Personal Trainer Thinking Of Moving To Phoenix/Scottsdale Area

[Nick0578]

hey guys, thanks for all the info, it is very very helpful

sorry for your office Sable, read about in ur response to my other post

I absolutely can not wait to visit this place, I have heard so many amazing things about it

And the shots online of the apartment complexes, they look like vacation resorts!

[Duluth07]

Originally Posted by Nick0578

Hello, I am a Personal Trainer currently in Boston and thinking about moving. I want to move out of Boston because of three reasons.

1) I've been here too long and want a new experience
2) I hate the winter
3) People just aren't friendly

I have never been to AZ but hear great things about it from people I know who visited. I am a 30 year old single guy and would prefer to live in an apartment vs. a condo. I'm really active and social and like friendly people, but I prefer doing lots of things during the day to being out all night drinking.

I'm curious about opinions around the following about the Phoenix/Scottsdale areas.

1) demographics
2) price (my range is probably $1k - $1,500/month)
3) fitness levels/interest in the area
4) is it a friendly place?

I prefer to live somewhere that I can walk to work..which would be a gym obviously.

I'm a nutrition and corrective exercise specialist if that means anything. I work really well with people new to fitness or athletes who are injured.

Any comments/thoughts/experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi Nick. I'm also a fitness trainer, group exercise leader, massage therapist and (even though I'm not in Phoenix now) I've talked to so many people who've done some rethinking about how to 'make things work' in this industry. First of all, where my aunt and uncle live (the community is called 'Terravida' but it's in North Scottsdale/Cave Creek) there is a huge demand for personal training but very few fitness outlets within WALKING distance of the homes and I suspect many other communites are like this. All they have is a community center which doesn't offer much, but is better than nothing. I think that if your skills are diversified enough, you can definitely make a living there. My only holdup is my student loan repayments which will keep me here in Duluth, MN at home for, well, I don't know how long. A while!

People unfortunately (even in usually wealthy markets) are not as open to personal training as before, but I'm finidng small group (up to 5 clients) is going great - all I need is an aerobics studio, some time blocked off, and an ability to set up a workout that all 5 clients can do - it took a few weeks to get it going but now I have people calling weeks ahead of time to get in the next session. Another big thing I'm seeing in terms of personal training though an injury (and they actually have a certification for this) is aquatic personal training, which is the same thing but in the swimming pool. I went to a few water exercise classes, came up with some of my own ideas, and devised a few sessions that way. So in any market it's just going to take some creative thinking, do your homework on spaces you can lease (for massage, I was able to set up my massage chair at a Younkers/Dillards and charge like $10 for a 10 minute chair massage, etc). Let me know how things are going in Phoenix. In Duluth it's becoming very tough to get new clients, so in the future I am going to be looking out there. Around here, in Minneapolis, the fitness market is so oversaturated with trainers, therapists, nutritionists, but rarely do these people have a combination of all that would make for a good living.

[Nick0578]

Yeah, I'm actually pretty diversified, by design. I can take people through a pulse pounding high intensity work out, or do a lot of corrective work. I handle everyone from athletes to geriatrics to weight loss soccer moms. SGTs are the way to go for sure. I was curious what the demographic is like and what people are into. My understanding is that Phoenix is a very active place. There is probably a need for corrective technical work, while there are probably a lot of people already doing hard workouts and boot camps. I'll have to visit to see for sure. Thanks man.

[joninaz]

There are also a couple of elite facilities for pro and pro-minded athletes. A lot of NFL, MLB, college and blue chip HS players invest a good sum to improve their basic skill sets.

One example:
Athletes' Performance

[winkalit]

I am only familiar with the North Valley (North Scottsdale/Cave Creek/Carefree), but it seems like all of the women I know have personal trainers. And they all actively recruit for their trainers. If you mention that you don't have a personal trainer, someone will always have a referral.

In the past two years, I have seen 2 or 3 storefront fitness places go out of business, but the more established facilities are busy all the time.

In most cases, I would advise people not to come to Phoenix, because of the economy. But, if you are good at social networking and self-marketing, then you probably won't have trouble establishing a loyal clientele. I would live in an area where the demographics show people with the highest disposable income. South Scottsdale offers more social opportunities for someone your age, but you will find more customers up North.