I am looking to be a PT

[will30]

The gym owner at the gym I go to said it would be $300-400 to get a certification, so I have to skip that. So I am looking to be a uncertified PT. How do I go about doing this? Do gyms require clients pay them or myself? Would I have to go for gym members willing to pay for training AND the membership of the gym/guest fee? This is a mom and pop gym so there are uncertified PTs here. I don't know if he explained the process well to me or not. He made it seem like I wanted a certification, but I just want to train.

Those of you who are members of small business gyms, how does your PT payment processing work? Do you get the client's money or does the gym?

[KyleAaron]

I am looking to be a uncertified PT. How do I go about doing this?

You buy a t-shirt that says, "PT" on it. And nobody will hire you, so you'll have to be self-employed. Then you try to get people to come to an unqualified trainer with no experience who was too lazy to even do a three hundred buck course. Then you cross your fingers and hope nobody sues you when you injure them.

Three hundred bucks. If you think you won't even make three hundred bucks from being a trainer, then you definitely shouldn't be a trainer.

God, you're making our industry look bad and you're not even in it yet.

[will30]

First of all, I am aiming at training guys who were once in my spot....hardgainers. Those looking to bulk up. Only women for weight loss, as they lift lighter weights. For them anyway, I would mostly use the weighted machines(life fitness for instance). I'm going to use that for skinny people as well in most cases. I would not put more weight on someone than they can handle. I started with baby weights. I would start my clients on that too. For the most part I have done my training with NO trainer and learned techniques from one main person when I first went there. I still remember the exercises he taught me, the gobblet squats, keeping back straight and butt sticking out in trad squats, doing deadlifts from half way, and the dumbbell presses. I have read information on here, SS, and watched some videos mainly from Jeff C. It's not like I am clueless here.

Now I just read on another thread that someone has to pay the owner, so I guess that answers part of my question. I pay the owner a % of my client's charge.

[will30]

How did my rep power go down to zero just like that for even trying to help myself and others? It took me a long time to get that rep power I had. What did I post that was so wrong?

[will30]

You buy a t-shirt that says, "PT" on it. And nobody will hire you, so you'll have to be self-employed. Then you try to get people to come to an unqualified trainer with no experience who was too lazy to even do a three hundred buck course. Then you cross your fingers and hope nobody sues you when you injure them.

Three hundred bucks. If you think you won't even make three hundred bucks from being a trainer, then you definitely shouldn't be a trainer.

God, you're making our industry look bad and you're not even in it yet.

By the way, dude, I already am paying for college so yeah that's why I can't pay for the certification. I get my other half of the loan disbursed next month but that loan cannot go toward a cert because I am majoring in an Arts program before transferring.

[Synchroniicity]

Yeah bud, you read a bunch of articles online and watched some dude in the gym for a few year. You're totally prepared to teach a human how to move their body properly avoiding injury.

You know biceps, and squats. And only putting women and slender people on machines. Seems like you got your **** together and don't need any sort of certification.

On a real note... if you won't take training people serious (in ways such as getting a professional cert.) than you should not be training other people. It's simple.

[will30]

I have never seen anyone at my gym get hurt being trained. I didn't realize how complicated this whole process was until seeing the reactions I got. My goodness.

[wildturkey]

You buy a t-shirt that says, "PT" on it. And nobody will hire you, so you'll have to be self-employed. Then you try to get people to come to an unqualified trainer with no experience who was too lazy to even do a three hundred buck course. Then you cross your fingers and hope nobody sues you when you injure them.

Three hundred bucks. If you think you won't even make three hundred bucks from being a trainer, then you definitely shouldn't be a trainer.

God, you're making our industry look bad and you're not even in it yet.

this

[KyleAaron]

Most people working out on their own in the gym never use enough load, speed on treadmills or whatever to risk injury. Studies have shown that left to themselves, most people use 40-55% of 1RM on exercises - unless they drop it on their head, they can't hurt themselves with that, however dreadful their form. You generally need at least 80% to hurt yourself. But a trainer will encourage people to use more, and because you're wearing the polo shirt they'll trust your judgement - rightly or wrongly. So if you are unable to teach correct movement, you can push them from "crappy movement with light load" to "crappy movement with heavy load" and thus risk injury.

Dave Tate said that in lifting, there are four levels,

Sht
Suck
Good
Great

The same goes for being a trainer or coach.

