Can anyone give me the scoop on what its like to be a Personal Trainer?? (lifting, gym)

[MichiganMovesSouth]

Hi Everyone,
Ok, this may sound strange but recently I've been thinking about becoming certified to be a personal trainer. I've ALWAYS been very interested in healthy eating and working out. I do have a full time job now but I've been thinking that this may be something I could do on the side for now especially since my husband lost his job a couple months ago with no signs of a new one anytime soon.

So, is anyone out there a trainer? Or maybe you just know some of this stuff? If so can you answer theseI know the answers probably vary A LOT! Just looking for your experience or thoughts)

1. About how long will I be in school
2. When you work for a gym do you typically get a % of the amount the client pays? Generally speaking what is the %?
3. What is a "typical" day like - part time or full time when you are a trainer?
4. Do some gyms keep you busy doing other things in between clients or are you just there for an hour here and an hour there with various clients?
5. Anyone have a rough idea of how much the schooling costs?

Thanks in advance to any help anyone can provide!!

[Coolhand68]

Here is a good resource to get started.

American Fitness Professionals & Associates | Certification FAQ's

I worked as a personal trainer years ago. I worked for a small gym on salary, and I also freelanced. You will make more freelancing if you can build a clientele. The problem is, not many people stick with a trainer beyond a few months, so you are constantly having to build up a clientele to keep earning. Working for a gym gives you stability.

One thing you have to realize is that you will not be training the ideal client most times. You are going to have to provide motivation and guidance, as welll as outlining a proper workout and diet. If you aren't very upbeat and outgoing it may be a challenge to both you and the client. Most importantly, you should enjoy the work, otherwise your lack of enthusaism will show and it becomes a grind like any other job.

[Azmordean]

Originally Posted by Coolhand68

One thing you have to realize is that you will not be training the ideal client most times. You are going to have to provide motivation and guidance, as welll as outlining a proper workout and diet. If you aren't very upbeat and outgoing it may be a challenge to both you and the client. Most importantly, you should enjoy the work, otherwise your lack of enthusaism will show and it becomes a grind like any other job.

This is VERY true. I can say so, and I've never been a personal trainer. I used to consider personal training until I thought about this in depth. I thought "I love helping my buddies with their workouts, lifting with them, showing them what to do, keeping them motivated, maybe I'd like being a personal trainer." Then I realized - said buddies are all young guys, my age, with goals roughly similar to mine, though the magnitude of the goals differed a bit. I enjoyed training with them precisely because they were similar to myself. Then I thought, for example, "would I really want to train a middle aged woman whose sole goal is weightloss", and the answer was, not so much.

To be successful with training, in most cases you are going to have to train all types of people with all types of goals. So consider it carefully!

[lola8822]

I love it!!! It's sooo amazing being able to help other people and watch them reach their health and fitness goals.

1. About how long will I be in school.........Could take anywhere from 1-7 years depending on the certification or degree you are wanting. I took the two year AA path right out of high school and later took 2 more years for my bachelors. You will recieve your endorsement or certification by at least one nationally recognized organization such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), or the National Strength and Conditioning Council (NSCC).
2. When you work for a gym do you typically get a % of the amount the client pays? Generally speaking what is the %? This vary's...you really have to treat your job as a business and negotiate for yourself. Typically, Gym's will want to pay you a percentage of what the client actually pays for your services claiming that they supply the establishment and the equipment, which is true. This is negotiable but typically ranges from 40-80% depending on your experience and how many established clients you already have. The more clients you bring with you to a gym the better percentage you will be able to score.
3. What is a "typical" day like - part time or full time when you are a trainer? When I was full time I typically worked 9 hours a day and was able to fit in 14 clients a day. Overlaped scheduling worked great for me because I could have two clients at once...one doing cardio while the other is with me and then switch...each client gets an entire hour with me but I get through 2 clients in 1.5 hours.
4. Do some gyms keep you busy doing other things in between clients or are you just there for an hour here and an hour there with various clients? A lot of paperwork....for me at least, I wanted to keep detailed records on each client to track their progress and plan out sessions for them so that does take time.
5. Anyone have a rough idea of how much the schooling costs? my two year was 10 k, to complete my bachelors was 15k approximatly so total for my bachelors was 25k. Not too bad considering what school costs today.

