{"id":197898,"date":"2023-09-26T02:00:57","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T07:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/?p=197898"},"modified":"2023-10-24T10:55:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T15:55:35","slug":"how-to-become-a-personal-trainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Become a Personal Trainer in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chances are, there&#8217;s been a time in your gym experience where you&#8217;ve considered working as a personal trainer because you love fitness. That is a fantastic starting point because, who doesn\u2019t want to make a career out of wearing gym clothes and spending hours breathing a mix of <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/best-creatine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"349779\">creatine<\/a> dust and other people&#8217;s sweat?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a more serious note, personal training is not always a lucrative career choice, especially in the beginning. This doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t be relatively successful \u2014 and you&#8217;ll soon learn key steps to increase your odds. But, in general, personal training isn&#8217;t a fast-track to a six\u2013figure salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people quit early because they don&#8217;t end up making as much money as they expected or they discover that being in a gym for 10 to 12 hours a day isn&#8217;t as fun or easy as it sounds. The daily process is often quite hard and it doesn&#8217;t live up to the fantasy of &#8220;getting paid to lift weights all day&#8221; while miraculously attracting celebrity clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"760\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Personal-trainer-with-client-barbell-curl.jpg\" alt=\"Two muscular people in gym performing barbell curl\" class=\"wp-image-197909\" srcset=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Personal-trainer-with-client-barbell-curl.jpg 760w, https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Personal-trainer-with-client-barbell-curl-120x68.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: MDV Edwards \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Loving fitness is a great start, but you need to also love helping people and doing all the work that goes into it. We\u2019re talking about cleaning the gym floors, getting up early, and staying late at the gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll face plenty of obstacles in your early years as a personal trainer, so make sure you clearly define why you\u2019re in it. If you want to really be successful, you will need to be in it for the long haul. Here&#8217;s a look at what it really takes, from A to Z, if you want to make a living as a trainer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\">How to Become a Personal Trainer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#1\">Education and Skills<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#2\">Getting Your First Job<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#3\">Building an Online Presence<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#4\">Training Private vs. In-Gym vs. Online<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#5\">Tricks of the Trade<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sc-namejump-anchor1the-necessary-education-and-skills\"><a id=\"1\" class=\"linkj\"><\/a>The Necessary Education and Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To become a successful personal trainer, it&#8217;s first necessary to define what a personal trainer <em>is<\/em>, and then work backward. A personal trainer is somebody who provides fitness training services to a paying client. Simple as that. The most practical way to get a paying client is to start at a commercial gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some trainers transition out of the gym and train clients privately, but one thing that all experienced personal trainers can agree upon is that you must start your journey as an employed personal trainer at a gym, ideally a well-known commercial gym. There are some trainers that are exceptions to the rule but, statistically, you\u2019re likely not one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So to &#8220;reverse engineer&#8221; further, you need to determine which gyms you would like to work at. Again, commercial gyms are usually going to be your best bet compared to a relatively small-scale private gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find a busy gym you like that has a thriving community. If it\u2019s close to where you live, that\u2019s even better, but don\u2019t overthink this step. Most trainers will &#8220;outgrow&#8221; their first gym quite quickly if they play their cards right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"certification\">Certification<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you choose a gym, you need to figure out which personal trainer certifications they accept. You can find this information by searching online or by talking with a manager in person. Smile and look confident while you\u2019re at it, because that will likely be your first boss before you know it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, you need to obtain one of the certifications they accept. The more accredited and recognized the certification, the more likely your desired gym will require it. This is also why accredited certifications are more expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So save up and study hard to get your first certification. The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/issa-personal-trainer-certification-review\/\" data-lasso-id=\"380731\">International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)<\/a>, or the American Council on Exercise (ACE) are all reputable, time-tested organizations that would be a great choice for your first certification \u2014 nearly all gyms will accept these credentials. If you have some sort of higher education degree in the sports and fitness field, even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"760\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/trainer-writing-on-clipboard.jpg\" alt=\"Long-haired person sitting down writing on clipboard\" class=\"wp-image-197910\" srcset=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/trainer-writing-on-clipboard.jpg 760w, https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/trainer-writing-on-clipboard-120x68.