How To Make A Career Change To Personal Trainer In 5 Steps
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A personal trainer can be a good career path for someone who loves fitness and wants to make their own schedule. Physical therapy clinics and commercial gyms need personal trainers throughout the country, and personal trainers can often work for themselves. If these environments are interesting to you and you’re passionate about personal fitness, you may consider changing your career path to personal training. In this article, we discuss what a personal trainer is and how to become one, why someone may want to make a career change to this job and what jobs you can transition from that may help you be successful.
Read more:How Long Does It Take To Become a Personal Trainer?
Eight Solid Reasons Why You Should Become A Personal Trainer
What Is A Personal Trainer
A personal trainer is someone who works with clients to improve their physical fitness and help them establish and reach health goals. These goals can be an ideal weight, an increase in muscle mass or increased physical ability. For example, if you want to run a marathon, you may hire a personal trainer to help you meet this goal.
Personal trainers can work for physical fitness facilities, like gyms, and they have an education in specific types of physical fitness. For example, they may specialize in training post-injury or have experience training specific exercise types, like Pilates or yoga. A personal trainer can also work freelance, establishing independent contracts with clients and working out either in a common space or in a private gym.
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If You Dont Value Your Time No One Else Will
They say, Time is money. Theres a lot of truth to that, but more importantly, time is precious.
Once you secure clients, dont devalue your time by giving discounts or buddy rates out. I made this mistake.
When you devalue your business, people dont take you seriously. Not because of ill-will, but thats just how it goes. Remember that what you charge is not only for the one-on-one session in the gym. Youre charging for your program and nutrition expertise, and your ability to keep people accountable. Rates of $70 to $90 for a 45-minute session may seem steep when you first start, but you will quickly learn why you charge a premium.
Time is precious.
This goes hand-in-hand with the idea that your own personal time is precious. This job can often feel like theres stuff to be done around the clock, so when holidays come around and your own clients go on holidays, its the perfect time as any to recharge. But that doesnt mean completely closing shop. This down time is also one of the best times to research, better yourself, or your business. Do the things you didnt get around to before, maybe doing a quarterly recap of whats been working or not working for you, working on your blog, going to seminar or events, and so on.
An important reminder I like to tell others: when your competition is sleeping, you should be working.
Get Qualified Get The Skills
Youve talked to people in the industry, youve mapped out your plan and you know how you want your new career to progress, now its time to get the qualifications that will enable you to work with clients.
Getting your qualifications doesnt necessarily mean quitting your job. If you have the financial security and support to do this, then by all means do. Our full-time course will get you qualified to the highest standard quickly and will give you plenty of contact time with tutors and other learners.
However, if you need to work while you study, there is an option for you. Our part-time courses can be completed over weekends or weekday evenings.
If that doesnt work, then the TRAINFITNESS distance course will allow you to learn at your own pace in your own time and offers the perfect blend between your current working life and your new one.
While balancing study with work and a personal life can be tough, it is not impossible. If you have the drive and want to make the switch you can do it.
With planning, understanding from friends and family and commitment to study, you can get qualified and make the switch to a career as a personal trainer.
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A Career Of Learning And Development
Once youve built a strong foundation of training, nutrition, movement, change, and business knowledge, its time to commit to a lifetime of learning and personal development.
Feel free to pick the books, courses, internships, and certifications that most resonate with you. Or will most help your clients.
Now is the time to geek out about advanced programming for different populations, nutrient timing, soft-tissue therapy, hormonal issues, advanced exercise and diet techniques, and more.
If youre interested in finally leveling up that basic training certification from Step 2 above, consider:
And if youre ready for internships and mentorships, these come highly recommended:
Is It Worth It
The general answer is yes. Personal trainers enjoy high job satisfaction levels. Those who succeeded often have a great work-life balance and a decent salary achieved with a low number of working hours.
Personal training is one of the very few jobs where you can genuinely help others. You help to transform lives of others on more than just fitness level.
