Gym Rental for Personal Trainers | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

Gym Rental for Personal Trainers

Renting gym space for personal training can be a great way for fitness professionals to make more money. In many cases, gyms take a cut of every client you have, so renting space for personal training can help you avoid losing money. Keep reading to find out if gym rental is the right choice for your fitness business!

Lauren Smith is a contributing writer for Exercise.com and is passionate about nutrition and holistic health (how the body, mind, and emotions intersect). She lives in Baltimore City, where she writes, plays music, embarks on long power walks through the park, takes contemporary dance lessons, and enjoys healthy, flavorful cuisine. Lauren has written for a literary journal called Skelter and for�...

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UPDATED: May 28, 2021

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  • Self-employed personal trainers who rent gym space can save money.
  • Personal trainers must select a rental based on important business factors and client considerations.
  • Would-be renters must be fully aware of the rules associated with renting from the gym.

Working as a personal trainer on staff at a gym has its rewards. The gym usually books the clients and pays trainers a set rate. To make lucrative money, however, renting gym space for personal training can be a safe and effective way to earn money with fewer long-term commitments or space restrictions.

Instead of accepting employment with a gym, many fitness pros prefer to rent space and solicit their services to clients.

Renting space from a gym is not too difficult, but doing so should be carefully thought out. Otherwise, the plan could come with a few unavoidable troubles. The right approach to renting space just makes the venture a more productive breadwinner.

Exercise.com’s gym management software helps you stay organized while providing your clients everything they need even if you operate out of more than one facility.

Wherever you train, you’ll need a business management software platform to keep all of your clients in one place. Request a demo today to see how Exercise.com can help you make more money with less stress.

The Basic Approaches to Renting a Fitness Facility

How do I rent a private gym studio for personal training? A little bit of networking or even cold calling may reveal what particular gyms rent out space. Many advertise rental space availability on the internet. As a client, can you bring a personal trainer to a gym? Not typically, unless that trainer is associated with the facility.

Most independently-owned gyms are open to renting out their space to personal trainers, though. The revenue streams are hard to turn down and don’t exactly require a lot of work. This is the reason many a looking at renting gym space as a personal trainer.

How much is it to rent gym space? Gym space rentals could involve monthly, weekly, or even hourly deals. A trainer with a decent client base won’t mind paying $300 or more for a full month’s access to the gym. Someone with a limited number of clients may find $35 for two hours acceptable if he/she charges $30 per half-hour and has four clients.

As a rule, personal trainers must make sure they can afford a flat-rate rent charge. Otherwise, only the gym will be making money.

What can personal trainers unable to pay a flat rate do? A barter system remains another possible option.

With a barter system, the trainer may pay a percentage per client to the gym. Paying 20% of training fees means the trainer won’t pay for days he/she isn’t working or when business is slow. Even when business is up, keeping 80% or so of the fee would be fair. The gym makes the whole enterprise possible, so its owner deserves a cut.

Prices can vary depending on a lot of factors like location, amenities, and more. It can get rather expensive, but with studios like Orangetheory costing over $300,000 (according to FranchiseTimes) rental space could be well worth it. Because of this, personal trainers shouldn’t focus solely on the costs of rent. Think about what else renting a gym will entail.

In many cases, operating your own personal training business will be more work than becoming a personal trainer at a gym because you’ll be searching for your own clients. How do gym personal trainers get clients? Usually, the gym will offer an introductory session, assessment, or advertise personal training specials to encourage current members to try training.

As an independent personal trainer, you’ll likely be searching for clients from outside locations. This is why your training location becomes pivotal to your success.

Renting Space for Personal Training: Location

The gym’s location plays a major role in attracting clients. Choosing a particular facility should be done carefully, even a prime location could work against a trainer. If you don’t know where to find an available fitness space, you’ll need to brainstorm places that fit your needs as a trainer.

A gym located in a prestigious region probably comes with high rental costs. Personal trainers would need a combination of regular clients at high rates to make a high-rent area worth booking. Trainers must make rental decisions based on their bottom line or else the whole endeavor won’t turn the necessary profit.

