How To Become A Personal Trainer: 3 Top Tips

People are taking more care of their health and personal fitness than ever before. Now, just about everyone goes to the gym, and we’re seeing an increase in people optimising their diets and nutrition.

This has meant a skyrocketing demand for personal trainers, as people look to perfect themselves and achieve that beach-ready body. If you’re a young person looking for a career, or even an older person looking to change course, becoming a personal trainer can be a fantastic decision. We’ve listed some tips to help you kickstart your career as a personal trainer. Let’s check them out.

Get Qualified

The very first thing you need to do before you can become a personal trainer is to obtain all the necessary qualifications and certifications. Being a personal trainer is a big responsibility, you will be in charge of your clients’ fitness and their health, and you may oversee them operating potentially dangerous equipment.

This is why its so important to get qualified, and it’s why UK law requires all personal trainers to hold the correct qualifications before they can begin training clients. Check out some of the courses from Study Active, they offer a number of different programmes, including Level 3 Personal Training, Level 3 Nutrition, and Level 2 Gym Instructing, ideal for getting started as a personal trainer.

Employed or Self-Employed?

One of the biggest perks about being a personal trainer is the flexibility the job offers. You’ll need to make an early decision about whether you want to be employed or self-employed. Each choice comes with it’s own particular advantages and disadvantages, so weigh up the pros and cons carefully before making your final decision.

Employed personal trainers work for a gym. You’ll be able to enjoy all the perks of a normal contracted job, such as set hours and employee benefits. You’ll also have full use of the gym space and equipment. However, you might find yourself restricted, you will have to work the hours you are given, you will be unable to pick your own clients, and your salary could be capped.

If you decide to go self-employed, you’ll have the freedom to run your business as you see fit. You’ll be able to pick your own clients, set your own schedules, and make your own decisions. However, self-employed personal trainers need to find and rent a premises to use, which can be expensive. Additionally, you’d need to source your own clients, which can require a degree of marketing and advertising expertise. Finally, you’ll have to deal with the legal and financial responsibilities that come with running your own business, such as self-assessment tax returns.

Choose A Specialty  

As we touched on earlier, personal trainers have an enormous degree of flexibility, they can train their clients as they see fit and according to their own skills or philosophy. While just being a general personal trainer who takes on all clients is perfectly viable, some personal trainers choose to take a more specialised approach, offering services for particular clientele.

For example, some personal trainers might work with elderly or disabled people. This can be incredibly rewarding; you’ll be helping people improve their mobility and their physical health. Other personal trainers choose to work with professional athletes. This is a highly competitive and demanding route to go down, but it can be potentially lucrative should you succeed.

Conclusion

If you have decided that you want to become a personal trainer, congratulations! It can be an incredible career that will give you the chance to meet and help people from all walks of life. Follow the three tips in the guide above to kickstart your career as a personal trainer.

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