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: PeopleImages.com &#8211; Yuri A \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When you&#8217;re just starting out, getting any certification credential is frankly more important than how much you actually know. This is not to say education isn\u2019t important, but it&#8217;s urgent that you get your foot in the door so you can get started gaining hands-on experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ensure that you study the material thoroughly. You can usually take practice tests online to be confident before taking your official certification test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sales-and-people-skills\">Sales and People Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though training is fundamentally about exercise, the ability to &#8220;close a sale&#8221; is still incredibly important to being a successful trainer. You might be lucky to have a gym that gives you some clients freely, but you can\u2019t depend on this. You need to make a living and build a client base fast. Not to mention, gyms are primarily looking for your sales and people skills when hiring you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To build your toolbox, learn about human psychology and practice selling. It will take you much further as a personal trainer than reading another PubMed paper on protein or arguing online about biomechanics. Ultimately, your salesmanship and people skills will help you attain and retain clients, which will allow your service to help more people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learning more about people also allows you to target their emotional pain points, empathize, and find ways to improve the client on their own terms. Many clients don\u2019t really care that you have a scientific six phase warm-up or that you can lecture them about <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/deadlift-form\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"349781\">deadlift technique<\/a>. They simply want to get into a decent exercise routine and have a relatable person hold them accountable along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of your clients will want to look better, but they&#8217;re not often trying to compete. So it\u2019s certainly a line to walk when it comes to understanding the individual&#8217;s desire for physical changes without steering them toward bodybuilding or powerlifting. If you can communicate the perfect balance, you should be able to build a reliable clientele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sc-namejump-anchor2youre-not-a-trainer-until-youre-hired\"><a id=\"2\" class=\"linkj\"><\/a>You&#8217;re Not a Trainer Until You&#8217;re Hired<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you pass your certification test, congratulations, you\u2019re now a certified personal trainer\u2026 on paper. To be an actual personal trainer, you need at least one paying client. This is where you start applying for a training position at the gyms you were scouting earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This also circles back to why commercial gyms are so important. Sure, they\u2019re an industrialized conglomerate that will take over 50% of your paycheck, but the benefits still outweigh the drawbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"760\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Shutterstock_136132460.jpg\" alt=\"Personal trainer helping client in gym perform ab crunch\" class=\"wp-image-197914\" srcset=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Shutterstock_136132460.jpg 760w, https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Shutterstock_136132460-120x68.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Andrew Bassett \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re first starting off, the benefits that a commercial gym offers are critical:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Mentoring you through the process of selling, attaining, and training clients.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Directing new members to your training services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Providing more foot traffic for you to apply your sales and people skills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delivering consistent pay for all the hours you work, even when clientele is slow. This may mean additional responsibilities such as walking the gym floor and cleaning up or doing new member assessments and gym orientations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating other potential income opportunities like teaching group fitness classes, doing paid member assessments, or filling in as coverage when other trainers are sick.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Depending on the gym, they may even cover the cost of your continuing education credits or recertification (presuming you succeed as a trainer long enough to need recertification).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2023, the personal training industry took a big hit from COVID-19 as gym shutdowns led to many trainers leaving the field. (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33345164\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"349782\">1<\/a>) This can actually work in your favor, as many reopened gyms are looking for new trainers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some gyms can even give you a decent stream of clients or leads, if the gym is busy enough. Years ago, you had to earn clients by trying to cold sell each member individually, even after you were hired by the gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"say-goodbye-to-normal-hours\"><strong>Say Goodbye to &#8220;Normal&#8221; Hours<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your everyday life will change drastically, and this could be why many personal trainers quit. For starters, your income won&#8217;t be great and it likely won&#8217;t even be the same amount from week to week. That means vacations, fancy living, and social outings will all be put on hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, you will work unconventional hours. Most of your potential clients will be working 9-5 jobs, meaning their available time to train with you will either be early in the morning or later in the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may eventually be able to transition away from this, but the more sacrifices you make earlier in your training career, the more likely you will succeed in the long-term. That&#8217;s why this nasty split-shift is almost always inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"760\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-client-push-up.jpg\" alt=\"Personal trainer in gym with client doing push-ups\" class=\"wp-image-197915\" srcset=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-client-push-up.jpg 760w, https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-client-push-up-120x68.