Best way to make money as a Personal Trainer

Bryancap77

Bryancap77

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I recently acquired my NASM CPT and I'm now employed at a local gym. I'm just wondering if I could get any tips from all of you experienced AM guys since I've always gotten solid advice here on basically everything regarding personal training.

I'm not new to lifting, I've been involved heavily in fitness since grade school, and I lift and diet intelligently. I have excellent people skills, and have taught guitar for 7 years having at least 30 students per week. Any input is welcome guys!
 

Legacykid

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Your best bet is to learn all about corrective exercise. you can get your CES but realistically certs are bs. About 90% of people or more in a gym will have something off. It is the best marketing tool and most other trainers know nothing on the subject. You can target anyone. someones gait on a treadmill looks off offer them advice.If squatting wrong, show them how and why they need to first correct the potential neuromuscular dysfunction, before hitting the weights. Also anyone who is injured and afraid to work with a trainer will feel so much more comfortable. I rarely ever see people in the gym that dont have overactive upper traps. Which cause pain in the back and neck, and most people just say "oh I carry stress in my shoulders". SMR is huge as well to teach to prevent pain and problems.

From this I got in touch with PTs in the area and had them send me clients. Once insurance runs out, most people are about 70% back to normal thats where a trainer should come in, in the recovery process. And of course it goes both ways.

Ive found people who need corrective exercise help, will always come back or stay with you. If you teach someone how to lift they dont rely on you. Teach them there is a life without pain, they will always comeback to feel that way.

Hope this helps
 

jwood10

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dont wear yoga pants protruding your man-toe. its just not right................
 
Lifting_Dad

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I recently acquired my NASM CPT and I'm now employed at a local gym. I'm just wondering if I could get any tips from all of you experienced AM guys since I've always gotten solid advice here on basically everything regarding personal training.

I'm not new to lifting, I've been involved heavily in fitness since grade school, and I lift and diet intelligently. I have excellent people skills, and have taught guitar for 7 years having at least 30 students per week. Any input is welcome guys!
Find a project. Look for the person struggling in the gym and take them on for free. In exchange for the free service you both agree upon some standards for what can be shared publicly. i.e. progress pictures.

Then, post them up at the front desk. "Check out XXXXXX's 6 week progress! If you want to get into the best shape of your life, setup an appointment with Bryan today".
 
usealittle

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im NASM or was and a local gym is beneath you... nasm demands 100+dollars a hour. local gym will pay 25%or less then that. your gonna need to find a niche that will get you the money that comes with your cert....

so find something your good at size,strength or diet what ever it may be take one preson you can mold into your first client and pub the **** outta yourself with it.


OR



you can do what most trainers do.... bang all your female clients that do nothing but complain about there husbands (im sure i will get some **** about that)and get your money that way. we all know a male trainer that does it.
 
ScruffMcBuff

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My dad owns a local gym and every personal trainer that came in didn't last just because the guys that go there have been lifting there for years and there's never really any new clients that come in. And if there is a new person wanting to join they usually know atleast one person who already lifts at the gym so they kinda take him under their wing instead of sending then to one of the personal trainers. That's why it's kinda hard, you gotta find someone willing to pay you and that person pretty much has to pretty much be clueless and not have any connections to people or friends in the gym. Just saying from my personal experience, Ive been watching personal trainers come and go for years.
 
dbrock504

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Be a hot chick. You'd be surprised the money these old dudes throw at these women personal trainers with nice bodies for "tips".

But since that's not an option, I would say find another job. When I first got into Texas State University my goal was to be an RDA but after a semester of research and a little experience, I quickly learned the life of a personal trainer is a hard one. I then switched my major to business management and graduated with that.

Good luck to Ya.
 
Bryancap77

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Be a hot chick. You'd be surprised the money these old dudes throw at these women personal trainers with nice bodies for "tips". But since that's not an option, I would say find another job. When I first got into Texas State University my goal was to be an RDA but after a semester of research and a little experience, I quickly learned the life of a personal trainer is a hard one. I then switched my major to business management and graduated with that. Good luck to Ya.
I'm already a guitar instructor and i make 25$ an hour. Problem is I only have 30 students a week right now, and I enjoy fitness so it's right in my wheel house. I'm not considering this as a life long career, but I would like to be successful.

Thanks for all the tips so far everyone, it's definitely a lot to think on.
 
dbrock504

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I'm already a guitar instructor and i make 25$ an hour. Problem is I only have 30 students a week right now, and I enjoy fitness so it's right in my wheel house. I'm not considering this as a life long career, but I would like to be successful. Thanks for all the tips so far everyone, it's definitely a lot to think on.
I would argue that would be your problem. Being a successful personal trainer would involve a lot of shaking hands, marketing and patience. There is no half doing that career. It's too saturated with trainers (especially these days with instagram and the social media). I've always looked at things with a 100 or nothing attitude. If you want to do personal training bad enough and you're willing to make sacrifices to get there, I say go for it. But be aware of the common problems for most personal trainers and try to work angles to not only get but maintain a clientele. Most of my friends know this and get into PT sports science or go to chiropractor school.
 
asooneyeonig

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one thing i learned training people for many years, there are successful trainers and used to be trainers. rarely does a great trainer make it as a trainer. most of the trainers make it by being salesman not good trainers.
 
