A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Started as a Personal Trainer
Since joining this group, I’ve noticed a lot of questions on how to get started as a personal trainer. So, I decided to put together a step-by-step guide on how to actually get started and set yourself up for a successful, fulfilling career in our field, based on my own experience over the last fourteen years as a trainer. For perspective, I’ve worked at commercial gyms, private healthcare clinics, and currently have my own studio at home where I see clients in-person and online today. I say this so you know that all of the information here is coming from real experience and based on what I’ve actually done and continue to do every day. I'm not some douchebag on a beach trying to sell you on a new marketing funnel I discovered to 10x your business. I’m sitting in my office between clients, in the mood to share some (hopefully) useful tips.
Step 1: Choosing the “Right” Certification
Deciding which certification to get can feel overwhelming. I think some people go into it thinking that they’re going to learn everything they need to know about personal training based on this one decision. So, they make a mountain out of a molehill and get paralysis analysis with all the potential options available. Kinda like how our clients get confused with all of the various programs and diets out there.
Here’s the thing…
Your initial personal training certification, along with CPR, is basically just to get you hired and covered for insurance at any gym. The specific certification doesn’t matter nearly as much as you probably think. Plus, your future clients don’t know what these certifications even mean. I’ve been training for fourteen years, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a client ask me which certification I have.
With that said, don’t overthink which one to get, as they all cover similar material, and your learning will really start once you actually start training people. You’ll learn more by keeping a white belt mentality forever and reading books, taking other courses, and actually training people. There will always be more to learn. Your knowledge doesn’t end with your certification, it’s just getting started.
ISSA, NASM, CanFitPro, ACE. It doesn’t matter. Get one and get hired.
Step 2: Getting Hired
First, there are some common misconceptions among new and aspiring trainers that I’d like to clear the air on.
The first is wanting to immediately start online training. Not to be an asshole, but no one is going to hire you to be their online trainer because you put “Online Training – Apply Here” in your Instagram bio. There’s so much that goes into training, and without that in-person experience, you don’t have the know-how to translate that into an online service for other people yet. Just because you know how to train yourself does not mean you know how to train other people, let alone online. For perspective, I think I trained people in-person for seven or eight years before I did any online training.
Leveraging your services is great, but you need a service to leverage first. Get some practice reps in. Plus, it's worth mentioning that most of us got into personal training because we love being in the gym, not behind a laptop all day. Train people in-person before you even think about online training.
The second is only wanting to work with athletes. I understand wanting to work with athletes, but at the risk of sounding like an asshole again, you’re not in a place to be selective with your clients and “niche” down yet. You haven’t trained anyone.
If you do really want to work with athletes and see that as a potential long-term path, find an internship at a good gym that works with the types of athletes you want to train. You’ll need your CSCS if you choose to work in a collegiate or school setting. If you want to work with athletes in the private sector, you don’t need it. Any standard personal training certification will do.
The third is wanting to run your own training business right away. Coming from a guy who is his own boss, trust me, I get it.
I think a common objection to getting hired at a gym is the cut that the gym takes.
“Why would I give up more than half of what the client’s paying when I can take all of it on my own?”
I get it. But what you have to understand is the gym is paying for the equipment, amenities, insurance, marketing, hydro, and all the other stuff that goes into running a business, so you don’t have to. All of which brings in a steady influx of gym members (i.e. potential clients for you).
There's so much that goes into training (let alone that plus marketing, sales, insurance, etc.), that most people don't realize.
Personally, I'd recommend working at a gym for at least a few years before even thinking about going off on your own.
Find a good gym that has a bunch of potential clients walking through the door every day and focus on training people (bonus points if the gym is in an affluent neighbourhood where people have the disposable income to invest in a personal trainer). You get to learn a bit of sales, programming, and all the other stuff that comes with being a trainer without stressing about the business side of things yet.
For your interview, dress clean, be personable (it’s called personal training for a reason), and show genuine interest in the gym. Most gyms aren’t going to be dicks and ask you to name all the muscles of the shoulder on your first day. Have a basic understanding of some anatomy, but don’t overthink it. Being coachable (i.e. willing to learn) is far more important than knowing everything (because you never will).
Danny Meyer, the restaurateur behind Shake Shack, talks about this in his book Setting the Table (a great read for any trainer, by the way). His hiring philosophy is that technical skills can be taught, but emotional traits like empathy, self-awareness, and work ethic can't. So when he's evaluating someone, if they're lacking on the technical side but have all the right qualities as a person, he hires them. If it's the reverse, he passes.
The same applies to personal training. You can learn everything there is to know about programming and biomechanics, but if you can't genuinely connect with people, the rest won't matter much.
Step 3: Finding Your First Clients
As a new trainer, your best ability is availability.
Be available when the fitness manager asks if you can train the new client they just signed up for 6am and wants to start tomorrow morning. You haven’t trained anyone yet, so you kind of have to make yourself available and be willing to work long, less-than-ideal hours when getting started. Burnout is real, and you’ll have to protect your time as you gain more clients. Don’t worry about that right now. I trained anyone and everyone willing to pay me, regardless of the time. It’s early mornings, long days, and weekends when you’re getting started. Embrace it and dive in headfirst.
You won’t be able to help everyone, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Not every client is going to be a good client. That’s okay. Do the best you can with everyone you work with. Treat every client with the same care you’d want your partner, friend, mom, or dad to receive from their trainer. Do this consistently, and eventually, you won’t have to look for clients. They’ll come to you.
Also, everyone is a potential client. The barista at your local coffee shop, your friend’s mom. You don’t know who people know, and who they might refer to you. Carry yourself as a professional. Tell everyone you’re a trainer. Shout it from the rooftops.
Control the Controllables
When you’re new at something (in this case, personal training), you don’t know anything…and that’s okay! The best thing you can do is focus on what you can control. The small things make the biggest difference.
No matter where you’re at in your career, you can always control:
- Your attitude. No one wants to spend two to three hours a week with someone they don't enjoy being around. Be the trainer people look forward to seeing.
- Your attention. Put your phone down and focus on your client. Make them feel safe and heard. This is their hour.
- Your curiosity. The more curious you are, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you earn.
- Your professionalism. Being a professional doesn’t mean wearing khakis and a polo. It’s being early, how you show up to your sessions, and your ability to connect and communicate with people.
For better or worse, it’s easy to set yourself apart from other trainers if you do these things consistently. Other gym members will notice, and they’ll want to work with you instead of the dude scrolling IG or talking to the receptionist while his client's squatting.
A lot of new trainers underestimate how fulfilling this career can be when you actually put the time and care into it. You're literally helping people get better at life. Don't underestimate the role you play in your clients' lives.
There's a lot more to cover, but if you're just getting started, this'll point you in the right direction. Hope this helps.