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Lucky Business \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As you work your shift, you will essentially be training any client that you can schedule a session with. If you have few or no clients \u2014 which is understandable and expected as a new trainer\u2014 you will be doing lots of sales, new member orientations, and odd jobs like tidying up the gym or re-racking weights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the middle of the day, the typical gym will be slow. This is a great time to get your own workout in, text any clients to check up on them, or create business-related social media content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Early on, it\u2019s important to take as many opportunities as you can because it\u2019s a hard business and there\u2019s a lot of painful internal growth that needs to take place. If you are feeling burnt out, you\u2019re probably doing something right. As politically incorrect or unsustainable as it might sound, nobody has ever truly crushed their career without beginning with disproportionate sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sc-namejump-anchor3training-in-the-age-of-social-media\"><a id=\"3\" class=\"linkj\"><\/a>Training in the Age of Social Media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like it or not, it\u2019s extremely important to have an online presence in the fitness industry. It can be another avenue for getting clients but, most importantly, it allows you to have your own business card in the background. It&#8217;s (literally) free advertising that only costs a bit of time and effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making content and building your social media following is a long-term play. Most of your first personal training clients will be your friends, family, and people you talk to a lot at the gym because they&#8217;re the most readily available to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you invest time into your social media, eventually strangers (meaning: potential clients) from across the internet can start to know, recognize, and trust you as a fitness authority. And if they happen to live in your area, or anywhere reasonably close, they could contact you for paid personal training services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dedicate 30 to 60 minutes per day to make content, post, and engage with your audience using your professional social media account. It will also set you up to potentially take your business online in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"sbi-embed-wrap\"><blockquote class=\"instagram-media sbi-embed\"  data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Cjib82crVeH\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Cjib82crVeH\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewbox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Cjib82crVeH\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by Calvin Huynh (@awesomefitnessscience)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Commit to as many platforms as you can handle, but be realistic. You don&#8217;t need to film a 45-minute video for YouTube, and then pull a quote to post on Threads, and then turn a video clip into a gif for TikTok. If you can make a simple, quality post each day on Instagram, great. Consistency is the most important part of your online presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, approach it as a massive long-term play. All of the crazy &#8220;fitfluencers&#8221; you see with thriving businesses training celebrities, while they apparently waste time doing viral dances in the gym, are far and few in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s not the norm for 99% of trainers. You will likely bust your butt building an online presence with little to no return for at least a year or two. You will have to film stuff at odd hours and squeeze in content-making between clients. Sometimes you&#8217;ll work while you eat lunch and sometimes you&#8217;ll work instead of eating lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sc-namejump-anchor4leaving-the-gym\"><a id=\"4\" class=\"linkj\"><\/a>Leaving the Gym<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve built up a stable clientele and you&#8217;ve moved up the ranks for higher pay as an employed and experienced personal trainer, there\u2019s nothing wrong with staying at a commercial gym. If you&#8217;ve developed an effective pattern to find and retain clients, that&#8217;s great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, that is not the end game for many personal trainers. They often don\u2019t like the restrictions of working at a commercial gym \u2014 whether it&#8217;s interpersonal drama with other trainers or just dealing with limited equipment. And many trainers certainly don\u2019t like splitting their pay with the gym management, since the gym will always take a portion of the trainer&#8217;s fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trainers-going-solo\">Trainers Going Solo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most personal trainers would rather be their own boss, so here\u2019s how you transition from training in a commercial gym to working with clients privately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, you need a new space for the workouts. The most common option is to seek out local private gyms that rent out space to trainers. Usually, you either pay for each hour you actually work with clients or you pay a monthly fee to use the space regardless of your client load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news is, you can now charge your clients whatever you want and keep the rest. So any added costs can be rolled into your rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, you can build your own space somewhere, like making your own <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/best-home-gym-equipment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"349783\">garage gym<\/a>. This generally takes a lot more money upfront, but you can save down the road by avoiding overhead like commercial gym fees and gas for travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"760\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-outdoor-trx-workout.jpg\" alt=\"Personal trainer working with client outdoors performing cable row\" class=\"wp-image-197920\" srcset=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-outdoor-trx-workout.jpg 760w, https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-outdoor-trx-workout-120x68.