Fitness Trainer?
How much do fitness trainners make an hour and how much do they make a year? Is it hard to become one…I joined a local gym where I live (california) and I been working out for about two years and a half im currently a senior in high school and Im thinking of becoming a trainer since I love sports and working out! What are the steps to become one as well
I am a trainer- I make $38/hr what you make will depend on where you live, who you work for, & how good you are at networking & keeping clients.. My suggestion is for you to be an independent contractor which is what I do, so that you will not be exclusive to one gym by contract & you can work out home as well or train home-based clients. So, the most logical steps to getting started will be: interview with gyms. find out what they charge per hr for training & what % of that will be yours. ask if they will allow you to work there as an independant contractor & what their certification requirements are. ask if you are bound exclusively to their gym if you are an employee (if you will make the same as an employee as you would if you were an independent & can train outside that gym then choose to be an employee) also ask how many trainers they have (the less the better so you will not have to compete for clients) also find out if you will be expected to work a certain # of hrs per week at the desk or otherwise (usually for a drastically lower wage @ $7/hr) and if you’ll be expected to do orientations & how much will you be paid for each. (make sure you bring a notebook so you can keep track of this info. & decide later which gym is best for you) once you decide who you want to work for, study for & pass their required certification & get on their schedule. It is not entirely a bad thing to agree to orientations as they will give you valuable experience in dealing with people & also possibly give you an opportunity to generate clients, so, MAKE THE MOST of your time with each person. Be positive & energetic. Listen carefully to their body issues & give them concise & accurate information. Never leave a customer or client’s side for any of their session with you. Listen carefully to their likes & dislikes in their regimen & adjust accordingly. Never be late to an appt. Let each client feel that they can trust you, and that you are sincerely interested in doing all you can to help them make the changes they want so much. Smile a lot & be enthusiastic toward them when they walk in the door. Also network in your personal time. keep business cards & mention what you do whenever its appropriate- let all of you friends & family know what you’re doing & give them some of your business cards to hand to interested people. the best advertising you will have is the reputation you need to develop as a great trainer that all you clients rave about. it may take a year or more to get to this point, but, dont give up! as far as your responsibilities go as an independant contractor, it means that you will NOT have a w-2. you will not be considered an “employee” & you will likely have to purchase your own insurance & will be responsible to pay your own social security (normally an employer pays half) keep these receipts as write-offs: work apparel, cell phone, driving mileage (you’ll need a calender to prove each day), dining for client meetings, insurance costs, equipment costs, and anything else you’ve had to spend money on to be a trainer. last but certainly not least, be careful with your clients. make sure that you are always advising them safely & always get medical history because, after all, you’re dealing with people’s bodies. can you imagine what could happen if something went wrong? all it may take is a simple walk uphill for an obese person with partial arterial blockage to go into cardiac arrest so, it is absolutely necessary sometimes to require some people to get medical clearance from a physician. best of luck-
how much they make depends on their level of education, certifications and really the results that their clients get. hourly wages vary depending on the metropolitan area. a trainer that works for a gym will make less than one that works as an independent contractor. typical wages can be anywhere from $35-200+ an hour
taking a certification will let you earn more