Personal Training Institute

If you are an individual that faithful works out, and eats a healthy well-balanced diet, you may want to share this same life philosophy with others.  In fact, the idea of helping individuals get into their best possible shape would be a dream occupation. It’s time to look into attending a personal training institute.

Institute Necessity

You may be wondering why attending a personal training institute is necessary.  After all, you have dedicated your life to health and wellness.  But, you would be surprised at how much there is still to learn.  An institute can help is so many ways like:

• Furthering your education
• Financial Aid
• Certification
• Job Placement
• Ongoing Mentoring and Education

Personal Training involves much more than a religious exercise program and a healthy diet.  Different programs exist for various clienteles.  For example, if you are interested in helping cancer survivors stay healthy and have the best odds against recurrence, you might want to go into the clinical aspect of the job.

You might also prefer sports training.  Like many other professional occupations, there are many areas of interest and expertise.  While you may ultimately choose one over the other, it is necessary to have a working knowledge of the profession as a whole.

Higher education costs money.  Many people give up on their dreams of a chosen career, because they simply don’t have the money to pay for classes.  However, if you attend an accredited institute, in order to become a professional trainer, you will also have access to financial aid options.  You don’t have to give up on having a career that will be interesting and fulfilling, both personally and professionally.  In many cases, you don’t even have to worry about paying back student loans, until after you have found a job.  Instead, you can concentrate on your studies.

In order to get a good job as a personal trainer, it will be necessary to be certified.  Attending an accredited institution will assure you of certification, as long as you complete your classes as required.  The diploma will be your key to finding placement in a fitness training establishment with a growing clientele.  It also speaks to your knowledge and expertise, if you choose to open an organization of your own.  You may possibly have the opportunity to work in a:

• Spa
• Gym
• Vacation Resort
• Health Club
• Fitness Centers
• Sports Organizations
• Hotels
• Cruise Liners

Certification definitely gives personal trainers more employment options and the opportunities to excel in their career, while raising their pay grade.  In short, you can make more money doing what you already love.
In order to be certified, it will be necessary to take an exam.  But, before you are ready for that day, you will need many hours of classroom education, as well as practical experience.  An institute will have relationship with the organizations that will mentor you, while working with actual clients.

After receiving you certification, your institute of higher learning will likely sponsor a job placement program.  They have resources to know who needs to hire a personal trainer.  They also have established relationships with the businesses, so they can offer good recommendations.  Not only do they help you prepare for employment, they help you find it.

As a good personal trainer, you will want to continue your education throughout your career.  As the tools of your trade change and improve, and more information related to your profession becomes available, you will want to keep up with all the latest.  As your chosen profession evolves and your client base changes, you will be ready with all of the knowledge and experience needed to move ahead in your career.

An affiliation with an institute will keep you up-to-date with the need for any ongoing education. Most schools now have classes that will work around your schedule.  You will be able to take classes at night, on the weekends, or online, so you can keep working and learning at the same time.

In short, if you want to make a career of health and wellness, you need to find a good personal training institute.  Not only will you receive the education to attain certification, you will have someone to help you with financial aid options.  But, it doesn’t stop with that coveted piece of paper; an accredited institution can also help with job placement and ongoing educational opportunities. For those that are serious about becoming a professional trainer, a formal education is necessary for employment with a gym, fitness club, cruise liner, health spa, and more.  Even for those that want to start their own business, certification give you the credibility needed to build clientele.  It is your ticket to a rewarding future.

Certified Personal Trainer Salary

If you are considering a career in the health and fitness industry, one of your first questions will be regarding the certified personal trainer salary.  While it would be nice to give you a definitive answer, it simply isn’t possible.  Several variables determine your potential income as a trainer.

On average, some suggest that the certified personal trainer salary is somewhere between 34-48 thousand dollars per year.  But, it really depends on:

• Where you work
• If you work for someone else
• Your certifications
• Your personal effort

Your certified personal trainer salary may be much more, or less, than the trainer you working alongside you every day.  You ultimately decide your own level of success, by how you approach these key factors to your earning power.

Where you Work

The demographics of your area will be a huge determining factor, when it comes to your salary.   If you work at a high end club that is part of a chain of fitness facilities, you are likely to make more than if you work at a small club, in a small town.

If the club, spa, cruise liner, or other health facility is always busy with clients, then you will have the opportunity to earn more.  If there are hours when you have too much time to twiddle your thumbs, then your salary will suffer.

The Boss

If you are the boss of a fitness facility, you will make more money than the certified personal trainers.  However, as management, you will likely have to give up being on the floor and actually working with the clients.  Your job is to manage the business and keep everyone else motivated.  But, you will also get a high percentage of all the monies earned by your employees.

When you are the employee, your salary will depend on what the boss charges the clients.  Then, you will get a percentage of that fee.  In general, you will receive less than half.  A 40/60 split is an example.  During the slow times, when you aren’t working with the clients on the floor, you will probably only earn minimum wage.  The more customers that request your training, the more you make.

Depending on the management, you may work on commission.  If you are really good at what you do, your boss might also offer bonuses.  The more business you bring in, the better you get paid.