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Jonatan Hornos Perez \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Whichever method you choose, build as big of a clientele as possible before officially transitioning to private training. If you&#8217;re considering this step, you should be making a pretty good income with a steady stream of clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You also need to have a backup marketing strategy in place because you won\u2019t be able to rely on leveraging the commercial gym for new members. This is where social media, referrals, and new leads can become increasingly valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when you\u2019re ready to make the transition, let management know. You should also be the one to tell your clients where you\u2019re headed. Let them know the benefits of training with you privately. In addition, inform them that the gym will try to retain their business by giving them to another trainer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve built enough rapport with your clients, at least half should transition with you. Naturally, some will want to stay because of logistics like pricing, gym proximity, etc. That\u2019s normal and you certainly shouldn\u2019t try to coerce anyone to go. That would also build a bad relationship with the gym, which is not good for your long-term reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you will likely take a big hit in income as you lose roughly half your clientele with any transition, but if your systems for referrals and attracting new business are in place, you should build up your clientele again within a few months. And now, you&#8217;re in a position to thrive on your own terms without being locked down as an employee at a commercial gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"transitioning-online\">Transitioning Online<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most personal trainers eventually get worn down trying to physically train as many clients as possible. You only have so many hours a day to be face to face. With the rise of social media, everybody is transitioning to online coaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It allows you to have even more freedom and not be bound by location. It\u2019s a natural desire for many personal trainers to free up most, or all, of their in-person hours by going virtual. If you absolutely love personal training, you can still keep a small roster of in-person clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Transitioning online is all about social media. This is where the long-term accumulation of an established online presence can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"760\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Shutterstock_2253926875.jpg\" alt=\"Person in gym doing lunges recording a video\" class=\"wp-image-197921\" srcset=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Shutterstock_2253926875.jpg 760w, https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Shutterstock_2253926875-120x68.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: New Africa \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To first make the transition online, you should offer free or discounted online coaching to your friends, family, and social media audience. In return, they have to give you a testimonial and their before\/after transformation (should they make one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This allows you to build your online coaching systems and get familiar with online coaching because it\u2019s a lot different than personal training. Get organized on what you offer, how to communicate with clients, and how to help them reach their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, you market those before and afters and start building a clientele online. Clients&#8217; progress photos will be your number one marketing tool, but you should still consistently ask for referrals. And always keep making content on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your online income starts to outweigh your in-person income, you can decide how much you want to transition over. If you want to fully transition online, you\u2019ll need to give your in-person clients notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About half might follow you online and the other half will likely prefer the familiar in-person coaching. As you can see with any transition you make as a trainer \u2014from commercial gym to private or private to online\u2014&nbsp; it\u2019s generally safe to assume around half of your clients will be retained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For your remaining clients who don\u2019t want to transition online, you should find another reputable local personal trainer who would be a good fit. Negotiate a deal with the trainer where you&#8217;ll direct your clients toward them for a referral fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sc-namejump-anchor5tricks-of-the-trade\"><a id=\"5\" class=\"linkj\"><\/a>Tricks of the Trade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the rise of online coaching, many people don\u2019t realize your best bet in the fitness industry is to lay your foundation as a personal trainer. Between the pandemic, the general state of the economy, and the competitiveness of the fitness industry, personal training is more challenging than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"760\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-client-stability-ball-plank.jpg\" alt=\"Personal trainer helping client in gym perform ab exercise on ball\" class=\"wp-image-197930\" srcset=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-client-stability-ball-plank.jpg 760w, https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/personal-trainer-client-stability-ball-plank-120x68.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Credit: Dusan Petkovic \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But this can be good news. If you do your job well, you will stand out. Here are some first-hand tricks of the trade that can make your personal training journey even more successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Client retention is critical<\/strong>. A majority of your success comes down to <em>retaining<\/em> your clients, not attaining clients. Fortunately, the only two things clients care about is progress and rapport. Make sure they see progress and, along the way, build plenty of genuine rapport with them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Care about your clients<\/strong>. In a world where everybody is always trying to do less, the best thing you can do is more. Really pay attention to your clients. Make yourself available outside of the training session. Check up on their fitness and their personal life. Remember their birthdays. Take them out to lunch randomly. Go the extra mile. This point cannot be stressed enough.