Question for those working as personal trainers

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I thought about this at one time as well...I'm a total fitness and nutrition geek so I thought it would be right up my ally as I have grown rather bored with the corporate world. I had some very serious discussions with my coach about it and what it would take and how to get started....

    Basically, once I really started diving into the details I realized pretty quickly that it just wasn't happening. For one, I'd be taking a massive pay cut...like huge, at least initially and probably for quite awhile. That's all fine and well if I'm on my own, but I have a wife and two kiddos I have to consider.

    And that was the other thing...I went into the idea of it thinking I'd actually have more flexibility and see more of my family...as it turns out, I'd be logging more hours than I currently do...and they'd ironically be during peak family time...evenings and weekends.

    Doing the research was a good exercise for me though...being a PT was something I had glamorized in my head...the exercise made me realize that while it could potentially be a rewarding career (It would be nice to do something that actually makes a difference in people's lives), the life I'm currently living isn't too shabby.

    Just make sure you do the research and know what you're getting into.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I thought about this at one time as well...I'm a total fitness and nutrition geek so I thought it would be right up my ally as I have grown rather bored with the corporate world. I had some very serious discussions with my coach about it and what it would take and how to get started....

    Basically, once I really started diving into the details I realized pretty quickly that it just wasn't happening. For one, I'd be taking a massive pay cut...like huge, at least initially and probably for quite awhile. That's all fine and well if I'm on my own, but I have a wife and two kiddos I have to consider.

    And that was the other thing...I went into the idea of it thinking I'd actually have more flexibility and see more of my family...as it turns out, I'd be logging more hours than I currently do...and they'd ironically be during peak family time...evenings and weekends.

    Doing the research was a good exercise for me though...being a PT was something I had glamorized in my head...the exercise made me realize that while it could potentially be a rewarding career (It would be nice to do something that actually makes a difference in people's lives), the life I'm currently living isn't too shabby.

    Just make sure you do the research and know what you're getting into.

    The hours are definitely a grind at first. As you said, you realize that most people want to work in the morning or in the evening, and in weekends.

    As a new trainer, you feel compelled to rake any client and come in whenever they want. That means a lot of "split shift" days and 6-day weeks. I've seen it with all of our new trainers--I had to work 6-day weeks for a year when they gave us increased training quotas. It takes a while to learn how to manage your schedule and to be assertive enough to say no or ask clients to come at different times.

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