How much money can you make working for a gym?

[CrazyG323]

Im curious of what people who are personal trainers make a year working at a gym. I live in Los Angeles and I am considering getting a job as a personal trainer at a gym. What is the most a person who is hard working can make while working for someone else?

[MVP]

LA is extremely competitive in the PT business, since LA is all about looks.

If your main concern is how much money you are looking to make, then you have already failed before you started. You should be concerned about changing peoples lives through PT. In the long haul, if you are in it for the long haul, you will be rewarded very well.

Clients 1st

[kgitaitis]

LA is extremely competitive in the PT business, since LA is all about looks.

If your main concern is how much money you are looking to make, then you have already failed before you started. You should be concerned about changing peoples lives through PT. In the long haul, if you are in it for the long haul, you will be rewarded very well.

Clients 1st

true, because i started out in gyms (now i have my own business) and i worked so many free hours and free consultaions its crazy. Eventually it paid off, and became a top trainer, but it didnt come easy. lots of hours.
But if you dont love helping people first off, you won't survive the freebies.
It depends on the gym, but my gym paid $22 per hour or if i did 2 30 min sessions back to back made $32 hour, plus commision.
But if you dont have clients, you dont get paid.

[CrazyG323]

LA is extremely competitive in the PT business, since LA is all about looks.

If your main concern is how much money you are looking to make, then you have already failed before you started. You should be concerned about changing peoples lives through PT. In the long haul, if you are in it for the long haul, you will be rewarded very well.

Clients 1st

I don't think you should be putting me down for being concerned about money.... don't blame me for wanting to have a good future and making sure i can support my family...


when you guys say becoming a top trainer what makes someone a top trainer?

[kgitaitis]

I don't think you should be putting me down for being concerned about money.... don't blame me for wanting to have a good future and making sure i can support my family...


when you guys say becoming a top trainer what makes someone a top trainer?

well, at the gyms i worked at we all basically got the same rate (other gyms may vary)
by top trainer i mean i was making the most sales and had the most clients. But i worked my TAIL off. Alot of the other trainers werent willing to put in the hours, therfore not having as many clients. The gym i was at do not hand you clients you have to earn them all your self!
So by working so many hours, i was making pretty good pay. Now i own my own business so i work less but make more (at the gym they only gave us like 40% of the sale.) now i make 100%!

[Arte_Suave]

I don't think you should be putting me down for being concerned about money.... don't blame me for wanting to have a good future and making sure i can support my family...


when you guys say becoming a top trainer what makes someone a top trainer?

Don't worry, that's his M.O. Looks at everyone's post, and if you once mention the "money"... Automatic fail! lol. It's funny to think that money is NOT or should NOT be an issue when considering a new career. Yes, one of the main perks to the job is changing peoples lives, but what is that going to get you if you're making peanuts? A pat on the back, and a clean conscience?

Best place to find out is by social networking, and I don't mean through the internet. Hit up your local gym, get buddy buddy with a PT, and let him/her know you're interested in making a career change. Better yet, let the director or a manager know how you feel about making the change. If the dude comes out saying what 'MVP' always does, he's probably not willing to pay you all that much to begin with. From my experience, best place to get GOOD QUALITY ANSWERS are from the people you can talk with face to face or over the phone. Oh yea, one more thing... Try hitting up your local junior college to see if they have a PT/Fitness studies program, and then talk to a professor in that program. Good luck, and I hope you find what you're looking for!

[MVP]

Don't worry, that's his M.O. Looks at everyone's post, and if you once mention the "money"... Automatic fail! lol. It's funny to think that money is NOT or should NOT be an issue when considering a new career. Yes, one of the main perks to the job is changing peoples lives, but what is that going to get you if you're making peanuts? A pat on the back, and a clean conscience?

Best place to find out is by social networking, and I don't mean through the internet. Hit up your local gym, get buddy buddy with a PT, and let him/her know you're interested in making a career change. Better yet, let the director or a manager know how you feel about making the change. If the dude comes out saying what 'MVP' always does, he's probably not willing to pay you all that much to begin with. From my experience, best place to get GOOD QUALITY ANSWERS are from the people you can talk with face to face or over the phone. Oh yea, one more thing... Try hitting up your local junior college to see if they have a PT/Fitness studies program, and then talk to a professor in that program. Good luck, and I hope you find what you're looking for!

There are trainers in this business for the right reasons vs trainers in it for the wrong reasons.