The location of the gym should also make pulling in new clients fairly easy. A lower-priced gym located in an industrial area far removed from homes, apartments, or stores won’t likely experience a consistent supply of walk-in traffic. There just won’t be many people around.

So, a personal trainer must work very hard at direct marketing him/herself towards would-be clients. Even when those potential clients show up, they might not like the remote setting and choose to go elsewhere.

Remember, the gym location needs to be inviting.

Always weigh the pros and cons of location when choosing rental space. And don’t forget the actual facilities the gym offers. Workout creating and logging software can help in many situations! For instance, if you lose access to your rental space or are operating out of a distant studio, your clients can keep training anywhere in the world thanks to convenient software that is included with many other features.

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Renting Space for Personal Training: Amenities

Without a doubt, the condition of the gym and its equipment factors into whether renting space is a good idea. The equipment should be well-maintained and relatively new. A diverse array of weights, barbells, kettlebells, yoga mats, medicine balls, stability balls, benches, and more should be present.

How can a trainer take a client through a workout without the right equipment? And how many customers want to stick with a trainer when the gym fails to impress?

Remember, personal trainers are not paying for space and access alone. They are paying for what is inside the gym. The gym has to be well-equipped, or it just won’t be of much value.

Using this software you’ll be able to sell anything from gym memberships, nutrition plans, fitness assessments, and any equipment you might need your clients to bring that the facility doesn’t provide. In today’s world, many clients might be willing to purchase their own supplies to avoid further contact and the spread of germs.

Renting Space for Personal Training: Rules and Requirements

Gyms have rules for trainers, and the rules may extend beyond the standard “keep equipment clean” or “always rack weights” requirements. Special rules could involve:

  • Setting weight maximums on Smith machines.
  • Banning powerlifting workouts.
  • Barring the sale or even recommendation of supplements.

Really, a gym can set pretty much any rules it wishes. Even dress codes could be mandated. Personal trainers must understand all gym rules before signing any rental agreements. Otherwise, the relationship between the gym owner and the personal trainer could sour.

And most gyms probably won’t rent out space to someone without a personal training certification.

Without requesting industry credentials, the gym owner would be taking a liability risk allowing a non-certified trainer to work out of his/her space.

Probably the most cost-impacting requirement may be insurance-related. A gym may place a requirement that a personal trainer carries insurance, which would be an added cost. Considering what insurance covers, however, the price could be worth it.

Do personal trainers get paid by the gym? In most cases, yes. This isn’t always the case, however. If you work as a gym employee, the gym collects the money and pays you. If you rent out a gym space, you won’t have to give them a cut from every client.

What gym pays personal trainers the most? This varies from place to place. Many popular gyms will pay trainers a percentage of the training package, typically under 50%.

By using Exercise.com’s software, you’ll be provided with customized and branded mobile fitness apps. This will ensure your clients stay up-to-date with any changes to rules, closures, or other important notifications that can be pushed through your apps.

Keys to Renting Gym Space for Personal Training

The entrepreneurial-minded probably want to move very quickly with setting themselves up in business. While it’s difficult to fault anyone for being motivated, taking the time to explore your options so that you can find the best gym for your training needs is encouraged.

Rushing into a weak deal won’t help the cause of getting a personal training venture on the path towards success. Be smart and take the right approach when picking the perfect gym and rental deal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it better to buy or lease gym equipment?

That depends on a few factors. Head to our article, “Should My Gym Purchase or Lease Gym Equipment,” to learn more.

Can I rent space in a gym if I am not a certified personal trainer?

Gyms will likely not rent out space to someone that is not certified due to liability concerns.

Do I have more flexibility with a lease or a purchase?

You will almost always have more flexibility with a leasing option because the length of the lease is usually shorter than the length of a loan you take out when purchasing.

Grow and manage your business better with our All-In-One Fitness Business Management Software. Request a demo today to see how you can make more money through personal training.

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