Well, I am currently in the Real Estate field and as of late realize how much I can't stand my job. Personally, I have been working out for about 10 years, never trained anyone though. I have been talking with a trainer at the local 24 hour fitness for the past few months and have an interview with the manager this week. My current job still brings in some money (not as much as it used to) but after talking with the trainer there, it almost feels like I would be working for pennies. He is talking about 13-18 dollars a session. Yikes. But, do I have any other options when I do not know anything about training? I work out on my own, currently studying for NASM, and that is about it. He was doing the math and this guy basically has to work 8 hours a day to make a 100 bucks. I know I have to start somewhere....but....
He is my plan, and please let me know if you think it is possible. Can you start out at this part time and make everyone (i.e. gym managers) happy? My current job is very sporadic...some days work, some days nothing. But I am trying to have the best of both worlds here. 2 part time jobs would be ideal in my current situation. Did most of you start out this way?? I have heard there is no way to jump into this head first and still put food on the table.
On to another thing....the career test. It sounds to me after reading these forums for the past few months, there is a lot of money that could be made in this business. And, if I actually loved it.....what more could one ask for? But, is there a way to know if it is for me or not? I watch the other trainers and think to myself, I could do that.... But, does that mean I will like it? Part of me thinks, I am in the gym 5 days a week already doing what I love, I should love to show people how to get a great body and make a living doing it. But, I don't think it works out that way. Reading these forums, it appears to me that there is a large income gap in this field. JP appears to have more clients than he can handle, while others are trying to get just a few. What seperates these 2 people?? And if I am not mistaken, JP, didn't you state in another thread that you just have a certification?? Yet it appears you are very good at what you do and are making a killing doing it.
I want to start off right, and I want to make a living doing this, would love any advice.
Drew1980, I received your pm and will post a response here in the forum. I've been busy but should be able to post by tomorrow. Hopefully my experience will help you.
drew1980,
I got certified through NASM around August of 2007 and had a job within a month working for a gym chain in California. I should have kept my job, but I hated it. I knew there wouldn’t be much money in it, but I figured that by the time New Years rolled around I would be pummeled with clients. It didn’t work out that way. My last day at the gym was in April. By the time I had left I had started to build up some clientele. At that time I couldn’t hack it any longer financially and another job fell in my lap.
It was really an awesome opportunity. I learned a ton while being there and despite the financial position I put myself in I think it will pay off. Working with real people from a variety of backgrounds was really an eye opener. Training people is a lot different than talking about training people. I also learned what kind of people I liked to train.
Since leaving the gym I’ve gotten most of my income from another job but I’ve begun taking on clientele. I have in-home clients, clients that I train in a private studio that I rent (by the hour), and one client that I train at a local park. I’m estimating another 3 months before I can leave my current job and just train people. One thing about training people: I try and learn everyday and everyday I’m shocked at how little I know.
I think there are several reasons why many trainers don’t do as well as JP. For starters a lot of them just do it as a job. It seems to attract a lot of flakes too. I couldn’t believe how many people failed to make it through the interview process at the gym because of lack of preparation and professionalism. Aside from that I think success depends on your education (not your certification), your personality and your business sense.
I love doing this. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. I hope that whatever you choose to do is as good for you as this has been for me.
Your story is similar to mine. I obtained my NCSF certification in June 2007 and started working in August for a gym chain (yeah, 24 Hour Fitness), meanwhile keeping my 8 to 5 job. My ambitious plan was to be able quit the other job by January (yeah, what happened to all those New Year's Resolutioner's anyway?) In my case, when I'm training my hourly pay is a couple of dollars more than my day job, so it seeemed completely doable. Ha! I'm not a salesperson, and at my gym it is pretty much sink or swim. I transferred to a gym closer to my home in March and in April was written up for having no sales for the month. I came through in May and if no sales in June I will be written up again. 3 strikes and your out. The one good thing that has come out of this is the experience I've gained while continuing to educate myself and the gym paid for my NASM CPT in February. I've been studying to take the NSCA CPT for a year and was hoping to take that this month (which will bring up my rate when I train), but finances are an issue.
I am really working on the sales aspect, but I figure my days are numbered. I so would like to do what you're doing. I know of several independent trainers who train as you do, but I don't know how do make that happen while working an 8-5 job. Do you have a flexible schedule with your other job that makes this feasible?