• Sht - you hurt people. This is the typical gym-goer if the guy tries to train his girlfriend (women almost never try to train their boyfriends because their boyfriends won't listen).
• Suck - you don't hurt people, but you don't help them. This is most personal trainers with a short certification behind them. The person will get newbie gains for the first 6 weeks and may be encouraged to continue training as a result, so the Sucky trainer can actually help people by accident, simply by getting them to show up and do something. But no improvements past the first 6 weeks.
• Good - you help people. This is an intelligent trainer with at least 2 years of experience doing ongoing training with 20-50 people individually, and who has spoken to or taught a movement to 5-10 times that number. They'll have some continuing education in some form.
• Great - you help people a lot; usually this is a trainer who is generally Good, but is Great with a particular niche, they have extensive general continuing education, and some specific stuff to do with their niche, too. This is at least five years experience training 50-100 different people ongoing one-on-one, and 10-20 times that number one-offs.

The interesting thing I noticed about working in a big gym is that the trainers who were Sht didn't know it - but every gym member did. If you have no formal fitness education, no experience training yourself or others, and if your response to negative feedback about your competence is to spit the dummy, then nobody will hire you to train them.

So go ahead. The globogyms of the world need someone to dust treadmills for three months before they quit the industry and spend the next four years in gyms using "oh yeah, I used to be a personal trainer" as a pickup line with the cardio bunnies and curlbros.

Alternately, you could take seriously a profession where people pay you $1-$2 a minute to change their lives, and -

1. get yourself a trainer, and set moderately ambitious goals that'll take 6-12 months to achieve and involve setbacks along the way
2. then go and do a proper certification
3. then work in a big gym
4. and talk to someone new every day
5. and teach someone new a movement every day - plank, squat, leg press, whatever you think is useful, but always the same one
6. and thus in 2 years you'd have talked and taught a movement to at least 500 people, and will have learned something about people and teaching movements

[CommitmentRulz]

OP, what is your experience? Which programs have you, yourself, run?

What do you bench, squat, and dead lift? How many people have you taught to squat? Bench? Dead lift?

Give us some examples of programs that you have created and used. (Details.)

[will30]

Look, I did not know I was in over my head. I had never even been sure I was gonna be a PT yet. I said I was looking to be one. I'm still trying to get to that point myself. But I will think more about what I should do.

[getbigordie18]

The gym owner at the gym I go to said it would be $300-400 to get a certification, so I have to skip that. So I am looking to be a uncertified PT. How do I go about doing this? Do gyms require clients pay them or myself? Would I have to go for gym members willing to pay for training AND the membership of the gym/guest fee? This is a mom and pop gym so there are uncertified PTs here. I don't know if he explained the process well to me or not. He made it seem like I wanted a certification, but I just want to train.

Those of you who are members of small business gyms, how does your PT payment processing work? Do you get the client's money or does the gym?

Go get certified dont be cheap. I am studying for my NSCA certification right now. Get the books take the notes and pass the exam man. Its informative. Do you know how to do a client assessment?I had a former client for nutritional help. However I undercharged compared to most trainers. Know your worth.

[rugby121]

I've heard horror stores from uncertified PT's, be careful! I'd only reccomend if you do that to train your friend's / family to develop your skills part time.

[hendrixfreak70]

OP, I am ready to train under your tutelage.

[will30]

I'm considering paying for the certification.

[Hypertrophy505]

I just started my quest for certification under NASM a few weeks ago and I am here to tell you that you are in way over your head thinking you can train someone with bro-science.

There is so much real science to training someone *properly* and you are doing yourself and anyone unlucky enough to be your client a major disservice. I have been in the gym 2/3rd's of my life and after reading my material for a few short weeks I can tell you there is a TON of information that I have no clue about that is needed to properly train what ever walk of life comes my way.

Go work an extra job to get some cash, get yourself a plan with a reputable training program, pass your course and THEN think about getting employed as a trainer.

[Darkman006]

Well op you said your in college right? Why not ask some classmates/friends and start training them? Or post on a bulletin board that your looking to start training some people who are interested in getting fit.

[will30]

Well op you said your in college right? Why not ask some classmates/friends and start training them? Or post on a bulletin board that your looking to start training some people who are interested in getting fit.

Did you see my last post? I said I was considering signing up for the certification course. My future with my age is uncertain and I have to find the career path to help me, and personal training is something I feel will keep me financially secure when I'm done with college.

Now with that said, I still have my own workout problems.

[KyleAaron]

Keep considering.

