Becoming a personal trainer - where to begin?

SideSteel

Having looked into this myself this conversation interests me quite a bit. I have no intent of switching professions (I'm an entertainer and my own boss and I would never give that up) -- but doing training work independently and on a part time basis really fits my lifestyle and my passion (the consulting more than the hands on training), so I've been kicking the idea around. I'm looking at the different organizations for certification before making any moves.

I found Alan Aragon's articles on this to be quite interesting, and for those who are interested, I'd start here and read the entire series:

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2009/11/12/directions-toward-a-career-in-fitness-part-1/

taso42

What are some realistic ballpark income estimates for trainers? Maybe in a few different categorizes

- trainer at a chain McGym
- trainer at a small no-nonsense facility
- owner of small facility

Or anything in between?

Earning statistics of trainers:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos296.htm#outlook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos296.htm#projections_data
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes399031.htm

Thanks SideSteel. I did see some figures like this. I'll admit what I'm looking for is anecdotal evidence that one can earn far, far more than the median.

I have this pipe dream to be a "trainer" in some capacity, but the salary estimates make me want to just continue suffering my corporate gig.

mmickeep

Interesting!

ninerbuff

What are some realistic ballpark income estimates for trainers? Maybe in a few different categorizes

- trainer at a chain McGym

When I worked at 24hr Fitness, my income per client was about $17, per group class $20

- trainer at a small no-nonsense facility

Where I work now, my income per client is $35 avg, per group class $45
[/quote]I currently have 10 clients that I meet with at least once a week and daily group fitness classes 7 days a week.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

One of my peers works full time and makes over $60,000 a year. He only works mornings from 5am to 12pm M-F and weekends off.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

NikoM5

I love personal training so much I basically do it on the side, for free! If there was better money in it I'd make a career out of it tomorrow.

iplayoutside19

Just some more thoughts on all this. I would also want to be formally trained on the nutrition side too, because lets face it....that drives most of the results we're looking for in ourselves and in any potential clients. Getting that done, at least in Kansas looks like it would take the work of a four year degree. Right now in my current life and family situation that's more than I want to commit to a passion or hobby.

Anyone thought about the nutrition side to this?

Azdak

Just some more thoughts on all this. I would also want to be formally trained on the nutrition side too, because lets face it....that drives most of the results we're looking for in ourselves and in any potential clients. Getting that done, at least in Kansas looks like it would take the work of a four year degree. Right now in my current life and family situation that's more than I want to commit to a passion or hobby.

Anyone thought about the nutrition side to this?

Nutrition is tricky business. While there is little enforcement as far as I can tell, in many (most?) states there are licensing laws that describe who can legally provide dietary advice and what kind. Then there is the matter of personal and professional ethics. It's a bit of a conundrum in that clients look to trainers for dietary advice, yet most trainers are less qualified to give nutritional advice than they are exercise advice -- and since many of them aren't all the qualified to give exercise advice---well, you get the picture.

It's OK to give general macro advice about nutrient ratios, portion control, general calories in/calories out type of stuff but that's about it. Many trainers are out there giving out advice that they are not qualified to give. Like I said, I don't think there is much in the way of legal enforcement, so it becomes a character and ethics issue. (Although if something ever went bad, it could easily become a legal issue as well).

NewFitKeri

bump

Siege_Tank

I HAVE to throw in my two cents, seeing as how I just fired my personal trainer. I was paying her $360 a month, 3 sessions a week - because I wanted to see results, and thought that that would be the best way.

When I first went in to see her, we measured, and got a "before" photo. I asked her what calorie levels I should eat at, and she told me that calories weren't important, that I should focus on eating clean - eating high volume, low calorie stuff. I didn't hardly drop a pound until I joined MFP 3 weeks later and started to log EVERY last bit of food that went into my mouth.

I stayed at the same weight, because, as most of us know, you can't outrun a *kitten* diet. You HAVE to eat less to lose weight. After I lost 30 pounds and let her see my food journal she started yelling at me that I needed to eat breakfast, that I wasn't eating often enough, and that I needed to eat every few hours to keep my metabolism up.

When I showed her a couple of studies published by the NIH, all I got was an earful about how she went to college for 4 years for sports medicine and fitness, and that she actually had a bachelor's degree in what she was talking about. All I wanted to do was skip breakfast..

I'm starting to think that all you need to be a personal trainer is common sense, an ability to listen to other people, and an ability to objectively look at (and comprehend) new studies, since they get published all the time, and constantly challenge your own assumptions, constantly check that they are correct and proper.