You face different challenges and most importantly you follow your dream a feat very few can enjoy.
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Do Personal Trainers Get Paid Well
The average personal trainer is paid $39,517 annually or $18.12 an hour. Personal trainers can earn more depending on experience, additional certifications, work setting, and side hustles.
No matter your career path in the field of personal training, you will need a software platform that allows you to track clients, send invoices, automate training plans, and set appointments with ease. Request a demo of our All-In-One Fitness Business Management Software to find out how fitness business management software can help you advance in your personal training career.
As A Personal Trainer The Opportunities To Specialize Are Huge
Variety and opportunity. Thats what I love about the world of a personal trainer.
There are just so many doors open to you. Of course, many of us get accredited as personal trainers so we can be our own bosses. And that means working on our own by securing clients that we guide in one-on-one sessions. And its a great way to help others and to make a living thats for sure. But if you are looking for something different to specialize in, carry on reading!
Because today, we are going to look at a range of specializations that are open to you as a personal trainer.
These are just some of them:
- Strength and conditioning coach
So lets take a look at each specialization in turn
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Personal Trainer Income: Make A Career Change
Taking fitness training courses are the first step in making a career change into the fitness industry. These courses discuss bodybuilding, conditioning, and anatomy. All of these become assets as you complete your fitness instructor training education.
Personal trainer income can vary with the types of personal trainer certification course you take and also the number of hours you choose to work. When you work with a gym, they usually pay you a set price that was agreed upon for your services. When you work independently, you have the freedom to set your own price without having to give up a portion to the gym. Of course your cost needs to be within reason and competitive to gym prices or clients may decide to stick with a general gym trainer. The number of certifications and skill assets you have will depend on your pay scale. The more certifications you have completed, the higher amounts of skills and knowledge you will have to teach with.
Flexible income from personal training makes it easy to change your career to the fitness industry. You can use it as part time extra income or work full time for an agreed upon salary. Some trainers will make clients commit to a specific number of months or sessions to help them plan financially for their business as well. You get to be in control of your new career!
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Specialize In A New Field
As your skills and experience grow, you will discover new interests and specialties. Its healthy to keep learning and adapting as exercise science evolves. Getting a higher education increases your knowledge, experience, salary, perspective, and provides a change of environment.
If youve found a new specialty that you cant get off of your mind or if youd like to try something new, consider going back to school for these exercise and fitness-related degrees.
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In This Article Renowned Fitness Expert Brandi Binkley Provides An Overview Of The Personal Training Industry Including Where It Was Where It Is And Where It Is Going
We must learn to create a complimentary mix of training possibilities in order to suit the needs of the market as well as create stability and longevity for our business.
Personal training is a growing industry. The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that jobs in personal training and fitness instruction will increase by 24% between 2010 and 2020, faster than the average 14% expansion for all occupations .
Personal training has seen many changes over the years, so we know it is growing. As trainers, we need to take a strong look at where our industry is heading, otherwise we will absolutely be left behind. A few items that I believe take precedence are education/certification, technology, variability in training formats, and career stability.
Meet Industry Experts Find The Right Opportunity
Its not all about what you know, its who you know
Finding a personal training opportunity in a major population hub is not that hard. What is harder is finding theright personal training opportunity for you.
This means finding a situation that has the right culture, management team, and enough of the type of people you want to train.
When looking for a personal training course make sure youll get an opportunity to talk to fitness industry leaders, PT managers and gym owners during your course.
Making some industry connections before you get qualified gives you a massive head start in gaining work as a PT and often a job to go into before youve even finished your course!
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Option : Go Back To School
Positives:
- Learn all about biochemistry, anatomy, and exercise physiology.
Negatives:
- Takes at least two years to finish .
- Costs tens of thousands of dollars and could leave me deep in debt.
- Doesnt prepare me for the day-to-day work of training real people .
- Delivers few classes or resources on change psychology or business development.
