How to Become a Personal Trainer in Los Angeles

Fitness trainers often take their clients outside to work out.

Southern California is one of the premier outdoor recreation destinations in America, and it stands to reason that the people who live there want to be in the best shape possible to take advantage of activities in the year-round sunshine. Keeping fit is a regional pastime, and the greater Los Angeles area, with some 10 million residents, is a prime location to pursue a both a healthy lifestyle and a personal training business.

Things You'll Need

• Personal training classes or programs Professional certifications Business licenses, as necessary Fitness equipment, if using own gym/outdoors Business insurance

Instructions

Becoming a Personal Trainer in L.A.

1. 

   Personal trainers can design a unique workout for each client.

   Get training. Even if you've always been a fit person and have enjoyed sports and the gym, true personal training requires instruction in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, exercise techniques, program design, nutrition and special populations and circumstances. Classes and courses of study in personal training are offered numerous places in Los Angeles, including at the University of California, Los Angeles, Bryan College, the National Personal Trainer Institute and the American Fitness and Nutrition Academy.

2. 

   Trainers use a variety of equipment to help clients get in shape.

   Get Certified. After you complete your formal education in personal training, obtain certification from one or more of the nationally-recognized certification programs, which act as a calling card for personal trainers. A few of the better-known programs are American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), American Council on Fitness (ACF), Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Check their websites for testing dates in the Los Angeles area.

3. Get a personal trainer job at a gym, establish relationships with gyms where you can train clients or set up your own gym. Many of the chains in L.A., including Bally’s, 24-Hour Fitness, Gold’s, Equinox, Spectrum, L.A. Fitness, Crunch and the YMCAs, have trainers on staff or make arrangements with specific trainers who want to use their facilities to train clients. Alternatively, there are private gyms in Los Angeles, such as Train West Hollywood and The Forum Private Fitness, where one can take clients. There are also trainers who set up gyms in their homes, as well as trainers who prefer to take clients to a public park or beach for their workouts.

4. Get clients. Market and promote your personal training business. You’ll need to determine your target market and your fee structure. Start with a unique website, and make sure to list it on your business card. Video-record short exercise tips and post them on your site, linking them to Facebook and YouTube. Drop hundreds of your cards off at gyms (ask first), coffeehouses, grocery stores and wherever community bulletin boards are found in the L.A. market you wish to serve. Make up a Facebook fan page for your business, and “seed” it with your first clients and helpful friends.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you get the proper business licenses (as appropriate) for whichever LA County city you are doing business in. Before agreeing to take a client to a particular gym, make sure you understand the financial arrangements and fees that gym will charge a personal trainer, and get it in writing. Word-of-mouth is the best form or advertising, so always give the client a reason to boast.

• Make sure to vet thoroughly unknown clients who want you to train them in their own home gyms. Liability insurance is a must, as fitness training is a field where injuries happen. Make sure you are early for your client appointments. L.A. is often a traffic nightmare but your clients are paying premium fees to work out with you.

References

• Ask The Trainer
• Natural Healers
• University of California, Los Angeles: Recreation

Resources

• American Council on Exercise