Certifications

If you just passed your personal training exam, and you only have one certification, you will probably not make as much as the individual that has several. Some managers pay totally on a percentage basis.  For example, if you have one certification, you will receive 30% of the fee your clients have to pay.  However, that percentage increases by 5% for every certification you have.  So, if you have at least 4 different certifications, you will pocket 45% of the fee.

In order to determine the certified personal trainer salary, you will need to ask around.  Check with all the businesses that may potentially hire you, after achieving your education.  See how their pay scales are set up.  Then, pull out a calculator and do a little math. You can get some idea of your earning potential.

Your Effort

Regardless of the other key elements of the certified personal trainer salary, the biggest factor is your own personal effort.  If you are a mediocre trainer, you will make a mediocre paycheck.  If you excel in your career, you income will naturally increase.

Generally, you income depends on your clientele.  If you are an excellent personal trainer, customers will ask for your services.  When you start turning people away, because your schedule is packed, the fee for your services will increase.

As an excellent personal trainer, you may have the opportunity to work with clients off-site.  Because they are paying for your individualized attention, and asking you to come to them, you can set your own fee.  People will pay for your expertise, because they get their money’s worth.  You might charge anywhere from $75-$250 per hour.  Of course, if you work for a celebrity, you should find out what the going rate is for working with the rich and famous.

In summary, there is no definitive answer, when it comes to certified personal trainer salary.  What you will/will not make depends largely on your effort.  The trainers that make the big bucks are the individuals that continuing learning and gaining certifications, while going the extra mile in providing services for their growing clientele.  Of course, if you work for someone else, it will also depend on the established pay scale, and the demographics of the health facility.  But, you are the key to your own success as a personal trainer.

Celebrity Personal Trainers

For a person in the business of developing health and wellness programs for his/her clientele, becoming one of the celebrity personal trainers would be reaching the pinnacle of a career. Not only would they be hanging out with the rich and famous, but they would also have one of the highest paying jobs in their chosen field.

In addition, if a celebrity personal trainer is really good at his/her profession, it is job security.  In many cases, the average clientele will be constantly changing.  While they mean well in the beginning, a lot of people will give up.  They don’t have the willpower to keep up with the exercise routines or maintain a healthy diet.  Of course, there is also the question of finances.  When the economy is tight, fitness training is considered a luxury they can no longer afford.

However, celebrities definitely have a very different perspective.  A good personal trainer is a career necessity.  If they want to keep working and not become fodder for the tabloids, it’s necessary to stay in shape. Often, they will prefer someone that will come to them, and able to work around some pretty difficult schedules.  Naturally, they are willing to pay premium prices for personalized service.

Achieving the Apex

While becoming one of the celebrity personal trainers is a dream job, it will take a lot of hard work to make that dream a reality.  Unless you have a fairy god mother, the first step will be to attain certification from an accredited institute in your state.  Requirements are different, depending on where you live.

For example, you may be required to pass as much as 300 hours of classroom education.  But, it doesn’t end there.  Before you can get that coveted diploma, you will also need some practical experience. Some schools may require approximately 200 hours of actually working with clients, under the supervision of a personal trainer that has already achieved accreditation. 

To even hope of achieving the position of trainer to the stars, you must always remain in peak physical condition.  If a star is going to pay big bucks for a personalized fitness coach, they want the best.  You are your own best advertisement.  If you are even a few pounds overweight or out of shape, even in the slightest sense, a celebrity will find someone that exhibits the personal dedication to fitness that they need.

While in school, try to stay at the top of your class.  You will not achieve the status you desire by doing just enough to get by.  After receiving your accreditation, you will want to apply at the high end fitness training establishment.  You will want to work were the star or sports personalities are most likely to hang out.  For those that still want to reach that Apex, but don’t want to relocate to Hollywood, New York City, or other areas of celebrity residence, becoming a personal trainer for a sports team in your home state is still an option.

Once you have established yourself at a high end club or gym, look for opportunities to offer advice to the rich and famous clientele.  Without being a pest, become a person of knowledge and expertise.  Once you have built a rapport with a celebrity, one of two things will happen:

• They will invite you to help them train on an individual basis

• You can offer your personalized services, as long as they don’t infringe on the rules of the club.

To further promote yourself, you can also offer to train a celebrity free of charge, for a limited time.  With your credentials, a rapport, and the offer to prove your worth without any real investment on their part, you might just get a shot at training the very high end clients.

Finally, you will have to be willing to work very odd hours.  The working life of a celebrity is chaotic.  Workouts may have to be squeezed between two pressing engagements, very early in the morning, when most sane people are still in bed, or late at night, when they finally have a few free moments. Your schedule will have to be as flexible as theirs is not.

It takes a special person to have the career of celebrity personal trainers.  In peak physical condition, these fitness gurus need to live and work where they can establish relationships with the rich and famous. Plus, they have the self-confidence and business savvy to sell their services as the very best in their line of work. 

At the same time, a celebrity trainer needs to be flexible and able to cater to the weird hours and whims of those individuals that are used to getting exactly what they are paying, regardless of the hour.  The work is more demanding, but the rewards make it worth the effort.