I am new to personal training
I am NASM certified. I am thinking of starting an In home business. What are your thoughts of starting with out prior personal training experience. Do you think I should do the gym trainer route first? I have been a professional horse trainer for 20+ years, so working with people at their goals is comfortable for me. I can not however say, I have helped x people achieve their weight loss or body muscle goals.
Thanks in advance
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Talking from personal experience, there are pro’s and con’s either way you go. I’m currently doing a little of both and can give information regarding my experience. I’ve been personal training for over 8 years, primarily doing corporate fitness. I’ve been personal training in a commercial gym for over 1 year and my own mobile/in-home business for less than a year. Here are my thoughts:
Commercial gyms are good because most provide you with clients, you just provide the training. Downfall is you do all the work and get maybe a 1/3 of the total session cost. With your own business you get all the session cost but have to gain and keep clients coming, and if you’re traveling to their homes, you have to account for travel cost.
Commercial gyms have all the equipment you will need, with having your own business you or your clients must purchase/have equipment.
Having your own business takes a lot of work, especially just starting off. You have to have some type of business plan, marketing plan, equipment, clients, etc…. Working in a commercial gym just requires you to show up and train but one big downfall is the pay can be inconsistent, but that’s on both ends. In the commercial gym you have to produce, once you don’t most gyms will let you go.
One thing is to be confident in your training, be prepared for clients of all kinds, and continue to better your skills, staying on top of the ever so changing fitness industry.
Just a little of my input from experience, hope this helps.
Good luck!
Please forgive my ignorance. As a personal trainer, do you train just the horses, the people who ride them, or both together? I’m just thinking, maybe you already have a potential client base if you are working with horse riders / horse owners. You’re an expert on the strength, endurance and balance aspects that are required for your sport. Generally speaking, horses are an expensive sport, so your horse training clients may be in an income level where they can afford to train with you.
Personally, I do small-group personal training at a large gym where I get client leads and a small private gym where I have to create my own leads. It’s easier to get clients at the gym where I’m fed leads, but I get paid more at the smaller facility for an actual class session. But when you factor in the time I spend generating my own leads, I think it might work out to getting paid a little less. But I love both jobs, they’re far enough apart that neither is competing with the other, and neither is exclusive. So it works well for me.
Hi Lisa,
After I got certified I spent a lot of time with some well-seasoned trainers at my local gym. They allowed me to shadow them, talk to their clients and role play. It was very helpful! Good luck!