dbrock504

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one thing i learned training people for many years, there are successful trainers and used to be trainers. rarely does a great trainer make it as a trainer. most of the trainers make it by being salesman not good trainers.
Good luck keeping a clientele by just being a good salesman. That's only half the battle.
 

pmdied

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I've worked full and part time as a trainer for 19 years. Try offering people at the gym a free session to reevaluate their program. I also do in-homes; find a few neighborhoods in your area that are high-end and mail out flyers about your services. Open a Facebook business page with your services. This worked for me.
 
asooneyeonig

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Good luck keeping a clientele by just being a good salesman. That's only half the battle.
so what's your point? are you just trying to say the same thing i am but in your words?
 
dbrock504

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so what's your point? are you just trying to say the same thing i am but in your words?
No sir. You're saying it's more important to be a good salesman rather than be a fantastic trainer. My point is, you may be able to get new client, but you won't have any repeat clients. I had a nutrition coach once gave me a plan, my situation changed (went from full time student to industrial construction in the tx heat) and never changed my stuff to compensate for the extra activity level. I spent $120 on that and I will never use him again. Got a buddy who is an IFBB pro who is doing an entire 12 week program with work out and all for $300. He's keeping up with me, encourages me, makes adjustments, etc. I am bound to use him again. You need to do a good job for your clients to get them to come back.
 
asooneyeonig

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great example of reading what you want to read and now what was written.

many trainers, good and bad, fail cause they don't know how to sell themselves. most work independently so this is a missing critical component. it is like they are their own company. very few trainers have the backing of a large company with a sales and marketing team, or a management team, or an accounting department, etc. this just expands on my point i was trying to make. you need to look at more than just training. you need to look at the big picture.

many great trainers fail due to not having any clients or basically they could not sell themselves. they fail sometimes cause they could not make a living, or lack of having an accounting department. they fail due to not being prepared or being on time or basically not having a management team. it is not like other jobs at companies that have this infrastructure in place. even when you work for a gym or a small facility you only have some of the support staff. if you come from another job this may shock you and you may not be prepared.

so yes, or course, you should become a great trainer. i would have thought that would have been obvious, but thanks to the internet i am proven wrong again. so here it is, want to become a great trainer do what the greats do, become a great business person. a professional trainer. one that delves in to continuing education on not only training, but sales, marketing, accounting, project management, etc. become great by doing others will not do.

look at all the greats. you know who they are. you can easily find them. know why, they sell themselves, market themselves, they have a business plan and they push it hard. what you see is they are a trainer and most people just go, they must be a great trainer and that is all. only a small part of the picture. many of the greats not only attend seminars, they speak at them. many of the greats not only read books, they write books. they don't just search online they have an online presence.

want to make money as a trainer, look at the big picture.
 
dbrock504

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I'm not even going to respond to the condescending comments made in your reply.

HOWEVER

To quote you, "rarely does a great trainer make it as a trainer. most of the trainers make it by being salesman not good trainers."

So you said good trainers are ONLY good trainers by being good salesman and not good trainers. I corrected you, and you decided to go off. So no, it's not "obvious" to the reader from your perspective that a good trainer needs to do their job well when you clearly just said they didn't have to.

Have a nice night.
 
puccah8808

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I'm already a guitar instructor and i make 25$ an hour. Problem is I only have 30 students a week right now, and I enjoy fitness so it's right in my wheel house. I'm not considering this as a life long career, but I would like to be successful. Thanks for all the tips so far everyone, it's definitely a lot to think on.
Off topic: I just got a guitar! :super excited: Do you think I can actually learn just from watching YouTube or should I actually get an instructor? The local music store is $100 for 4-30 min sessions. :/
 
dbrock504

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Off topic: I just got a guitar! :super excited: Do you think I can actually learn just from watching YouTube or should I actually get an instructor? The local music store is $100 for 4-30 min sessions. :/
I taught myself wit YouTube. Just takes practice.
 
asooneyeonig

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I'm not even going to respond to the condescending comments made in your reply.

HOWEVER.....
Thank you for proving my point. I did not use exacting words like only, I used rarely and mostly. That means that it is NOT the only way.

You may have like it or agreed but my other point still stands as true. You need to run yourself as a business or be part of a business that will support you. People don't just freely hand you money for training. You need to give them a reason to continue. Yes, getting them results is part of it but do NOT make the amateur mistake every trainer, including me at one point makes when they get started, and let them go. You need to keep selling them on your services. You need to budget your money, plan and execute a marketing strategy, be on time and prepared for sessions, etc.

You can reply or not, but I'm posting this for the OP and other drive by readers. I can give plenty of examples of how to train, what to train, what to read, what to learn, and other things but I rarely see people advise on the business side of things. Plus i know plenty of others on here can post about how to train. Do even if you have the greatest product on the planet, if no one knows about it and no one wants to buy it well, you have nothing.

Now back to the business side of helping the OP, look at yourself. You even posted about being sold on a program from someone. The trainer had a plan and executed it better than another trainer that you were not sold on. 1 had a business plan and sold you what you wanted and due to that you will pay again for more training. It doesn't matter that it may have really been a bad program. We can't tell as that program was never posted. We can, from your words tell that you were sold on that trainer. He had a product, he promoted it and you bought it. Even you have seen the importance of my point by trying to make a point yourself. So thank you. Now maybe others can benefit from that knowledge.
 

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