Being a personal trainer is a dream job for those who are passionate about sport and fitness.
It allows you to combine a hobby with a job in line with the famous quote from Confucius: “Choose a job you love, and you will not have to work for the rest of your life”.
However, if you are wondering how to become a personal trainer, there is a long way to go from the idea to practicing the profession.
What does such a person do, how much do they earn, and how can one become a personal trainer? Find out below!
What does the job of a personal trainer consist of?
Stop thinking about how to become a personal trainer and check what you can do to achieve success.
The profession of a personal trainer has many definitions. However, all these definitions have one thing in common: the statement that this is a person associated with sport, who combines several professions in one.
A personal trainer is not only a person who creates training and diet plans. Their task is also to control their clients in terms of their progress and the correctness of exercise, as well as advise on issues related to nutrition and motivation.
If you are planning to become a personal trainer, you need to know about functional training and different types of workouts.
Therefore, a personal trainer is a dietitian, manager of personal success, motivator and trainer, all in one. It is impossible to achieve the intended results without combining these four roles.
In addition, it is worth having knowledge in physiotherapy, which prevents clients’ painful injuries. As you can see, working as a trainer is not as easy as it might seem.
How much does a personal trainer earn?
Because of the large number of duties and the responsibility of personal trainers, many people also ask themselves the question of how much a personal trainer earns. However, there is no single answer.
The salary of a personal trainer depends on several factors. Among which, apart from his experience, reputation and knowledge, one should also mention the place and manner in which he provides his services.
Personal trainer – earnings while providing services outside the gym
However, the work of a trainer does not always have to be related to the gym. It can also provide private services at clients’ houses or outdoors. Here, how much a personal trainer earns depends only on his or her salary rates and the number of clients he or she can serve per month.
Who can you become a personal trainer?
There has been a real surge of personal trainers in the fitness industry lately. Almost anyone can become a personal trainer. In this profession, those who offer jobs still require applicants to certify their qualifications with diplomas and training certificates.
This is because a personal trainer handles the health of his or her mentees, therefore he or she should have the best possible knowledge related to sports and more.
How to become a personal trainer – 10 handy tips
As the above paragraphs show, a personal trainer is a profession that requires extensive knowledge in several areas, but also allows not only the best in the industry to earn decent money.
An additional argument for becoming a personal trainer is also the fact that the awareness of society about the beneficial influence of sport in everyday life is increasing, and this is related to the growing demand for this type of service.
If you are wondering how to become a personal trainer, read on…
1. Find out what features a personal trainer should have
Each profession requires certain predispositions that a person performing it should have, and it is no different for a personal trainer. This profession is associated with almost constant contact with clients, and it also demands extensive knowledge.
It is believed that hard and soft competences are 50% responsible for the success of a personal trainer.
What qualities should she or he have to become a personal trainer?
- Communicative abilities – it will be much easier for you to build a relationship with a client if both of you feel at ease.
- Stress resistance – working with people is associated with a variety of stressful situations. Sometimes clients can burn a lot, and in such a situation, mental resistance is irreplaceable.
- A willingness to constantly improve one’s knowledge and skills – the profession of a personal trainer involves the need to constantly gain knowledge and verify new techniques and be up to date with trends.
- Responsibility – this is a key feature that every personal trainer should have so that their clients can trust them with their problems.
- The ability to motivate wisely – a personal trainer is also a mentor, therefore he or she should be able to effectively and positively motivate clients to achieve success.
- The ability to create a system of work and stick to it – regardless of whether a personal trainer works in a gym or runs their own business, they should also be able to organize work themselves in order to have time for clients, formal issues and learning.
2. Find out how work of a personal trainer looks like
If you are interested in becoming a personal trainer, it is worth verifying your ideas about working in this profession with reality, preferably by consulting with someone who is already involved in personal training or asking her or him to accompany you on a typical day at work.
However, if you do not have such an opportunity, videos recorded by personal trainers who talk about this profession, for example, this one, may also be helpful.
Why is it so important? Because the work of a personal trainer is not only spending time in a gym or supervising mentees during their exercises, it also entails keeping a record, allowing a personal trainer to look after clients.
3. Take care of your health and body
Make sure that you have the qualities a personal trainer should have (or that you can develop them) and know what this kind of job consists of, before you work as a personal trainer.
In this profession, the appearance of the trainer is a walking advertisement. And it is not about looking like a bodybuilder – it is about having a healthy, glowing silhouette.
Why is it so important? Think about it: would you make use of services offered by a slim personal trainer with a well-groomed appearance, or one who is a bit chubby with a hairstyle looking like it had an argument with a brush?
When choosing a personal trainer, most people use their first impression.
4. Gain knowledge by enrolling on a personal trainer course
After such preparations, if you are still determined to become a personal trainer, it is time to get the education. The best way to do this is to sign up for a personal training course.