And to drew1980--try it part time and if you enjoy it and you're good at sales, you can do very well. With 3 outside certs here I will make around $20 for each session I train, but we also make 20% up front for each package we sell and 10% for selling supplements. We have a new trainer who is on fire selling close to $2,000 in supps/month (a lot of effort for only $200), but he's also selling a lot of training. The commissions can add up. I don't seem to have the knack. When somebody tells me "I'm unemployed" I don't push them to max out their credit card as I'm expected to do. I don't know what you're used to making...in my case, I support myself, pay for a house and car on the under $30,000 I make at my other job, so anything above that makes me happy.
speaking as a potential customer/client - we work 8-6 jobs too - we wish there were options for us to get training in evenings or on weekends or at 6AM - if you work days then you need to find your clients that also work days - because your free time IS their free time
I train 4 evenings during the week and on Saturday and Sunday but it seems like the clients with the most expendable income who keep re-signing are housewives (doctor's wives maybe or women who have their own businesses with more flexible schedules?) who train during the day. But that could just be my perspective since those are the times I can't work and I don't seem to be as busy as some of the day time trainers.
My schedule isn't overly flexible but I don't start working until 330. I've recently request two nights off for a new client that I have.
msmogreen,
I'm happy with what I've done so far, but it's far from perfect or where I want it to be. I got some business cards online. Made my own website and have struck up a relationship with a woman that owns here own personal training studio. My best advice is to put an hour a day into your home training business. Set a timer for 45 minutes to an hour and write down what you need to do. I've gotten a ton of advice from this forum. Read the archives here. They aren't that deep but the personal training as a business section is a goldmine.
Thanks for all your insights. I recently had an interview with a big chain and when he told me the pay I almost fell out of my chair. I feel that I am in a great position to take on this career as my current job is truly part time and very flexible. Which is why I was so into learning training in the first place. To be able to do it part time, while still making an income and honing my skills is ideal. The current job pays the bills, but I am still far from loving it.
I think with a little more knowledge under my belt, and obviously experience, it could be a good fit for me. Watching the trainers now, I see much room for improvement. Not in the way they train, because I have little knowledge in program design and whatnot, but in thier personalities. Looks like half of them just rolled out of bed, smiles are few and far between, and thier motivation is horrible. One guy the other day, which happens to be the biggest seller at the gym, was wearing sandles and eating while he was training a client. I mean come on....
Look professional, have good personality, motivate, know your sh!t and I think you can make a living at this.
THis is not an easy industry to break in to. For whatever reason, it appears to be glamorous, but that facade disappears almost instantly when you start trying to make a real living.
Most trainers I know are or have been burned out. I succeeded in some ways due to a high tolerance to burn-out, but did eventually catch up with me too.
Making the switch from a "real job" to training as a career is a big leap to do if you are accustomed to a real paycheck. You have to take a leap of real faith, and expect that you might suffer a little in the process of building up a clientele.
If you're good, and you're passionate, and you really care about your clients, and you establish yourself before you completely burn out, you may have a shot in this industry.
I had to re-examine my goals after a few years into it. I have no doubt that I made the right decision, but it came at a price. Ask yourself honestly if you're willing to pay that price because it is steep. If you are not, then I would strongly recommend training only as an avocation, not a vocation.
Knowing what I know now, if I could do it all over again and I wanted to shorten the amount of "dues paying" I had to do, I would find one of the nation's top trainers and apprentice for at least a year. Find someone like Cosgrove, Hartman or Boyle (this is actually a pretty long list), and work for free, taking notes, reading books, learning from a master. Yes, you won't make any money for that year, but if you are serious about this as a career, you can't expect to just drop into it without proper education. Those guys certainly put in their time with extensive schooling.
If you are not serious enough about it to dedicate yourself at that level, then don't have any fantasies about making "the big bucks" in this industry. The thing about people who do really well at it is that they only make it look easy. It lures many people into the industry who then get chewed up and spit back out. Don't be one of those people, unless you understand what you're getting into and you have a plan to be one of the successful trainers,
In my own gym, I hire trainers based on how "moldable" they are. I almost could care less what they know. Most trainers just think they know a lot because they passed a test or have a six-pack. If someone is not willing to have their entire training paradigm destroyed and then recreated because they already think they know everything, then I just move on to the next applicant.
In the short term that trainer might do okay, but they aren't wired to seek new information that challenges them, and they eventually fade into obscurity. I know a few bodybuilders who are trainers who fit into this mold almost perfectly. They are still doing routines they learned from Flex magazine back in the 90's! (And shaving their legs and wearing fanny packs).
Being a successful trainer is as much about your mindset as anything else. So take that advice for what it's worth and make your decision. I hope I wasn't too depressing, but I just hate seeing people enter this field with any illusion about the hard work ahead of them. I'm not saying that you aren't made of the right stuff... Only you know that. If you are willing to go for it, then God speed! I'll help you all I can from my perspective if you are interested.
