making a living as a personal trainer

rhoadx

Member
Awards
1
  • Established
Do any of you do personal training as your sole source of income? If so are you hired by a gym or do you do it freelance. What organization are you certified through?
 
LeanEngineer

LeanEngineer

Legend
Awards
4
  • RockStar
  • Established
  • Best Answer
  • First Up Vote
It's hard to be a personal trainer as your sole income. I would love to do it one day as my only job though.
 
daniel11

daniel11

Member
Awards
1
  • Established
Actually you can do it. However, not specifically as a personal trainer that does 1:1 training in the gym.
While you can have you select clients that you train in the gym, there are other services that can make you a lot of money. Creating personalized workout plans for people as well as nutrition/meal planning and supplement plans. These don't take as much time and you can meet for 20-30 minutes with clients weekly to assess progress and make changes.
Finding the right balance here is the key.
 
JudoJosh

JudoJosh

Pro Virili Parte
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
I'm actually going to get ready to take my NSCA exam soon so I can work at the gym and my school. Next semester my schedule conflicts with my current work schedule so I'm hopping to get a job at the gym.

What PT certs are you looking into getting?
 
mountainman33

mountainman33

Well-known member
Awards
2
  • RockStar
  • Established
It depends on the gym you use for your clients and sessions. Some gyms hire you as their employee, others let you "use" their facility but charge you either by the hour or by the client. I've seen some gyms charge a flat daily or weekly fee as well. You'll have to consider that when you look at the financial side of planning of you want it to be your sole income.
 
Zero V

Zero V

Well-known member
Awards
1
  • Established
I was studying to get my certification through NASM a few years ago. Then with a few promotions at work I ended up making more than I can as a PT, at least around here. Will probably get certified still at some point but only to add to my credentials as a pursue a different path.

Ultimately though you have to do what you love. Helping other people transform themselves into something they are proud of leaves a lasting impression on your life. It really helps you feel motivated and happy about what you do everyday knowing you have an impact on others.

So it comes down to the trade off.
 
Rodja

Rodja

Board Sponsor
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
Freelance is the way to do it. You'll need more initial capital for marketing, but the income potential is much higher.
 
JudoJosh

JudoJosh

Pro Virili Parte
Awards
3
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
Did you take the NSCA PT test Rodja or did you just do the CSCS with them?
 

Similar threads


Top