These trainings are conducted in almost every city. You can find it by entering in a search engine, for example, the phrase: personal trainer + your city. Depending on its scope, it can last from several weeks to even months, and its prices can vary significantly.
How to pick a winner and choose a personal training course – opinions are not everything
Choosing the right personal training course is extremely important because it will be the basis of your knowledge and skills.
Pay attention to the following aspects:
The number of practical classes in relation to a theoretical part – theoretical classes in this profession are important because they enable you to gain knowledge to apply and put into action. That is why it is worth focusing on courses that offer a lot of exercises related to preparing training and diet plans.
Competences of people conducting a course – the most knowledge can be obtained from practitioners and people who already have some achievements and experience in this profession.
The range of issues covered – courses that deal with many issues in a short time are most often based on superficial teaching. Therefore, it is best to choose those that offer a larger number of hours or classes, or focus only on the most important aspects of the work of a personal trainer.
What should a personal trainer course teach you?
How to make sure that the chosen personal training course is worth investing your money and time? Simply analyze its program. It should provide knowledge in the field of:
- training methods (functional training, strength training, mobility, etc.),
- nutrition and composing diet plans,
- supplementation in sport,
- training psychology,
- sales and marketing in the profession.
That is why you should look for courses that have all these elements.
You don’t have to know how to become a dietitian but you need to have knowledge about nutrition.
5. Prepare to get a job as a personal trainer
Getting the education as a personal trainer is only the first step to work in it. After completing this stage, it is time to look for employment.
Even though the fitness industry is constantly growing and there were almost 3,000 fitness clubs and gyms in Poland before the COVID-19 pandemic, only the best can count on employment in these places. So, how can you prepare for a job interview by applying for a personal trainer at a gym?
First, focus on presenting yourself and being open, since these features are extremely important in the profession of a personal trainer. You should also be prepared for technical questions that will enable a future employer to verify your knowledge. They may concern methods of basic training or nutrition, or the selection of dietary supplements for the mentees.
It is also worth writing about your sports achievements or successes before going to the interview, which will prove your passion for this field. Do not forget to take with you all your diplomas and certificates confirming the acquired knowledge and skills.
You can think about how to become a massage therapist and it could be your advantage over the competitors.
6. First job as a personal trainer
Where to look for a job as a personal trainer? Beginners in this profession should start their career by working at small fitness clubs and gyms, where they will gain experience.
In such places, the customers’ expectations are also lower than in premium gyms, which will allow you to get used to the cooperation with clients and build your individual model of work that will be the best for you and your mentees.
7. Plan your career development as a personal trainer
Deciding to start work as a personal trainer, it is also worth creating a clear and practical career plan. It is therefore possible to direct all your activities to its implementation. Such a plan enables you to gain more experience and develop in the industry while achieving better remuneration.
It may be useful, especially for those who plan to work independently as a freelance personal trainer in the future, not associated with any gym or fitness club.
Working in a small gym allows you to gain experience that will be necessary in more reputable institutions where the demands for personal trainers are much higher.
From that point, there is an easy way to build your brand, win private customers and become your own boss.
8. Working as a trainer is not everything. Build your brand
This tip is closely related to the previous one. Having a clearly defined professional goal, it is much easier to build your personal brand that will attract potential clients.
To make your brand successful, a personal trainer should stand out from his or her fellow professionals. For example, specializing in exercises for people with back problems.
9. Focus on marketing
Many people asking how to become a personal trainer find out that they must complete the course, then get a job and then get customers. All types of advertising, which are known to be a marketing leverage, also in sports services, are rarely mentioned in this case.
Therefore, if you want to attract many customers and thus earn a lot of money, you need to promote your personal brand.
How can you do it? One way is to set up accounts on social media such as Facebook or Instagram, where you present what working with you consists of and all information related to your sports activities.
This will help you reach a larger group of potential customers, especially if you show that you have knowledge, and cooperation with you always leads to success.
An example of perfect personal trainers in this field are social profiles of, for example, Jeanette Jenkins or Massy Arias. They publish on their walls both excerpts from their private life, as well as sports advice and the effects of their mentees’ trainings.
10. Keep up with the current knowledge because of the trainings for personal trainers
The last piece of advice for people who want to become a personal trainer, or those who are already taking their first steps in this profession, is to improve their skills and update their knowledge through courses.
The offers of training centers contain a personal trainer course, which allows you to acquire knowledge of a particular specialization, including, among others:
- personal trainer medical course,
- motor preparation trainer course,
- personal trainer courses related to exercises for people with posture defects,
- personal trainer course for pregnant women.
Finally, if we want to answer the question of how to become a personal trainer, we should first distinguish the fact that this profession requires certain predispositions and characterological conditions, and it is worth taking courses preparing you to work with mentees before doing it professionally.
Success in this industry depends on a properly planned career path, deliberate building of a personal brand and continuous improvement of your skills.
If you think that being a personal trainer isn’t for you, check how much does a dietician earn. Maybe this is the career path for you.
