Do you have to be certified to be a personal trainer? NO! A personal training certification is not legally required. In fact, no state has a law requiring personal trainers to be certified.
I’m not saying DON’T get a Personal Training Certification, I’m saying take these steps first! Save Money, Make Money first!
Do you have to work for a gym to be a personal trainer? NO! You can work independently (this is what I’d recommend).
No Direct Answer
When you google “Do I need to get certified in personal training to personal train” 99% of the time google will direct you to one of the personal training certification websites where they go over how to get certified and why you should completely avoiding your original question from the beginning. Realistically, the only thing you need to do is rank in Google for “personal trainer” (I’m a personal trainer in Maui). Personally, assuming you’re already knowledgeable and competent personal trainer, I’d invest the money that you would spend on a personal trainer certification on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Most competent companies can rank you for this term for less than what you’d spend on a NASM cert.
They do what any sales business would do which is pitch their product and attempt to sway by offering “amazing deals and extra help”.
- Payment plan options
- Almost every company I have worked for has a number 2 rule if the buyer says it’s too expensive offer a payment plan. Payment plans always draw the buyer in because $2,000 sounds like too much but 4 payments of $500 now that might just be doable. It’s almost like they forget they are still paying $2,000 for the product.
- Guided help(Online tutor)
- They have a more expensive option that pleads it might be worth it for the extra help to make sure you pass your exams and stay on top of your work. You can actually find their quizzes and exams filled out and finished online and study them for free!
- A recommendation to a gym near you(one they are affiliated with) where you will shadow trainers and slowly work into the position of a personal trainer.
- A huge part of these companies are that they have big box gyms who sponsor them or vise versa so they make it seem very important to go and work for one of these gyms after you are certified and honestly I can see the attraction(It’s actually what drew me in the most) Easy access to work for a gym and get started. I will go into detail a little more on this subject later in my blog and how you lose more money than gain taking this route.
Throughout this whole process of getting certified you are not getting paid. There is a famous quote I heard often growing up “You’ve got to spend some to earn some” and while I’m sure plenty have succeeded following this I wish I would have just made some and saved some! I spent around $2,500 believing in the long run it would pay off but honestly I just wasted that money and and my time. Not a single person has ever asked me what personal training certs I have. There are so many more efficient ways to get started in the fitness industry and save/make money while doing it!
Make Money Save Money!
Have you ever considered instructing group fitness classes (Cardio Kickboxing, Boxing, HIIT, Circuit training, etc.)? Not forever just to start? A high percentage of group fitness gyms will hire someone with zero experience in the field and will put them through proper training. I worked for an owner of 5 gyms that conducted fitness classes and 17 out of the 20 instructors(including myself) started with no experience. Starting at a gym like that gave me the opportunity to learn all of the steps and tools needed to become a personal trainer and the best part was I didn’t pay to learn I GOT PAID to learn!
A few more benefits from starting your fitness career at a group fitness gym
- They paid for fitness instructors CPR/AED certified
- Another $50 saved and a certification that is beneficial anywhere in life. You will train a large variety of people from old to young, injured or fragile, with medical conditions, etc. and having a CPR/AED certification insures more safety for clients.
- Building a rapport with many people
- People got to see my personality and how I worked with clients and within the first year I got my first 5 consistent personal training clients.(I kept these clients for 3+ years which is rare for a personal trainer)
- I can not say this enough times… DO NOT poach members. If they come to you(which they will if you are good) take them on but make it clear that they need to remain a member of the gym or quit on there own terms and not because they are training with you now.
- Building the resume
- I can’t even tell you the number of clients I have because I worked for UFC or any Kickboxing gym or because I specialize in teaching weightlifting classes. 9 out of 10 times when I ask new personal training clients why they are interested in hiring me they say because of the experience I have under my belt.
I’m not saying don’t get a personal training cert. I’m saying that it might not be necessary and probably shouldn’t be your first step into the fitness industry.
Work for Yourself!
Another misdirected google search “How to become a personal trainer” or “What do you need to do to become a personal trainer” again most times you will get directed to a personal training certification company website and then that company will tell you to go work for a big box gym(24hr Fitness, Planet Fitness, LA Fitness, etc.) Biggest mistake I made was wasting so much time trying to work for a gym. Thankfully I met my very successful entrepreneur boyfriend who simply said why not work for yourself? Let me give you a breakdown of what you’ll make for a big box gym vs. for yourself.
- Big box gym
- Example 1) They will charge members at a gym $600-$1,000 for 5-10 1hour personal training sessions and the personal trainer(the one who sells the package and performs the actual job) will get paid $20-$35 per hour session.
- Example 2) Let’s get a little more specific I would sell a $750 package for 10 1hour sessions at the gyms I worked for. That is $75 an hour and the gym would pay me $25 an hour to personal train whoever bought the package…I was losing $500 a package!
- Yourself
- Working for yourself means you get to decide the prices of your sessions/packages. As you can see on my website I charge $65 per 1 hour session or $600 for 12 1 hour sessions and, the best part, I collect and keep everything that I sell!
- You are your own boss which means your time is no longer in someone else’s control! Pick whatever schedule you want, whatever days off that you want!
Honestly I could go on and on about the benefits of being an independent personal trainer but you guys get the idea! Do not mistake better for easier. Although it may be a better and more efficient decision for your career there is ALOT more time and effort that needs to be put into yourself and your business.
To conclude, If by any chance you are thinking that starting off with a certification is the route for you I would fully recommend getting the NASM certification over all other options. Be very picky with your choices because some certifications are not accepted at certain gyms but NASM is the highest ranking company in that field and is accepted at all big box gyms.