Weight Loss Transformation Specialist
Many people start their fitness journey because they are overweight and want to claim their lives back. Carry extra weight can really put a strain not only on the heart and lungs, but also on our muscles and joints.
Many personal trainers opt to specialize in helping overweight people lose pounds and keep them off by devising specific exercise programs for them. And its mental too as you try to find the causes why clients overeat.
Without a doubt, this is one of the most rewarding parts of personal training.
Its not only about devising the right program for each individual but its about keeping them motivated and instilling a change in behavior, even when they want to give up.
And the reward? Well, when clients reach their goals, they are literally changed for life!
If this is an area in which you see yourself excelling as a personal trainer, consider one of these certifications.
- ISSA Transformation Specialist Certification
- NASM Weight Loss Specialization Certification
- ACE Weight Loss Specialist
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Retail Or Food Service
The retail and food service industries have some of the same skill sets as people working in personal training, like effective interpersonal skills. They’re typically charismatic, familiar with helping and communicating with customers and used to being on their feet throughout the day, all of which are similar to personal trainers. Retail and food service workers are often used to nontraditional schedules as well.
Licenses Certifications And Registrations
Most fitness trainers or instructors have certification related to the area of fitness in which they specialize. Personal trainers usually must be certified before they begin working with clients or with members of a gym or health club. Group fitness instructors may begin work without certification, but employers often encourage or require them to get their credentials. Most fitness instructors receive certification for their preferred type of training, such as yoga, kickboxing, or strength training.
Many organizations offer certification. For example the National Commission for Certifying Agencies accredits certifying organizations in the fitness and wellness industry, including several that offer personal trainer or general certification. In addition, some private companies offer certification in the types of classes they offer.
Certification exams that have a written portion measure candidates knowledge of human physiology, understanding of proper exercise techniques, and ability to assess clients fitness levels and develop appropriate exercise programs. Certification also may require the candidate to teach a class for a live or video skills demonstration, which is then assessed by the certifying organization.
Most trainers or instructors also need certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid, as well as in use of automated external defibrillators .
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Explore Online Personal Training
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought online training to the mainstream and its a trend that doesnt look set to slow down anytime soon.
Being an online trainer can be even more varied than the work youd do in a fitness studio. You might work with one client or you might work with ten. You might carry out sessions live or you might pre-record a series of sessions that clients work their way through. You might even find online trainers who are broadcasting their workouts to huge audiences on social media.
A world of connected smart devices means online clients can even share workout data with you letting you track their progress and adjust your sessions as required.
The best part of an online role in the fitness niche is the flexibility if youve got an internet connection, you can work when and where you want.
Learn The Tips That Helped This Stockbroker
Know some folks who would like this article?
- There are no images.
Dont wait.
Dont hesitate. If your heart yearns for it, make the jump no matter what you think youll give up. You will become better for it.
That was the key insight Id learned when I made the biggest decision of my life to leave my long-time career as a stockbroker to become a personal trainer.
That was actually the easy part. The hard part followed in the six months thereafter when I went through lifes shaky rollercoaster of having uprooted my entire foundation to start again from scratch. I hope my insight here will help you overcome some of the struggles of the first year that inevitably come as a new personal trainer.
I want to share with you the business strategies that Ive learned from my time as a stockbroker to turn my fitness business into something sustainable in six short months. I will say right now that your ability to hustle and out-work your peers is what will set you apart. The key is to not become a clone of Tristan Knell Fitness, but to implement some of these tips and continue forging forward on your own.
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Personal Trainer Job Description
Thanks to celebrities and TV shows that hire personal trainers, this career path is now more popular than ever before. It has given trainers the recognition they deserve, as people who help others set and achieve their personal goals. As a personal trainer, you wont be limited to working in a gym or a private studio.
You can also work in health clubs, country clubs, fitness or recreation centers, universities, resorts, hospitals, and clients homesjust to name a few.
