Do Personal Trainers Get a Base Salary?

Personal training starts as a passion project for many fitness professionals. But bills still have to be paid, and making enough money is a concern with any job. The one thing personal training as a profession lacks is stability, as clients routinely come and go.

Personal trainers rarely make a fixed salary at a gym or fitness center. They typically earn an hourly wage, and only get paid when they are training clients.

For aspiring trainers, this is important information. You will be reliant on your ability to retain clients to make a consistent income.

To circumvent this, some trainers take on additional hours at the gym itself. This includes duties like re-racking weights, cleaning equipment, and working at the front desk. But when it comes to the task of personal training itself, you are only paid when you’re actually training.

This can be a scary notion for some people. Unlike other jobs, the standard bi-weekly check doesn’t come for personal trainers. Or at the very least, that check can yield drastically different amounts depending on how busy you were.

This is also not to say that trainers can’t make a lot of money. They absolutely can, but it usually won’t happen while working for a gym.

This occurs when trainers start their own business and work independently. In addition, they may offer meal plans or sell fitness related products to supplement their income. They may even look to earn passive income, explained in greater detail here.

How Much Can Trainers Make At a Gym?

The main benefit of working for a gym is that there is usually a personal training manager that does most of the selling. As a result, the trainer can usually get a steady stream of clients without having to wheel and deal.

But the gym wants their cut of the profit, leaving trainers with a modest at best hourly wage. Even at an upscale gym like Equinox, trainers won’t make much more than the norm.

On average, a personal trainer will make $20-30 per hour working for a standard corporate gym. Again, they are only compensated for the time spent training clients.

It’s not unusual for training sessions to only run for a half hour, meaning they would have to train two people back to back to make that $20-30 wage.

What Do Self Employed Trainers Make?

The next step for most personal trainers who want to make a better living is to work independently. This allows them to charge whatever price they want per session. Self employed trainers usually charge $50-100 per hour or more.

The price is dependent on the trainer’s reputation and the socioeconomic demographic of the people they are training. In other words, you’ll be able to charge more in wealthy areas.

Working independently comes with its own challenges however. This is dependent on the route you take when working for yourself.

The first option is to open up a studio and pay rent, overhead, and other expenses. You’ll also have to outfit the studio with equipment and keep it in working order.

The next option is to find someone who already has a studio, and rent the space from them. In the best case scenario, the owner will charge a flat rate per hour. But many owners want a percentage of your sales, which can be detrimental to your bottom line. The more you charge, the more they make.

The final option is to train people in their homes. This is one of the most potentially profitable options, as the only major expense is travel. However, it’s the worst option for quality of training session as you’re reliant on the equipment they have in their homes or what you can bring yourself.

Some trainers implement a hybrid scenario, spending some time independently while keeping limited hours at the gym. The gym will provide some stability, as there is more opportunity for consistent clients (gyms have thousands of members). The freelance training will provide better pay, but with a greater challenge in retaining clients.

Summary

Personal training is one of the few jobs where you could legitimately change someone’s life. It’s one of the most rewarding things in the world to transform someone’s health and improve their confidence.

However, the skills span far beyond exercise technique and motivational tactics. Since trainers do not earn a salary, the ability to sell will determine how far your career goes.

The barrier to entry to become a personal trainer is very law. It requires no formal schooling, only the ability to pass a test for certification. As a result, the turnover rate is high and the success rate is low.

The low barrier is entry is part of the reason why personal trainers are typically not salaried employees. Many of them are unfortunately considered expendable.

The supply to demand ratio is heavily in favor of the gym. If a personal trainer is unhappy with their pay, a newly certified one looking to break into the industry will be waiting.

Anyone with sales skills (particularly selling themselves) and an interest in exercise can flourish as a trainer. But the lack of stable pay often deters people from sticking with it. This is typically something that is realized after the fact. But it doesn’t hurt to try, particularly if the person is young and willing to struggle.