Best gyms to start off at

[soccerpro6]

Hey guys,

I just recently finished my ISSA-CPT courses and am now certified.

I had an interview at Urban Active earlier in the week, and was wondering if any experienced trainers had any suggestions on gyms that tend to be a good place for a new trainer to start and gain experience?

Mostly larger chains are what I am curious to hear about, and which ones help new trainers get comfortable in the business and help out a fair amount.

Any suggestions!?

Thanks guys
Kyle

[MT1979]

Almost everyone I know started at 24hr fitness.

[Open Palm]

There are also LA Fitnesses popping around all over the place. The main thing is to gain as much experience as you can and learn to sell at a place like this.

[MVP]

There all pretty much the same. It's all about the money, not your clientele

You are a salesman 90% of the time, trainer the other 10%
The gym will take the majority of your pay leaving you not much, taking somewhere around 60-80% or so
You make management rich, not yourself
In some cases, other trainers will try and pull your client, stab you in the back etc...Management will do this also
No better place to get your feet wet. This is where we all start, and hopefully move on to bigger better things
Learn the ins and outs and what to do, and what not to do
You'll build your social skills and learn to talk to people more
If you hang in long enough, build your clientele and become independent

[erikhutson]

I would say go around to local apartment complexs and offer your services or at least leave a card. The apartments im staying at gives free rent to the PT who trains the clients here but he cant charge the people who live here...not bad considering the area and price of these apartments.

[BC02]

there are also la fitnesses popping around all over the place. The main thing is to gain as much experience as you can and learn to sell at a place like this.

yeah if you want to avg about$8/hr

[askthetrainer]

Hey guys,

I just recently finished my ISSA-CPT courses and am now certified.

I had an interview at Urban Active earlier in the week, and was wondering if any experienced trainers had any suggestions on gyms that tend to be a good place for a new trainer to start and gain experience?

Mostly larger chains are what I am curious to hear about, and which ones help new trainers get comfortable in the business and help out a fair amount.

Any suggestions!?

Thanks guys
Kyle

Dude,

For your 1st trainer job it is all about finding a gym that can feed you clients.



Don't worry about the salary right off too much. Having 30 clients at $30 an hour is far superior to 5 clients at $60.

Getting clients to fill your work hours with training sessions is the hardest part about starting as a trainer.

Believe me, you don't want to be roaming the floor BSing with all the guys and hitting on all the chicks looking like a salesman, it gets old, frustrating and usually makes minimum wage

Most corporate gyms (24 hour, etc.) have new membership plans which include personal training. These clients are usually given a few sessions with their membership as icing on the top of the cake.

These clients are fed to trainers. As a trainer you don't have to sell to these people, you can build a relationship during your training sessions and they often become easy resigns (if they're not broke-asses) which you can eventually take on your own.

Apply to multiple gyms, ask the manager if they have clients ready to give you and/or whether they give free sessions (not consultations) with their new members.

Way back when at 24 hour fitness in San Francisco, they literally had hundreds of clients who already had training sessions in a book which you could simply call and book sessions.

You still had to roam the floor and make every trainer's nightmare "Phone Calls" but it automatically got your feet wet with clients and gave you some pay.

[soccerpro6]

Dude,

For your 1st trainer job it is all about finding a gym that can feed you clients.



Don't worry about the salary right off too much. Having 30 clients at $30 an hour is far superior to 5 clients at $60.

Getting clients to fill your work hours with training sessions is the hardest part about starting as a trainer.

Believe me, you don't want to be roaming the floor BSing with all the guys and hitting on all the chicks looking like a salesman, it gets old, frustrating and usually makes minimum wage

Most corporate gyms (24 hour, etc.) have new membership plans which include personal training. These clients are usually given a few sessions with their membership as icing on the top of the cake.

These clients are fed to trainers. As a trainer you don't have to sell to these people, you can build a relationship during your training sessions and they often become easy resigns (if they're not broke-asses) which you can eventually take on your own.

Apply to multiple gyms, ask the manager if they have clients ready to give you and/or whether they give free sessions (not consultations) with their new members.

Way back when at 24 hour fitness in San Francisco, they literally had hundreds of clients who already had training sessions in a book which you could simply call and book sessions.

You still had to roam the floor and make every trainer's nightmare "Phone Calls" but it automatically got your feet wet with clients and gave you some pay.

I love the picture haha

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!!! Everything you guys said makes sense!!

[askthetrainer]

I love the picture haha

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!!! Everything you guys said makes sense!!

Definitely make it your #1 criterion for choosing a gym. It will be apparent very soon that you the trainer are being used by the gym, so you should use the gym for what it's worth, and free clients are the best.

Good Luck!