you could be a personal trainer in about 5 years’ time.
Where should I get my personal training insurance?
If you are training anyone, you should be carrying personal training insurance.
I would go to: https://www.ideafit.com/fitness-insurance/personal-trainer-insurance and get signed up.
This could be a lifesaver if you have a client get badly injured on your watch.
Summary: How to Become a Personal Trainer
Learning how to become a personal trainer or fitness specialist has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I have ever been a part of. To see the look in someone’s eyes when they have dropped 10 pounds on the scale, or they have just received word from their doctor that their blood pressure has returned to normal levels is priceless. There is an endless amount of people you can help, inspire, and motivate to become the best versions of themselves. If you can make it past the learning and experience phase, the skies the limit on what you can achieve. Learning how to become a personal trainer or fitness specialist is all about sharpening the saw and transforming into what you were called to become.
Are you ready to change others lives? Did this help you on your path? Write me your response below!