I have my own PT Studio, and opening up a 2nd in January. I start my trainers at $35 per hour, and they earn their pay. My trainers love what they do and that's changing peoples lives. Do you honestly think i would pay a trainer to just come in and hang out, just so they can collect a paycheck every 2 weeks? You expect me to pay a trainer top dollars, when they haven't even proved anything to me?

My trainers know, that if they take care of their clients, it will lead to referrals, which does lead to more income.

Yet i see so many trainers bounce from gym to gym, complaining about not making enough money. Hhhmmm, i wonder why?

Stick with this business for 15 years from now and let me know how it's working for you. Are you still gonna be a PT, or are you going to find another career because your not making enough money? At this point, do you feel that you succeeded or failed? You won't know until you hit that 15 year mark

Trainers need to start understanding that Clients always come 1st

[Arte_Suave]

Well who the hell does want to hire a trainer who comes in and bull****s the whole day? It's a given in this industry that performance leads to results. Hell, it's a given in every industry. If you don't perform, you don't get the promotion- or in this case, the clients who put food in your mouth. Thinking that someone is going to automatically fail because they are concerned for what they might earn is not fair, and pretty short sighted. Because I chose to work for gym A, because it pays better than gym B, does not mean I'm in it for the wrong reasons, and it certainly doesn't mean I'm going to fail. So a an employer, if a potential employee asks about pay, do you immediately shoo him/her out the door?

[MVP]

Well who the hell does want to hire a trainer who comes in and bull****s the whole day? It's a given in this industry that performance leads to results. Hell, it's a given in every industry. If you don't perform, you don't get the promotion- or in this case, the clients who put food in your mouth. Thinking that someone is going to automatically fail because they are concerned for what they might earn is not fair, and pretty short sighted. Because I chose to work for gym A, because it pays better than gym B, does not mean I'm in it for the wrong reasons, and it certainly doesn't mean I'm going to fail. So a an employer, if a potential employee asks about pay, do you immediately shoo him/her out the door?

Q-Well who the hell does want to hire a trainer who comes in and bull****s the whole day?
A-Why don't you ask every commercial gym out there that question. They do it all the time. The more salesman the better

Q-What do you mean performance leads to results?
A-Do you mean the more sales you make, the more management makes, with you right behind it making a little more?
Or
Do you mean changing peoples lives = referrals = more income?

What makes you feel you deserve more money? No pun intended
Again i see a lot of trainers bounce from gym to gym looking for more quick instant money.
Why not stick with the gym, build up your clientele base, build up your rep in the gym by changing lives, gain more clients, earn your pay and increase revenue? Of course it takes years to accomplish this. Are you willing to put all the time in to accomplish this? You have earned your clients and you have earned your pay ( what a great feeling ). How many trainers will actually stick this out and ride it?

I tell any potential trainer i may hire what i start them out at. Again, there are trainers who feel they deserve top dollars, and have not even proved anything. No portfolio, nothing, and they have actually walked out because $35 was not enough. For some reason, they feel they deserve more? Maybe, it's because their friend is a trainer, and their making more, so they figured they should be a trainer to and make the same amount of money?

If the trainer was confident in their training ability, they would take the $35 and prove to me that they are worth more. How would they do that? Change someones life, and heck yeah i'll bump up their pay. They earned it

[kgitaitis]

Q-Well who the hell does want to hire a trainer who comes in and bull****s the whole day?
A-Why don't you ask every commercial gym out there that question. They do it all the time. The more salesman the better

Q-What do you mean performance leads to results?
A-Do you mean the more sales you make, the more management makes, with you right behind it making a little more?
Or
Do you mean changing peoples lives = referrals = more income?

What makes you feel you deserve more money? No pun intended
Again i see a lot of trainers bounce from gym to gym looking for more quick instant money.
Why not stick with the gym, build up your clientele base, build up your rep in the gym by changing lives, gain more clients, earn your pay and increase revenue? Of course it takes years to accomplish this. Are you willing to put all the time in to accomplish this? You have earned your clients and you have earned your pay ( what a great feeling ). How many trainers will actually stick this out and ride it?

I tell any potential trainer i may hire what i start them out at. Again, there are trainers who feel they deserve top dollars, and have not even proved anything. No portfolio, nothing, and they have actually walked out because $35 was not enough. For some reason, they feel they deserve more? Maybe, it's because their friend is a trainer, and their making more, so they figured they should be a trainer to and make the same amount of money?