THis is not an easy industry to break in to. For whatever reason, it appears to be glamorous, but that facade disappears almost instantly when you start trying to make a real living.
Most trainers I know are or have been burned out. I succeeded in some ways due to a high tolerance to burn-out, but did eventually catch up with me too.
Making the switch from a "real job" to training as a career is a big leap to do if you are accustomed to a real paycheck. You have to take a leap of real faith, and expect that you might suffer a little in the process of building up a clientele.
If you're good, and you're passionate, and you really care about your clients, and you establish yourself before you completely burn out, you may have a shot in this industry.
I had to re-examine my goals after a few years into it. I have no doubt that I made the right decision, but it came at a price. Ask yourself honestly if you're willing to pay that price because it is steep. If you are not, then I would strongly recommend training only as an avocation, not a vocation.
Knowing what I know now, if I could do it all over again and I wanted to shorten the amount of "dues paying" I had to do, I would find one of the nation's top trainers and apprentice for at least a year. Find someone like Cosgrove, Hartman or Boyle (this is actually a pretty long list), and work for free, taking notes, reading books, learning from a master. Yes, you won't make any money for that year, but if you are serious about this as a career, you can't expect to just drop into it without proper education. Those guys certainly put in their time with extensive schooling.
If you are not serious enough about it to dedicate yourself at that level, then don't have any fantasies about making "the big bucks" in this industry. The thing about people who do really well at it is that they only make it look easy. It lures many people into the industry who then get chewed up and spit back out. Don't be one of those people, unless you understand what you're getting into and you have a plan to be one of the successful trainers,
In my own gym, I hire trainers based on how "moldable" they are. I almost could care less what they know. Most trainers just think they know a lot because they passed a test or have a six-pack. If someone is not willing to have their entire training paradigm destroyed and then recreated because they already think they know everything, then I just move on to the next applicant.
In the short term that trainer might do okay, but they aren't wired to seek new information that challenges them, and they eventually fade into obscurity. I know a few bodybuilders who are trainers who fit into this mold almost perfectly. They are still doing routines they learned from Flex magazine back in the 90's! (And shaving their legs and wearing fanny packs).
Being a successful trainer is as much about your mindset as anything else. So take that advice for what it's worth and make your decision. I hope I wasn't too depressing, but I just hate seeing people enter this field with any illusion about the hard work ahead of them. I'm not saying that you aren't made of the right stuff... Only you know that. If you are willing to go for it, then God speed! I'll help you all I can from my perspective if you are interested.
Having a mentor would be fantastic. The amount of feedback that I received as a new trainer was pretty much nonexistent at the gym that I worked at. They loved my customer service and they pat me on the back for that, but I never had any one look over my program design or any feedback on how I was training my clients at all. I had to bring to the managers attention that one of the new trainers was doing exercises that were hurting his "orientation" clients. I have no idea if there was any follow up to this.
I still find it amazing how low the bar is to break into this field. I got a lot out of my NASM cert, but it's almost a joke considering how ill prepared I was to really train someone.
I'm currently looking at a gym in San Francisco that has a mentor program. I think they charge 30 dollars and hour to follow a trainer around for a session. They then make themselves available to answer questions and what not afterward. Steve Cotter gave the gym a thumbs up so it should be pretty good. Once I get rolling with it I'll post about my experience.
I feel at a loss, too, that I don't have any seasoned, reputable trainers to learn from. My FM is 24 years old with a bodybuilding background. I have children his age, which doesn't necessarily mean he can't know anything but he is very full of himself and I think pretty sure he knows all he needs to. Last night I had a meeting with him and he was telling me how I need to have a generic workout that I use for all clients for their first workout. This is what he doesn and his rationale is that down the road they are impressed when he remembers the very first machine they started with. Because that is the first machine he always uses with everyone. He said he always does chest and tri's on the first workout and ends with core work that blows them away. For every client. I have an elderly client starting tonight--I guess I should make sure I get her on the dip machine.
One thing I find odd since I've been working for this company is that I never hear discussions about training philosophies or what's the latest in fitness, only talk about how to get sales. I have tried to start conversations with other trainers, but they never go anywhere. Forums like this are the only place I really feel like I learn anything.
hello, i am new here. I am studying to take the exam for nsca. I would love to start my own thread but dont know how, or my laptop will not let me click the new thread link, i dunno.
can anyone walk me thru it like im a 6 yr old lil girl??? im so comp. illiterate with these forums. thanks, k
Is this for me??
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