Business Resources for Personal Trainers

If you are a personal fitness trainer, here are several important business resources for personal trainers

Looking for software to run you business? Check out Personal Trainer Business Manager.
Accepting credit cards can dramatically increase your personal training income. Click here to learn more about credit card merchant accounts for personal trainers.
For a step-by-step guide to the business of personal training, get The Personal Trainer Business Handbook.

Find a Personal Fitness Trainer

Fitness books and fitness videos are great learning resources. But nothing can beat having your own personal fitness trainer take you through a workout. If you are serious about improving your level of fitness, hiring a personal fitness trainer is the fastest way to do so.

At PFTLocator.com, we have a database of personal fitness trainers all across the United States. Simply enter your state or Zip Code, and we will e-mail you with information on personal fitness trainer in your area.

Click here to find a personal fitness trainer in your area now.

Why use a personal fitness trainer?

People of all ages use personal fitness trainers for a variety of different reasons. Here are just a few:

A personal trainer can show you how to exercises with correct form
A personal fitness trainer can help create an effective diet plan
A personal fitness trainer can put together personalized exercise programs for you
Personal trainers can track and evaluate your fitness progesss
Personal fitness trainers can motivate you to exercise
A personal trainer can spot you when exercising to keep you safe

Set your fitness goals

Before you begin looking for a personal fitness trainer, you first must decide on your fitness goals. Are your goals to lose weight, gain muscle, improve your performance in a sports activity or all of the above? Whatever your goals are, different personal trainers specialize in differents types of fitness programs.

For example, if you goal is bodybuilding, then you probably should find a personal trainer with some bodybuidling experience. On the other hand, if your goal is to improve your tennis game, then a personal fitness trainer with experience with tennis would be more appropriate.

Choose where you want to work out

Do you belong to a gym or health club? Do you want to work out at home or at work? Different personal fitness trainers train at different locations. Some personal trainers travel to client homes. Others work only out of a gym or health club. Many personal trainers do both. When selecting a personal fitness trainer, make sure you find one who trains clients at a location that is convenient to you.

How to find a personal trainer

There are many ways to find a personal trainer. One of the most common ways, is by referals from friends and relatives. Here are some other ideas:

Get a referral from your gym, health club, or YMCA
Talk to your friends and family
Use an web-based personal trainer locator service such as PFTLocator.com.
Ask your doctor or health care professional
Get in touch with a personal fitness trainer certification organization (see the list below).

How to ensure that your trainer has the right qualifications

Whatever method you use to locate a personal fitness trainer, you need to make sure he or she is properly qualified. Exercise, done correctly, can be extremely beneficial to your health. Done incorrectly, however, it can be very harmful.

A college degree in a field related to physical fitness can be helpful. However, the best way to determine if a personal fitness trainer is qualified, is to make sure that he or she has a fitness certification from a reputable personal fitness training certification organization. Widely recognized organizations include:

These organizations will provide contact information for certified personal fitness trainers in your area. In addition to certification in the fitness field, the personal trainer should also be certified in first aid and CPR and should have a minimum of $1 million dollars of liability insurance.

How much will a personal fitness trainer cost?

Personal training fees vary greatly from location to location and from trainer to trainer. A new, inexperienced personal fitness trainer in a small town might charge $25/hour. On the other hand, an experienced trainer in a fancy club in a major city might charge $100/hour or more.

Whatever he or she charges, however, any personal fitness trainer should offer every new client a free, introductory evaluation session. The purpose of this session is for the trainer to evaluate the client's physical condition and expectations and the client to evaluate the personal trainer's personality and capabilities.

When you decide to hire a personal trainer, you can usually save money by purchasing groups of sessions up front. For example, a personal trainer might charge $40/session for sessions purchased individually or $400 for a group of 12 sessions.