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Keep learning<\/strong>. Take your education seriously and always try to improve your craft.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Get organized<\/strong>. Organize your schedule. Organize your client files. And have a good accountant to keep your finances in order.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be professional<\/strong>. Stay in shape \u2014 research shows this absolutely matters, especially in the eyes of prospective clients. (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30893281\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"349784\">2<\/a>) Show up on time. Wear clean clothes. Don\u2019t check your phone or eat during sessions. These may sound obvious, but they&#8217;re not always so obvious to a lot of new trainers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be unique<\/strong>. Give exercises funny names. Have inside jokes with your clients. Offer beverages. Print out a picture of your client\u2019s celebrity crush to motivate them during the session.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-next-generation-of-personal-training\">The Next Generation of Personal Training<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Personal training is becoming rarer because the personal side of life is dying in society. Everything is digital, automated, and impersonal. But these issues are exactly what can make good personal trainers even more successful. They focus on the personal side of things rather than the training side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What you know is certainly important, but how much you care about your clients is so much more important. When they notice that you text back faster than most of their close friends, it means much more to the client than how many bench variations you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"references\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li>Bratland-Sanda, S., Mathisen, T. F., Sundgot-Borgen, C., Sundgot-Borgen, J., &amp; Tangen, J. O. (2020). The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown During Spring 2020 on Personal Trainers&#8217; Working and Living Conditions. <em>Frontiers in sports and active living<\/em>, <em>2<\/em>, 589702. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fspor.2020.589702<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Boerner, P. R., Polasek, K. M., True, L., Lind, E., &amp; Hendrick, J. L. (2021). Is What You See What You Get? Perceptions of Personal Trainers&#8217; Competence, Knowledge, and Preferred Sex of Personal Trainer Relative to Physique. <em>Journal of strength and conditioning research<\/em>, <em>35<\/em>(7), 1949\u20131955. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1519\/JSC.0000000000003027<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Featured Image: PeopleImages.com &#8211; Yuri A \/ Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chances are, there&#8217;s been a time in your gym experience where you&#8217;ve considered working as a personal trainer because you love fitness. That is a fantastic starting point because, who doesn\u2019t want to make a career out of wearing gym clothes and spending hours breathing a mix of creatine dust and other people&#8217;s sweat?&nbsp; On a more serious&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1508,"featured_media":197908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4653],"tags":[245],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Become a Personal Trainer in 2023 - Breaking Muscle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Think working in a gym is a dream come true? Reality check. Here&#039;s a look at what it really takes to become a successful personal trainer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Become a Personal Trainer in 2023 - Breaking Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Think working in a gym is a dream come true? Reality check. Here&#039;s a look at what it really takes to become a successful personal trainer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Breaking Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/breakingmuscle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-26T07:00:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-24T15:55:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Shutterstock_2267182515.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Calvin Huynh, MS, CPT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BreakingMuscle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BreakingMuscle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Calvin Huynh, MS, CPT\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Calvin Huynh, MS, CPT\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/786f9ba8a08109f186b18719c829db9c\"},\"headline\":\"How to Become a Personal Trainer in 2023\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-26T07:00:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-24T15:55:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\/\"},\"wordCount\":3422,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Training\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Train\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-become-a-personal-trainer\/\",\"name\":\"How to Become a Personal Trainer in 2023 - Breaking Muscle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-26T07:00:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-24T15:55:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"Think working in a gym is a dream come true? 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He holds a Masters in Nutrition Science and has worked with hardcore lifters, top CEOs, best-selling authors, and stay-at-home moms. He's also written over 200 articles across the web for major fitness publications, well-respected industry leaders, top clothing brands, and popular research reviews. When he's not working, he likes social dancing, eating tacos, and traveling. He's happy to receive messages and emails if you ever have questions. 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