Is being a personal trainer a fun job? | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

Is being a personal trainer a fun job?

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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  • Working as a personal training can be both a fun and rewarding experience.
  • Monetary and personal gains, along with a sense of self-satisfaction through helping others, are achievable through working as a personal trainer.
  • Taking care of the business end further ensures the life of a personal trainer remains enjoyable.

Fitness enthusiasts hit the gym for different reasons. Weight loss and muscle building top the list. Are they the most important reasons why gym goers hit their favorite fitness spot?

For some, seeing results serves as the top motivator to head over to the gym to jump on the Stair Master and then lift weights. Don’t, however, overlook another big motivator: hitting the gym is fun.

Some people don’t go to the gym to experience a grind or perform hard work. They love the gym because working out is enjoyable. Embracing the fitness lifestyle can be enormously fun.

Those really into the fitness lifestyle may take things to the next level. They become professionals in the fitness industry.

Gravitating towards the job of a personal trainer remains the logical step for someone interested in spending time in the gym while earning a good living.

Does the fun leave the gym once you become a personal trainer, though? As long as you approach the job the right way, personal training should always remain a lot of fun.

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Doing What You Love

One of the most oft-repeated sayings in the job-seeking world is, “Do what you love and you’ll never work another day in your life.”

Personal trainers dedicate themselves to working out, eating right, and learning better approaches to training. Their hearts and minds are in the gym. They love to attend fitness expos and stay on top of new trends in the industry.

Personal training allows them to spend their workweek doing what they would be doing during off-hours.

By doing what you love, you eliminate a lot of the stress common with working a job solely for the money. Of course, the fringe benefit of becoming a personal trainer would be the potential to earn a decent amount — possibly a significant amount — of money.

That said, the most rewarding and fun aspects of being a personal trainer have nothing to do with monetary compensation.

Helping People in Need

A great sense of personal well-being can be gained from leading others down the path of better fitness.

Only a small segment of people working with personal trainers are bodybuilders and powerlifters looking to win competitions. The vast majority of clients are people wanting to improve their health and appearance.

Since they lack the experience and knowledge to do so on their own, they ask a personal trainer for support. Personal trainers often gain tremendous personal satisfaction by helping people meet their goals.

Trainers experience great joy when helping someone achieve their goals and live a healthier life.

Meeting Lots of New People

Personal trainers can’t help but meet a lot of people. They meet fellow professionals and, of course, they meet a lot of clients.

Talented and hardworking personal trainers leave great impressions in the minds of people they come in contact with. Things don’t always remain strictly business with the people personal trainers meet.

Friendships develop and most agree that making a large number of friends only has its positives. In fact, this adds to the overall positive nature associated with becoming a personal trainer.

The Work Environment Is Appealing

Personal trainers don’t sit at a desk in a dreary, stuffy office. They spend their time in the overall upbeat environment of a full-service gym.

The combination of the sun shining through the windows and the overall enthusiastic attitudes of the gym’s members makes the environment one that is very enjoyable to spend time in.

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Setting Your Own Hours

Gyms open really early in the morning and even stay open late. Certain gyms even keep their doors open 24 hours a day creating flexibility for a personal trainer’s schedule.

With flexibility, the concept of the dull 9 – 5 job doesn’t fit into the life of a personal trainer. By setting your own hours, you devise a workweek that benefits you mentally and physically.

Setting your own hours contributes to getting the maximum amount of rest, balancing work and home responsibilities, and keeping time free for personal pursuits.

All these things come together to make the life of a personal trainer a bit more enjoyable.

Take Care of Business to Make Things More Fun

Personal training remains a business pursuit. While enjoyable, specific responsibilities cannot be avoided. Trainers who properly take care of the business end keep things a lot more enjoyable.

Pace Yourself and Craft a Smart Schedule

The best way to make sure you never stop having fun entails preventing burnout. While it takes time to build up clients, once a personal trainer’s good reputation gets out there, new clients start calling to book sessions.

Every client and every training session adds up to more and more money. Certain trainers can book ten sessions a day, six days a week, and not suffer burnout.

Those unable to work so many hours, however, should cut their schedule back.

By working at a decent pace, the job won’t become a grind or burdensome. Hence, training people never stops being fun.

Be Very Organized

The job of a personal trainer is much more enjoyable when you properly organize your business. Plan out your work schedule in advance and log all training session dates and times.

Also, keep detailed logs of each client’s progress so the next session builds on the previous one. This way, appointments are both met and remain productive.

Organize all files such as client risk assessments and waivers. Keep track of your earnings and all possible deductions. Doing so makes things a lot easier if the need for these documents ever arises.

Invest in a Good Insurance Policy

How could buying a liability protection policy make the job more fun? Well, by having insurance protection in place, you eliminate a lot of stress and worry over potential liability.

Anything that cuts down on worry and stress contributes to the fun nature of the job.

Taking care of business definitely adds to the fun. You might not see how it does this, but good business practices always make things easier.

The Personal Trainer’s Life

Personal training represents a career and life path a lot different from other professions.

Since the professional side comes from what may have once been a hobby, the chance to have fun increases. If this life is for you, then there’s no reason why the fun ever has to go away.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What certification do most personal trainers have?

Most personal trainers are certified through ACE or NASM.

Can a personal trainer have a certification and be a bad trainer?

Yes; just as a doctor can have a medical degree and still be a “bad” doctor, having a personal training certification does not mean that the trainer is an effective one.

How long does becoming a certified personal trainer take?

It depends on the certification. Some only require a few days or weeks of studying; others require months of study and other pre-requisites like a college degree.

To have more fun training, you need to devote less time to menial business management tasks; that’s where we come in. Request a demo today of our All-In-One Fitness Business Management Software to see how you can manage your personal training business effectively and easily.

Learn more about Exercise.com Fitness Business Management Software.

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