Personal trainer

As a personal trainer, you'll create tailored one-to-one fitness programmes for clients and will encourage and support them to reach their targets.

Clients may want to lose weight, build muscle or improve overall fitness. You’ll teach them how to exercise safely and effectively, by demonstrating and supervising exercises and showing them how to use a range of equipment, from cardio machines to free weights.

Similar roles include fitness instructor and gym instructor. However, personal trainers typically hold additional qualifications, which means they can offer more personalised exercise and healthy living advice. It’s also common for people new to the industry to start as a fitness or gym instructor before training as a personal trainer.

You'll usually work in a gym or similar setting, but you may also run sessions outdoors or at other venues.

Responsibilities

In the role of personal trainer, you'll need to:

• conduct fitness assessments to establish clients' fitness and skill level and identify any limitations
• hold one-to-one and small-group personal training sessions with clients in person and/or online
• identify goals and create tailored exercise plans that are safe, progressive and realistic
• monitor your clients' progress and adapt programmes based on results and feedback
• guide clients on health and lifestyle changes and provide evidence-based general healthy-eating guidance within your scope of practice, including signposting to qualified professionals where appropriate
• educate and advise clients to maintain or reach their fitness and health goals using inclusive coaching approaches suited to individual needs
• keep up to date with personal training techniques and best practice through continuing professional development (CPD)
• coach correct technique and provide clear guidance during workouts to reduce injury risk
• create and maintain positive, professional and trusting relationships with clients while maintaining appropriate boundaries
• provide innovative and challenging exercises to keep clients engaged and motivated and offer suitable alternatives where needed
• proactively seek and provide feedback in a manner which suits each individual client
• assist with membership retention strategies for existing clients through great service, follow-up and clear communication
• accurately record your clients' training sessions and track relevant paperwork (including consent and screening forms), handling personal data appropriately
• communicate with clients in a professional and courteous manner across channels (in person, phone, email and messaging)
• act as a positive role model for all clients
• make the best of the environment in which clients are exercising and adapt sessions to the equipment and space available
• analyse information relating to individual clients to inform goal-setting, programme design and progression
• market your business to increase your client base
• maintain an online presence through your personal website, blog and social media (as appropriate for your business).

Salary

• Personal trainer salaries can be very variable as they depend on individual circumstances. Many personal trainers are self-employed or freelance and earnings are often session-based, so take-home pay will depend on gym rent/fees, expenses and how many hours you can fill.
• Freelance personal trainers commonly charge £20 to £60 per session/hour, with higher rates possible in London, for specialist services, or with high-profile clients.
• As an approximate guide, annual earnings for a personal trainer can range from £15,000 to £60,000+, with many full-time trainers falling somewhere in the £30,000 to £40,000 band depending on experience, location and client base.

Working hours

Working hours vary depending on whether you're employed by a gym or self-employed.

You'll need to be flexible to fit around clients, which often means early mornings, evenings and weekends. While you're building up a client base, you may work long days and spend time both delivering sessions and promoting your services to attract new clients.

What to expect

• Personal training is not a 9 to 5 office job. Where you work can be incredibly varied. This could include client's homes, a local gym, a park or even on a cruise ship or holiday resort.
• Personal trainers are often viewed as positive role models by their clients. It's essential that you look after your own health and well-being, to promote a healthy lifestyle to others.
• You'll need to offer a varied service to your clients that is tailored to their individual needs. Keeping up to date with developments in the fitness industry will help you do this, and you should continually develop your own skills, knowledge and qualifications.
• As a freelance or self-employed personal trainer, you'll be expected to have public and professional liability insurance. This can be obtained by a sector-relevant company such as UK Coaching.

Qualifications

To work as a personal trainer, you'll typically need a Level 3 personal training qualification. Many courses are designed for people who already hold (or complete alongside it) a Level 2 gym instructing qualification, and some providers offer combined packages. Qualifications are awarded by recognised awarding organisations, such as Active IQ.

Choosing a qualification that is recognised by employers and aligned with industry standards can help when applying for jobs. Many training providers promote CIMSPA-endorsed programmes, and CIMSPA lists approved training opportunities and partners in its CIMSPA Careers Hub. As well as supporting employer recognition, this can also help you compare course content, awarding bodies and delivery formats before choosing a provider.

You can qualify through a taught vocational course (classroom, online or blended learning) with an approved provider, such as a college or private training provider. Another option is the Level 3 Personal Trainer apprenticeship, a work-based route that typically lasts around 15 months.

It's also possible to qualify via an accredited fitness-related degree, particularly where personal training professional standards are included within the programme.

It’s not necessary to have a foundation degree, HND or degree to become a personal trainer. However, relevant subjects include:

• fitness and personal training
• health and fitness management
• health, nutrition and exercise science
• sport science (including applied exercise/fitness pathways)

Skills

You'll need to have:

• the ability to motivate and inspire clients
• a friendly, professional manner and strong relationship-building skills
• excellent communication and active listening skills
• strong people skills to work with individuals from different backgrounds, needs and motivations
• good knowledge of the human body, exercise principles and basic nutrition
• a commitment to health, fitness and ongoing learning
• excellent timekeeping, planning and organisational skills
• the ability to deliver a high level of customer care and maintain professional boundaries
• awareness and understanding of safeguarding practice and policy
• an inclusive approach (adapting sessions for different abilities and circumstances)
• problem-solving skills and the ability to stay calm under pressure
• confidence using digital tools for record keeping, scheduling, client communications, sales/invoicing, and tracking progress (including basic data protection/confidentiality)

Work experience

The fitness industry is competitive, so it's advisable to get as much relevant work or volunteer experience as possible. As well as helping you build your knowledge and understanding of the sector, experience can provide valuable networking opportunities with other fitness professionals and potential clients.

It's possible to start a training course or apprenticeship to become a personal trainer with no prior relevant experience. However, many employers and clients may be more likely to choose you if you can demonstrate practical experience, such as shadowing trainers, supporting group sessions, assisting with inductions, or volunteering in community sport and health projects.

Employers

Personal trainers may be self-employed, work freelance, be employed in a gym-based role, or combine these.

A variety of employers recruit personal trainers, including:

• leisure centres
• gyms and personal training studios
• health clubs
• hotels, resorts or spas
• corporate wellbeing providers and large organisations with workplace fitness facilities
• health and wellbeing charities
• the armed forces
• cruise lines (a smaller, more specialist area).

Look for vacancies at:

• All Cruise Jobs
• LeisureJobs
• Leisure Opportunities
• Leisure People.

Professional development

The main routes for progression in personal training are through either diversification or specialisation. As well as exercise referral, there are a range of additional skills and areas you can qualify in to offer clients. These include yoga, Pilates, kettlebells, group training, pre- and post-natal exercise, circuit training, strength and conditioning, online coaching, and working with specific groups such as older adults or people with long-term health conditions.

Undertaking a qualification or CPD that is recognised by CIMSPA is recommended for your professional development. You can find industry-recognised training and CPD opportunities through CIMSPA, which also provides advice and guidance for existing and aspiring members.

More careers advice and details about training courses is available from organisations such as:

• CIMSPA
• Study Active
• Active IQ
• HFE.

Career prospects

It's possible to start your own personal training business as soon as you've qualified, but many trainers choose to work for an employer first and then branch out once they've built experience and gained a good client base.

The fitness sector is well supported by governing organisations such as UK Active, which works with the sector to improve opportunities for physical activity across the UK and raise standards in fitness and leisure facilities.

Recent industry reports suggest continued growth in UK gym and fitness membership and rising sector value, with membership reaching record levels. These are reassuring signs for anyone considering a career as a personal trainer.