It is truly a rewarding field....best of luck to you!!!!

[MichiganMovesSouth]

Originally Posted by lola8822

I love it!!! It's sooo amazing being able to help other people and watch them reach their health and fitness goals.

1. About how long will I be in school.........Could take anywhere from 1-7 years depending on the certification or degree you are wanting. I took the two year AA path right out of high school and later took 2 more years for my bachelors. You will recieve your endorsement or certification by at least one nationally recognized organization such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), or the National Strength and Conditioning Council (NSCC).
2. When you work for a gym do you typically get a % of the amount the client pays? Generally speaking what is the %? This vary's...you really have to treat your job as a business and negotiate for yourself. Typically, Gym's will want to pay you a percentage of what the client actually pays for your services claiming that they supply the establishment and the equipment, which is true. This is negotiable but typically ranges from 40-80% depending on your experience and how many established clients you already have. The more clients you bring with you to a gym the better percentage you will be able to score.
3. What is a "typical" day like - part time or full time when you are a trainer? When I was full time I typically worked 9 hours a day and was able to fit in 14 clients a day. Overlaped scheduling worked great for me because I could have two clients at once...one doing cardio while the other is with me and then switch...each client gets an entire hour with me but I get through 2 clients in 1.5 hours.
4. Do some gyms keep you busy doing other things in between clients or are you just there for an hour here and an hour there with various clients? A lot of paperwork....for me at least, I wanted to keep detailed records on each client to track their progress and plan out sessions for them so that does take time.
5. Anyone have a rough idea of how much the schooling costs? my two year was 10 k, to complete my bachelors was 15k approximatly so total for my bachelors was 25k. Not too bad considering what school costs today.

It is truly a rewarding field....best of luck to you!!!!

Thanks lola!! I really appreaciate this!

At first I would have to work part time since I already have a full time job so I'm really thinking this through before spending 10k or more on school to make sure the return would be worth it.

Another question: How does one get started if they don't have any clients? For example let's say I begin completing certifications and I'm qualified enough to start training someone. Do I walk into some gyms, tell them about me and hope they want to hire me?! Should I contact some gyms first to see how other's do it?

I thought about hiring a trainer for a few sessions to see what they do and ask some questions while working out but with one income we can't do that right now.

Thanks again for you help! I do think this is something I would enjoy very much! I love to try and give others advice about fitness and weight loss by at least sharing what I do to maintain a healthy weight so I can see how this would be rewarding.

I've also thought this may be something I could do part time once I have kids too so I'm not stuck in an office or at home all day. I'd get to get out here and there and make a little money too!

[ejl127]

Check out NASM certification as well.

NASM - Personal Training Certification, Become a Personal Trainer

[lola8822]

Originally Posted by MichiganMovesSouth

Thanks lola!! I really appreaciate this!

At first I would have to work part time since I already have a full time job so I'm really thinking this through before spending 10k or more on school to make sure the return would be worth it.

Another question: How does one get started if they don't have any clients? For example let's say I begin completing certifications and I'm qualified enough to start training someone. Do I walk into some gyms, tell them about me and hope they want to hire me?! Should I contact some gyms first to see how other's do it?

I thought about hiring a trainer for a few sessions to see what they do and ask some questions while working out but with one income we can't do that right now.

Thanks again for you help! I do think this is something I would enjoy very much! I love to try and give others advice about fitness and weight loss by at least sharing what I do to maintain a healthy weight so I can see how this would be rewarding.

I've also thought this may be something I could do part time once I have kids too so I'm not stuck in an office or at home all day. I'd get to get out here and there and make a little money too!

Getting started is all about networking and finding a great gym to back you. I started with just a few clients who were friends or family and grew from there. Since I only had maybe 5 clients when I started I wasn't able to negotiate a higher percentage with the gym because I didn't have enough bargaining power however, if you prove yourself your clientele can quadruple in a matter of months. After about 6 months I went to management and asked to revisit my contract....at this point I had bargaining power and scored a substantial raise. It happens pretty quickly if you are good and your clients love you. Go in with a professional resume including your certification and any client you can grab, friend or family member, this way you at least will be bringing something to the table. You will do just great! Most important piece of advice is listen to your clients, really really listen to them.

Best of luck to you!!!!! Let me know how it goes.