If the trainer was confident in their training ability, they would take the $35 and prove to me that they are worth more. How would they do that? Change someones life, and heck yeah i'll bump up their pay. They earned it

im gonna have to agree.
Dont take it personal,CrazyG, but this IS the PT world. Because the money can be good, you have to know that there are lots and lots of people in it for the wrong reason. I have worked at gyms that hired a few unqualified trainers (the gym wanted more sales, the trainers ... who werent even certified yet-- was simply in the for the pay).
I love my clients and invest my life to them if i could so it for free i so would, so it is quite annoying to see this occurring.
Everything he said above is spot on. Training (true training) involves lots of time, heart and soul.

[x2thez53913]

you can make as much money as you like in pt. its a matter of finding a right gym with the right clients and being proactive. remember you write your own checks in a sense.

[jules_d1]

well, at the gyms i worked at we all basically got the same rate (other gyms may vary)
by top trainer i mean i was making the most sales and had the most clients. But i worked my TAIL off. Alot of the other trainers werent willing to put in the hours, therfore not having as many clients. The gym i was at do not hand you clients you have to earn them all your self!
So by working so many hours, i was making pretty good pay. Now i own my own business so i work less but make more (at the gym they only gave us like 40% of the sale.) now i make 100%!

nice one...gotta get out on your own to really be successful.

[timperry]

I agree with MVP

Back when i first started, i was looking to make the most money possible. I shopped around at all the gyms seeing who was going to pay more. I ended up moving around a lot seeking the most money possible. Training at these gyms, you are taught to sell, sell, sell, and forget about the clients because the gym only wants their money.

At this point, i was failing because i had the wrong mindset. I was all about making money

Fast forward 3 years up to now, i'm still doing it now independent. It's all about the clients. Most of my business comes from referrals now, because i take care of my clients. Don't know what i would be doing if i did not figure this out.

[jules_d1]

I agree with MVP

Back when i first started, i was looking to make the most money possible. I shopped around at all the gyms seeing who was going to pay more. I ended up moving around a lot seeking the most money possible. Training at these gyms, you are taught to sell, sell, sell, and forget about the clients because the gym only wants their money.

At this point, i was failing because i had the wrong mindset. I was all about making money

Fast forward 3 years up to now, i'm still doing it now independent. It's all about the clients. Most of my business comes from referrals now, because i take care of my clients. Don't know what i would be doing if i did not figure this out.

you are right that a lot of gyms breed the wrong type of culture, especially if it is cutthroat with many trainers there.


Once you are doing yoru own thing, the structure and focus changes.

[Arte_Suave]

Q-Well who the hell does want to hire a trainer who comes in and bull****s the whole day?
A-Why don't you ask every commercial gym out there that question. They do it all the time. The more salesman the better

Q-What do you mean performance leads to results?
A-Do you mean the more sales you make, the more management makes, with you right behind it making a little more?
Or
Do you mean changing peoples lives = referrals = more income?

What makes you feel you deserve more money? No pun intended
Again i see a lot of trainers bounce from gym to gym looking for more quick instant money.
Why not stick with the gym, build up your clientele base, build up your rep in the gym by changing lives, gain more clients, earn your pay and increase revenue? Of course it takes years to accomplish this. Are you willing to put all the time in to accomplish this? You have earned your clients and you have earned your pay ( what a great feeling ). How many trainers will actually stick this out and ride it?

I tell any potential trainer i may hire what i start them out at. Again, there are trainers who feel they deserve top dollars, and have not even proved anything. No portfolio, nothing, and they have actually walked out because $35 was not enough. For some reason, they feel they deserve more? Maybe, it's because their friend is a trainer, and their making more, so they figured they should be a trainer to and make the same amount of money?

If the trainer was confident in their training ability, they would take the $35 and prove to me that they are worth more. How would they do that? Change someones life, and heck yeah i'll bump up their pay. They earned it

First of all, re-read my post, and tell me where I said I actually DESERVE something? You need to stop bull****ting the issue at hand. Your whole stance on someone thinking about money is ultimately going to lead to failure is getting lame. Who DOESN'T think about money when going into a new career? Can you answer that?

What do I mean by performance leads to results? All of the above wouldn't it be? Help your client get reach his/her goals, get referrals, more money. Does it not all go hand in hand? How would you achieve one without the other?