[Sergexzx]

The gym owner at the gym I go to said it would be $300-400 to get a certification, so I have to skip that. So I am looking to be a uncertified PT. How do I go about doing this? Do gyms require clients pay them or myself? Would I have to go for gym members willing to pay for training AND the membership of the gym/guest fee? This is a mom and pop gym so there are uncertified PTs here. I don't know if he explained the process well to me or not. He made it seem like I wanted a certification, but I just want to train.

Those of you who are members of small business gyms, how does your PT payment processing work? Do you get the client's money or does the gym?

Before you become an uncertified PT, how qualifed are you? Experience?

The gym that I used to work at years ago allowed for external trainers to come in and train their private clients. However, the external trainers needed to be certified and have insurance.

Every place is different tho. Ask the manager for more clarification about the process.

[Brolicbros]

Most people working out on their own in the gym never use enough load, speed on treadmills or whatever to risk injury. Studies have shown that left to themselves, most people use 40-55% of 1RM on exercises - unless they drop it on their head, they can't hurt themselves with that, however dreadful their form. You generally need at least 80% to hurt yourself. But a trainer will encourage people to use more, and because you're wearing the polo shirt they'll trust your judgement - rightly or wrongly. So if you are unable to teach correct movement, you can push them from "crappy movement with light load" to "crappy movement with heavy load" and thus risk injury.

Dave Tate said that in lifting, there are four levels,

Sht
Suck
Good
Great

The same goes for being a trainer or coach.

• Sht - you hurt people. This is the typical gym-goer if the guy tries to train his girlfriend (women almost never try to train their boyfriends because their boyfriends won't listen).
• Suck - you don't hurt people, but you don't help them. This is most personal trainers with a short certification behind them. The person will get newbie gains for the first 6 weeks and may be encouraged to continue training as a result, so the Sucky trainer can actually help people by accident, simply by getting them to show up and do something. But no improvements past the first 6 weeks.
• Good - you help people. This is an intelligent trainer with at least 2 years of experience doing ongoing training with 20-50 people individually, and who has spoken to or taught a movement to 5-10 times that number. They'll have some continuing education in some form.
• Great - you help people a lot; usually this is a trainer who is generally Good, but is Great with a particular niche, they have extensive general continuing education, and some specific stuff to do with their niche, too. This is at least five years experience training 50-100 different people ongoing one-on-one, and 10-20 times that number one-offs.

The interesting thing I noticed about working in a big gym is that the trainers who were Sht didn't know it - but every gym member did. If you have no formal fitness education, no experience training yourself or others, and if your response to negative feedback about your competence is to spit the dummy, then nobody will hire you to train them.

So go ahead. The globogyms of the world need someone to dust treadmills for three months before they quit the industry and spend the next four years in gyms using "oh yeah, I used to be a personal trainer" as a pickup line with the cardio bunnies and curlbros.

Alternately, you could take seriously a profession where people pay you $1-$2 a minute to change their lives, and -

1. get yourself a trainer, and set moderately ambitious goals that'll take 6-12 months to achieve and involve setbacks along the way
2. then go and do a proper certification
3. then work in a big gym
4. and talk to someone new every day
5. and teach someone new a movement every day - plank, squat, leg press, whatever you think is useful, but always the same one
6. and thus in 2 years you'd have talked and taught a movement to at least 500 people, and will have learned something about people and teaching movements

Your post is very concise and helpful. Personal training is indeed a scientific responsibility

[fitalexv]

The gym owner at the gym I go to said it would be $300-400 to get a certification, so I have to skip that. So I am looking to be a uncertified PT. How do I go about doing this? Do gyms require clients pay them or myself? Would I have to go for gym members willing to pay for training AND the membership of the gym/guest fee? This is a mom and pop gym so there are uncertified PTs here. I don't know if he explained the process well to me or not. He made it seem like I wanted a certification, but I just want to train.

Those of you who are members of small business gyms, how does your PT payment processing work? Do you get the client's money or does the gym?

PLEASE wait until you have the financial ability to pay for a certification. Working out in a gym and giving advice to people and training people are not the same.

[Andrewkha2]

Working out in a gym and giving advice to people and training people are not the same.

True

[getbigordie18]

The gym owner at the gym I go to said it would be $300-400 to get a certification, so I have to skip that. So I am looking to be a uncertified PT. How do I go about doing this? Do gyms require clients pay them or myself? Would I have to go for gym members willing to pay for training AND the membership of the gym/guest fee? This is a mom and pop gym so there are uncertified PTs here. I don't know if he explained the process well to me or not. He made it seem like I wanted a certification, but I just want to train.

Those of you who are members of small business gyms, how does your PT payment processing work? Do you get the client's money or does the gym?

You will not be able to work legally as a CPT.