The personal training industry is filled with passion and tenacity. Personal trainers, fitness coaches, and other similar fields take the health and fitness of their clients into their hands and work with people to achieve their fitness goals. The purpose of a personal trainer is to help their client get healthier, fitter, and happier, but this does not mean that there is only one way for a personal trainer to do their job.
Some people may look down on the job of personal trainers, but it is possible to make thousands of dollars annually as a personal trainer. As a trainer or fitness coach, it is important to think outside of the box and focus on providing the best quality of services if you want to make more money. The personal training and fitness industry is very diverse with many options for jobs.
There are different sectors of work as a personal trainer and many areas that you can work in. In this article, we will be exploring some of the best ways to make the most money as a personal trainer.
Statistics for Annual Salaries of Personal Trainers
Before we get into what areas of personal training can be utilized to make the most money, let us take a look at the standard pay for most personal trainers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2020 that the median annual salary for fitness instructors was $40,700, which is about 2$20 per hour. Meanwhile, the average annual pay for most personal trainers is closer to $32,000.
The Bureau also reports that the top 10% of personal trainers earn higher than $75,000 annually. This means that there are options for personal trainers to earn higher than the average for their industry. These trainers may be working at fitness facilities, running personal practices, or even working for the government. So, what are these sectors of personal training that allow personal trainers to earn more?
6 Sectors to make money in as a Personal Trainer
The average personal trainer either works in a gym or runs a private practice, but there are many other options to make money as a personal trainer. Here are some of the best areas in the personal training industry to venture into and make more money:
Working in a fitness facility
Fitness facilities such as gyms. Fitness centers and clubs are the primary places of employment for personal trainers. However, this does not mean that a personal trainer cannot make more money than average working at a fitness facility. How much you earn at a place like a gym depends on factors such as the quality of your services and the clientele of the facility.
A good way to make more money as a personal trainer working at a fitness facility is to find a job at an elite or high-paying facility. Elite clubs, gyms located in wealthy neighborhoods, or highly reputable fitness clubs mean that you will likely earn a higher hourly rate because your client base is of a higher tax bracket.
Celebrity or elite personal trainers are among the highest-paid personal trainers for this reason. You can also increase the quality of your services, either by improving your skills or offering a wider range of services to make your work more valuable and therefore more expensive.
Group fitness classes
Many people are under the impression that personal trainers only work with individuals one-on-one. This could not be farther from the truth. One of the best ways to make more money as a personal trainer is to offer group training classes, preferably for small groups. Group classes may be for general fitness or maybe for specialized groups such as post-natal health or weight loss classes. Working in a niche can be a good idea to attract a larger audience.
Many people prefer group training to individual training because there is a sense of community that the group offers. This way clients can make friends and support each other through their fitness journeys. As a trainer, you can make more money for group sessions by setting the sessions for a slightly lower price than individual training. The reduced price will attract more customers which will make up for the reduced price.
Selling online courses
Utilizing the internet as a personal trainer is essential for your business. One of the best ways to do this is by selling online courses for clients to buy. Online courses not only earn you passive income as a personal trainer but can also help to boost your popularity and brand.
Many people prefer to follow fitness routines at their own pace, which is why online courses are so popular. Your online course could focus on a particular type of training such as strength training or flexibility and you can offer multiple courses that focus on different types of training.
Workout templates for personal trainers are also very popular with online courses and can be sold as a complementary product. A workout template is a blank template that includes workout routines or regimens which clients can use for accountability.
Fitness retreats
Fitness retreats or fitness holidays are a new but popular and profitable way for personal trainers to make money. As a trainer, you can set up a business of exclusive fitness retreats or organize retreats as a special offer for your clients.
A fitness retreat offers a few days which can be as small as a weekend set aside for focusing on fitness and wellness. Wellness tourism is very popular now and will draw in a wide audience. A fitness retreat will consist of multiple training sessions and may include a meal plan and many other wellness activities. The number of activities included in the retreat justifies the price, which would also include the price of accommodation.
Exclusively hosting high-quality fitness retreats can be a great business model as a personal trainer, but if you don’t want to center your business on retreats, you can organize retreats every few months for your clients for increased prices.
Get into nutrition
The nutrition aspect of fitness and wellness is a whole industry in itself. This industry is extremely lucrative and can be very beneficial for a personal trainer. Most people who work with a personal trainer are likely also following a diet or meal plan. You can get more income from your already existing customers by offering these services.
Nutrition services can include creating customized meal plans for clients or creating a meal planning platform for general use. You can also offer nutrition advice and tips or create diets. Just like with group therapy sessions, you can also offer group dieting or meal planning. This way, you can create a community of people which boosts loyalty.
Providing nutrition services may involve adding new sections to your professional website, investing in advertising, and doing nutrition research. If you do not have prior education or knowledge on proper nutritional practices, it is advisable to get some education before offering these kinds of services.
E-commerce and merchandising
E-commerce is one of the most popular ways to make money in modern times. E-commerce involves the buying and selling of items online. This is an industry that can intersect with the fitness industry and that you can capitalize on as a personal trainer. There are a few ways that this can be done.
One of the options for getting into e-commerce as a personal trainer is opening an e-commerce store. You can do this with platforms like Wix or Shopify. The process of opening an online store is made even easier with the dropshipping model which allows you to sell items without having to keep any inventory yourself. As a dropshipper, you simply need to connect with a reliable supplier, and customers can then place orders with you which you will then relay to the supplier. The supplier handles shipping and delivery.
Another option for e-commerce as a personal trainer is creating your own merchandise. This can include all kinds of health and fitness-related items such as water bottles, workout clothes, gym equipment, and more. If you have a loyal customer base already, this is a great idea and an opportunity to expand your business into a brand that offers multiple products.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is no shortage of options available for a personal trainer to make money. This list only highlights the best ways to make money as a personal trainer, but not all the ways that a personal trainer can make money. The best way to make money as a trainer is to offer multiple, high-quality services of good value.
The job of a personal trainer requires a lot of passion and dedication. It can be a very exhausting job, especially for someone who is not passionate about fitness. With global economies becoming less stable, it is important to find the best ways to optimize your field and make extra money. These options for how to make the most money as a personal trainer should give you some ideas for boosting your business.