Thread: Personal training

1) you have to pick a cert to go for. study and then go take the test.

2) depends on where you live. who you work for. how much you want to work. what you charge for private training.

3) exercise physiology, anatomy, kineseology.

Originally Posted by P-funk

2) depends on where you live. who you work for. how much you want to work. what you charge for private training.

Asuming a get a higher end paying job (since I'll have degrees adn stuff that most don't). Is the money good enough to live off of with out worrying about it?

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

Is the money good enough to live off of with out worrying about it?

If you can build up a decent client el, then you can certainly make a good living as a personal trainer. It helps a lot if you can get a lot of private clients from which you receive 100% of the money.

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

Asuming a get a higher end paying job (since I'll have degrees adn stuff that most don't). Is the money good enough to live off of with out worrying about it?

the degrees mean nothing. if you are in a gym you are paid a flat rate, same as the guy with his ACE cert. Your degree can get you the job but it wont get you a higher pay cut. sad but true.

Now, take the degree and go do something else with it like say work as an athletic trainer, work as a Physical therapist assistant and keep a few personal training clients on the side and you are okay. take the kineseology degree and go do research, give lectures, etc.....lots of things that you can do with a degree to be wasting it being a PT. If you want to be a PT save your money and just get certified.

I make good money in the gym but that is not where I really make my money. I work there for a few reasons:
1) benefits (health insurance is a plus as long as I train a certain amount of
hours and hit my bonus).
2) comfort. if i loose a client for whatever reason i don't have to hussel like a
mad man to fill the spot. there are always new people in the gym looking
for training.
3) networking. someone always has a friend or a relative or whatever that
needs a trainer.

sounds good? Well, they take to much of a cut from my money. So what do I do? I bang out my sessions there that I need to hit my bonus and maintain my insurance. then, the rest of the hours I do are private clients and either a private training gym or at gyms in their buildings. That is cash money. Outside of the gym is where you make the money.

Now, I can do that in NYC because the people here are so rich. In say, cleveland oh, where I grew up, I can't expect to make this kind of money. So, that is why I said it depends on where you are. You have to go where the money is to make the money.

That's what's nice about controlling your own salary. Money can be 'under the table' so to speak, and you decide who you work with, when, how often, and what to charge. Like P said, a ton of it has to do with networking. I'm certainly finding that out right now because various people have approached me and asked about my business from hearing about it from friends.

I have an aunt who is a secretary at a very large company. She handles some sensitive files and has seen the CEOs' files and transcripts. They had Cs and Ds in high school and college. It's not what you know, it's who you know.

I'm glad you made this thread because I was going to a while ago but kind of forgot about it (I still have no idea what I'm going to do as a career, but now I'm thinking about being a sports medicine doctor so I can combine what I love with something that will definitely pay well).

the worst part about the job is the ebb and flow. I only make money when people are there. IN the summer people take vacations. On holidays people leave. Guess what....no money for me. that is when you really hate it. that and when you have to put up with whiney people that you can't stand.

Originally Posted by P-funk

the worst part about the job is the ebb and flow. I only make money when people are there. IN the summer people take vacations. On holidays people leave. Guess what....no money for me. that is when you really hate it. that and when you have to put up with whiney people that you can't stand.

That's why I do all of my work through emails. At least you can't hear their voices then, and you don't have to respond immediately either.

you need to be willing to fork over at least $400 to be tested for cert. some programs are as high as 700

i will be majoring in excercise science and hope to become some sort of trainer for a professional or collegiate sports team.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

i will be majoring in excercise science and hope to become some sort of trainer for a professional or collegiate sports team.

make sure you are at a big D1 school that you can get an internship at. A friend of mine went to University of Colorado (buffalo's) and upon graduation worked for a number of pro and college treams before going back there to be the strength coach. then he quit and did his own thing.

I am going to move to AZ in June and hope to go to ASU and study for a masters in Kineseology and work with the sports teams.

i will be finding out from Indiana University in the next few weeks. my number one choice is to be a Hoosier. as for your freind, the path he took is exactly what i see myself doing.

thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

i will be finding out from Indiana University in the next few weeks. my number one choice is to be a Hoosier. as for your freind, the path he took is exactly what i see myself doing.

thanks for sharing.

Well, if that doesn't work out for you I hope you know that UMASS has a pretty sick exercise science program and that is right in your neck of the woods. Plus, Amherst is a fun as shit town to hang in when school is in session.

The biggest problem with the big 10 schools is that there might be a ton of people in the program so getting and intership may be tough. Check out some of the smaller D1 or D1a schools around, like in pennsylania. Rutgers in NJ has a pretty good program, I have a buddy that did his work there also. If you really want a great program Queens College in Queens NY is really great too.

Think i'll start training the Mexican's down here. I figure i can get a taco every hour on the hour for my PT... PT needs a new life

that is interesting twist now that you mention it. i've been interested in Indiana since my brother went there four years ago. I've loved it, but you are right that UMass Amherst would be an excellent time, not to mention my parents would probably love me for the in-state tuition.

I'll have to seriously look into UMass now. Thanks.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

that is interesting twist now that you mention it. i've been interested in Indiana since my brother went there four years ago. I've loved it, but you are right that UMass Amherst would be an excellent time, not to mention my parents would probably love me for the in-state tuition.

I'll have to seriously look into UMass now. Thanks.

yea man.....working with that lacrosse team as the strength and conditiong coach would be fun as hell! those dudes are animals.

Originally Posted by Squaggleboggin

That's why I do all of my work through emails. At least you can't hear their voices then, and you don't have to respond immediately either.

Originally Posted by P-funk

yea man.....working with that lacrosse team as the strength and conditiong coach would be fun as hell! those dudes are animals.

that would be a dream come true.

Originally Posted by BigDyl

you didnt know? he's a 16 year old President/CEO of his own computer company.

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

you didnt know? he's a 16 year old President/CEO of his own computer company.

Too bad there is no money in computer hardware...

I'm a dream come true