How to Make a Living Being a Personal Trainer

Being a personal trainer can be a very rewarding job. You get to help others become physically fit, feel better about themselves, and get healthy. Aside from the personal satisfaction, personal trainers can also earn a large salary if they develop a steady client base.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Appointment book
• Business telephone number
• Exercise equipment

1. Become certified if possible. Becoming certified will add to your credibility, bring in more clients for you, and give you the ability to charge more per hour or session than an uncertified trainer. Many institutions offer personal training certification, as it is a fast-growing field. The American College of Sports Medicine offers a comprehensive program, as does the American Council on Exercise.

2. Investigate what the going rate is for a personal trainer in your area. Make some telephone calls to inquire. They don't need to know that you are doing research; simply inquire as if you were a potential client. Once you know the going rate, you will want to make sure you charge accordingly, perhaps even lower if you are just getting started.

3. Affiliate yourself with a health club. This may take some leg work, as you will need to send resumes, make follow-up calls, and go on interviews. Health clubs may hire personal trainers directly, or they may refer people to independent certified trainers. In either event, it is best to work with health clubs to obtain clients.

4. Advertise in newspapers, online, and via flyers, bulletin boards or other media sources if you have the funds. Develop an advertising budget and stick with it. Flyers are inexpensive, but may take some time to distribute. Newspapers and online resources such as craigslist.com can also be good advertising arenas.

5. Ask for referrals. Ask family and friends to pass along your information to those they think may be interested. Once you gain clients, reward them with a free session or discount for every person they refer. The additional income will more than make up for the money you lose on the first client.

6. Keep your clients happy. Deliver them results, and customize workouts for them. Be a firm trainer--remember, that's why they hired you! But it is also important to be friendly, respectful and personable. If they like you, they will continue to be your clients.

7. Schedule regular workouts for yourself. Chances are you love to work out, and that's how you decided to make a living being a personal trainer to begin with. Making time for yourself is important, and you must stay in shape in order for your clients to believe you have the ability to keep them in shape!

Tips & Warnings

• To make a living as a personal trainer, be prepared for a slow beginning--developing a client base is the hardest part.
• Be on time for appointments, and cancel only if absolutely necessary. You don't want to lose clients to more reliable trainers.

References

• Personal Training Info
• Become Certified through ACSM
• Become Certified through American Council on Exercise

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[bethany1202]

on 9/10/2009 Excellent tips about becoming a personal trainer.