Gold's Gym personal trainer salary?

[LuvFelicia]

I'll be taking my NASM in a few weeks & I'm considering applying to gold's gym. I have googled this but I'm coming across different answers. What is the average salary of a new trainer at gold's? Are you paid a flat hourly rate for your entire shift even when training? Or is it a certain rate + an increase during a session? I live in Alabama if that helps any. Any other recommended gyms other than gold's that are good to apply to? I'm thinking about starting out at a gym & after a few months leaving to go independent. Is this a good idea? If it is, then when I leave do I get to take my clients with me? Any & all advice would be great! Thank you!

[klaximilian]

I'll be taking my NASM in a few weeks & I'm considering applying to gold's gym. I have googled this but I'm coming across different answers. What is the average salary of a new trainer at gold's? Are you paid a flat hourly rate for your entire shift even when training? Or is it a certain rate + an increase during a session? I live in Alabama if that helps any. Any other recommended gyms other than gold's that are good to apply to? I'm thinking about starting out at a gym & after a few months leaving to go independent. Is this a good idea? If it is, then when I leave do I get to take my clients with me? Any & all advice would be great! Thank you!

I'm not speaking from experience, as I've never trained in a commercial gym nor do I have any intention to. However you're going to be lucky to make $20 per session, and even that is being generous. The gym will pocket most of the PT fees and force you to sell more sessions, supplements, etc...

At $20 an hour assuming your booked to full capacity for 40 hours per week, that's $3200 a month, before taxes, as your ceiling for making coin in a commercial gym. You're not going to be booked at full capacity and you're probably not even going to make $20 an hour. Basically, you'd be lucky to make 2K a month.

[lgnknt]

Okay so I work at a Golds gym right now and I am not even 100% suer on how they do the pay. From what I have cobbled together I infer that there are times when they are on the clock which is when they are making their calls, trying to make sales, talking to prospective clients (with the FC's), possibly doing measurements, etc. When they are actually training they have appointments and have a set chunk of hours they are "available." When they are in session they are not clocked in but receive commission for every session. I have never asked but I assume they make commission for selling PT packages as well but do not quote me on that. In general unless you are busting your butt every day and working hard to build a pretty sizable and consistent client base you wont see the big bucks that you are probably looking for.

[RamsdenF]

I'm not speaking from experience, as I've never trained in a commercial gym nor do I have any intention to. However you're going to be lucky to make $20 per session, and even that is being generous. The gym will pocket most of the PT fees and force you to sell more sessions, supplements, etc...

At $20 an hour assuming your booked to full capacity for 40 hours per week, that's $3200 a month, before taxes, as your ceiling for making coin in a commercial gym. You're not going to be booked at full capacity and you're probably not even going to make $20 an hour. Basically, you'd be lucky to make 2K a month.

This^

Look...if you want to truly succeed in this industry you either have to work for a small business or start your own. Working as a cog in the wheel at these big selfish chain gyms will do nothing for you. Either find a small business with a owner you believe in or start your own.

"It is better to go to defeat with free will than to live in a meaningless security as a cog in a machine" - Isaac Asimov

[Ronin4help]

I

Okay so I work at a Golds gym right now and I am not even 100% suer on how they do the pay. From what I have cobbled together I infer that there are times when they are on the clock which is when they are making their calls, trying to make sales, talking to prospective clients (with the FC's), possibly doing measurements, etc. When they are actually training they have appointments and have a set chunk of hours they are "available." When they are in session they are not clocked in but receive commission for every session. I have never asked but I assume they make commission for selling PT packages as well but do not quote me on that. In general unless you are busting your butt every day and working hard to build a pretty sizable and consistent client base you wont see the big bucks that you are probably looking for.

You want any compensation to be on paper. Managers are known for telling new hirers things that may nit necessarily ne accurate. Unless it's on paper, it will always be a 'simple misunderstanding'.

[Diiimn]

Interested in this as well.

[Shredthetics]

I worked at Golds for quite some time.

First, you don't get a salary, you get an hourly rate.
The pay system works on a tier system.. the more you sell the bigger % of the session rate you get.
You don't get commission on sold packages on the first tier.
If you train a client without booking them and clocking them in, you don't get paid.
If your client doesn't show up, you can only charge the session RARELY.. more often you don't get paid.

You don't get a permanent hourly base, only for the first 1-4 weeks to build clients then you're cut off.
Introduction/evaluation sessions run minimum wage.
At the bottom you make around 13 a session and at the top I believe it was around 40-45 a session + commission of resigns and sales.
Basically if you're at the highest level, have multiple certs, are 100% booked with resigns, sell your clients supps, you can make roughly around 7-8K a month before taxes.. only a few people in the company are at that level however.

I'm speaking of working in the Southern California area.
If you don't love people, don't like sales, and can't maintain authority over clients while appearing professional and friendly, you won't make it to the top.

[klaximilian]

If you don't love people, don't like sales, and can't maintain authority over clients while appearing professional and friendly, you won't make it to the top.

To sum it up, actually being a great trainer is relatively low on the totem pole when it comes to being successful.

[JohnSmeton]

You Must be able to sell yourself otherwise if the gym gave you a client and they dont "buy" you itll be shorted live.

Same thing with your own business

[Ronin4help]

You Must be able to sell yourself otherwise if the gym gave you a client and they dont "buy" you itll be shorted live.

Same thing with your own business

This is true to a certain extent. Fitness and wellness sell themselves. You don't need to sell yourself per-say, you need the ability to consistently and relentlessly meet new people and make yourself seem like someone they feel they need in order to achieve their fitness goals. Perhaps this is what John means as well.

[JohnSmeton]

This is true to a certain extent. Fitness and wellness sell themselves. You don't need to sell yourself per-say, you need the ability to consistently and relentlessly meet new people and make yourself seem like someone they feel they need in order to achieve their fitness goals. Perhaps this is what John means as well.

well put