I get what you're saying about PT's who don't care for their clients, and just want a paycheck, and they bounce from gym to gym, etc... But seriously the only thing worse than those type of PT, is a stuck up PT who tells anyone even remotely interested in the field that they are going to fail.

[MVP]

First of all, re-read my post, and tell me where I said I actually DESERVE something? You need to stop bull****ting the issue at hand. Your whole stance on someone thinking about money is ultimately going to lead to failure is getting lame. Who DOESN'T think about money when going into a new career? Can you answer that?

What do I mean by performance leads to results? All of the above wouldn't it be? Help your client get reach his/her goals, get referrals, more money. Does it not all go hand in hand? How would you achieve one without the other?

I get what you're saying about PT's who don't care for their clients, and just want a paycheck, and they bounce from gym to gym, etc... But seriously the only thing worse than those type of PT, is a stuck up PT who tells anyone even remotely interested in the field that they are going to fail.

Arte_Suave

I've been a trainer for 15 years. I've seen and heard it all. I've seen tons fail and a lot less succeed. PT is not a job to me nor is it work. I LOVE PT! I LOVE changing peoples lives. I guess i must be doing something wrong, and my business is a failure because according to you, my theory is lame. I'm sorry if you can't handle the reality of the business, so on that note

I wish you the best of luck in your PT career. I hope you make a 6 figure income, buy a beautiful house, nice cars, any other toys that you want, and go on tons and tons of vacations. I hope you can experience all of this

Good Luck

[timperry]

Arte, i was reading some of your post and you aren't even certified yet? You got lots to learn, i mean mega lots to learn. I once had your mentality when i first started, and i failed. I almost said it aint worth it and quit. My mentality changed and i am much better off now. Just scroll up and read my post

[unauthorized]

What do I mean by performance leads to results? All of the above wouldn't it be? Help your client get reach his/her goals, get referrals, more money. Does it not all go hand in hand? How would you achieve one without the other?

it don't go hand in hand. If you make the sale, you have to train the person. That doesn't mean they are going to reach their goals, and if they don't you won't get referrals, so no $$$

[Al Shades]

You have to work for yourself if you want to make good money.

That's true for all jobs, not just PT.

Most PT's earn 30k or less.

But the potential is there to earn 100k on your first year if you're independent and know what you're doing.

Well who the hell does want to hire a trainer who comes in and bull****s the whole day?

Well, there is an entire market demographic which hires a PT for precisely that reason, and I would go so far as to say they are the most profitable demographic in the industry. At least, that's how it is in Boston. I'd be surprised if it was different in any urban area.

Do you think celebrity trainers owe their success more to world-class results or world-class marketing?

There are "results oriented" trainers and then there are...all the rest.

And what are the rest?

High priced babysitters for adults.

[Arte_Suave]

You're right, I'm not certified yet. I'm currently enrolled in a fitness career studies course in my local junior college. The reason I'm doing this is because I want to have some hands on experience, and greater knowledge of the field. Then I will get certified through NASM. I will continue to go to school, get a bachelors from a university, then obtain my NSCA or ACSM or both.

Just because I stand up for those interested in not only PT, but also if they can make a living off of it doesn't mean all I'm looking for is money. I wanted a fulfilling job, where I would also be able to support myself. I never said I wanted to drive a Bentley to work, and then go home to a mansion with a butler and maid to tend to me. That's all delusional slander from MVP. One of you said you've read my posts, go see where I made any mention of riches.

MVP, I'm glad you've made it as long as you did, and even started your own studio where you're able to pay your PT's $35/hr. But don't you think it is a little hypocritical of you to shoot down the anyone who mentions money? If that's the case, why did you open up your own studio? Why not change the lives of people at a commercial gym? And are you telling me you never once thought of the benefits from opening your own gym, like money?

A rather long post, but let me re-iterate since you seem to have a short term memory. I never once said I was in it for the money. I said this is a profession that I have chosen and have accepted the responsibility to be good at. Why else would I be enrolled with my junior college instead of going straight for the cert?

Also, MVP. What's the name of your gym? Do you have a website? Maybe I can learn something from you, and I sincerely do I can. What certs do you have btw?

[Arte_Suave]

it don't go hand in hand. If you make the sale, you have to train the person. That doesn't mean they are going to reach their goals, and if they don't you won't get referrals, so no $$$

Seriously? Have you thought about this one yet?

[TLotou]

this is a great argument. I want to know tips of the trade, how exactly do i become a GOOD trainer? how do i market myself ? how do i start in order to later become successful?