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What is up with personal trainers?

2,234 Views | 23 Replies | Last: 2 mo ago by 94chem
500,000ags
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6:07p, 9/10/24
AG
Gf had 2 trainers that lasted awhile. Both ended for decent reasons. Then 4 in the last 8 months. This last trainer begged for more clients (took on my gf after the previous trainer left) and then left to work at a gym 10 mins closer to home (their gym was only 20 mins from home). One left to become a cop. One wanted to start a non-training business that folded in less than 4 months.

Is this everyone's experience?
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TXTransplant
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In reply to 500,000ags • 6:30p, 9/10/24
I train at my local Y. Several trainers have left because a Lifetime opened up. Evidently that's more of a staff position, with guaranteed hours.

I've been with mine for over 4 years. She wants to stop training on weekends, though. We may be able to meet twice a month on Fridays. I haven't decided if I'm going to move to another trainer or just work alone. I'll probably defer that decision until after the holidays.

I feel confident doing it myself now, except it's nice to have help with the weights when I'm hip thrusting 400+.
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jokershady
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10:58p, 9/10/24
AG
Been in the industry for 18 years and been with Lifetime Fitness for 16 out of those 18 years….

Takes a ton of hard work and sacrifice to build up a strong clientele and young trainers think they can just show up and business will just come to them….get frustrated when it doesn't and they go to a different gym thinking the location is the problem, go into business for themselves, or move to an entirely different industry….
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jokershady
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In reply to TXTransplant • 10:58p, 9/10/24
AG
Not guaranteed at all and is 100% commission based.
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ukbb2003
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In reply to jokershady • 11:16p, 9/10/24
jokershady said:
Been in the industry for 18 years and been with Lifetime Fitness for 16 out of those 18 years….

Takes a ton of hard work and sacrifice to build up a strong clientele and young trainers think they can just show up and business will just come to them….get frustrated when it doesn't and they go to a different gym thinking the location is the problem, go into business for themselves, or move to an entirely different industry….


This. I own a gym and I'm lucky to have two fantastic trainers. I've been trying to hire another one and/or keep one for a while now. The post above is spot on.
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500,000ags
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11:30p, 9/10/24
AG
Her latest assignee has no-showed an intro call, canceled two sessions day of, she met them once for an intro session even after they changed the time the day of, and she went to do her first full workout today and they got the time wrong. Wanted her to wait an hour. This is all in 3 weeks. Some of these people might instill confidence based on looks and personal discipline, but they are professionally so suspect / inept.
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TXTransplant
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In reply to jokershady • 6:31a, 9/11/24
jokershady said:
Not guaranteed at all and is 100% commission based.
I must have misunderstood. I thought she told me that the trainers at Lifetime have to be there for a certain number of hours a day (pretty much equivalent of a full-time job), and if they aren't training, they are expected to fill other roles/do other jobs as/needed.
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jokershady
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In reply to TXTransplant • 8:34a, 9/11/24
AG
TXTransplant said:
jokershady said:
Not guaranteed at all and is 100% commission based.
I must have misunderstood. I thought she told me that the trainers at Lifetime have to be there for a certain number of hours a day (pretty much equivalent of a full-time job), and if they aren't training, they are expected to fill other roles/do other jobs as/needed.
No you didn't misunderstand what she said is technically true...you just didn't get the whole truth.

With the exception of a few states like California and New York (and Canada) here's how it works:

New trainers are held to a tight schedule as they have no book of business and are required to do certain things to fill that book of buisness with clients...could be things like walking the floor helping members with technique, handing out towels, doing a nutrition sample table, etc. all with the purpose of trying to book appointments with members to give them a positive workout experience and gain a client.

However, if you're a trainer that trains above the minimum threshold to not be required to do this, you're left to your own devices but still have to be in the club for a certain schedule.

BUT...if you're like me and train a crazy amount (over 40 client hours a week) you can come and go as you please and management could care less what you do schedule wise.

In all scenarios....we are 100% commission. The only exception to that rule is when your performance metrics are REALLY low to the point where your paycheck would be less than minimum wage if you worked 40 hours a week, then your pay is bumped up to minimum wage at 40 hours a week.

If your commissions are above that minimum wage weekly pay, then you just earn your 100% commission pay ONLY and not the minimum wage on top of it.
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TXTransplant
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In reply to jokershady • 8:50a, 9/11/24
That makes sense. I think at the Y, the trainers are only paid for the time they are training (that was my understanding anyway). My trainer does it because she enjoys it, and isn't trying to earn a living wage to pay her bills (she is also married, and he works full time).
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jokershady
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In reply to 500,000ags • 9:09a, 9/11/24
AG
500,000ags said:
Her latest assignee has no-showed an intro call, canceled two sessions day of, she met them once for an intro session even after they changed the time the day of, and she went to do her first full workout today and they got the time wrong. Wanted her to wait an hour. This is all in 3 weeks. Some of these people might instill confidence based on looks and personal discipline, but they are professionally so suspect / inept.
good grief what gym is this?

LA fitness?
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P.U.T.U
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9:50a, 9/11/24
AG
Stepson managed a gym for a little bit (horrible pay btw) and having trainers show up regularly was an issue and there was a lot of turnover. Not a huge gym but he hated it more than doing HVAC work in the summer in San Antonio. It convinced him to work on getting his commercial pilots license
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500,000ags
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In reply to jokershady • 11:13a, 9/11/24
AG
It is a good size local gym, with a training director. Not a chain.
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500,000ags
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11:17a, 9/11/24
AG
Gf also had a previous trainer eventually ask if she could help them get a "corporate" job at her place. She works in tech and they wanted to work remote too. I'm venting / complaining at this point, but how does it cost $80+ an hour, and this is the result.
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AggieLAX
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In reply to 500,000ags • 12:01p, 9/11/24
AG
500,000ags said:
...how does it cost $80+ an hour, and this is the result.
My guess is that the trainer makes a very small percentage of that so isn't very motivated.

As an independent trainer, I charge a fair bit more than that and get to keep it all. As such, I have a higher level of motivation. I have the added (self-imposed) pressure to make sure that I earn every penny of it.

This is also my profession of 27 years and not some stop-gap until something higher paying comes along.
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MRB10
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12:21p, 9/11/24
AG
Those that do it to put food on the table… do you think raising the barrier to entry would fix the complaints here?

As it stands, any gym bro/gal can get a week long certification and walk into a 24 hour fitness as a "trainer". I funded my social habits doing this at A&M. I have to imagine that the customer experience varies wildly and could only improve if the trainers had to invest more time/effort on the front end.
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jokershady
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In reply to MRB10 • 12:51p, 9/11/24
AG
MRB10 said:
Those that do it to put food on the table… do you think raising the barrier to entry would fix the complaints here?

As it stands, any gym bro/gal can get a week long certification and walk into a 24 hour fitness as a "trainer". I funded my social habits doing this at A&M. I have to imagine that the customer experience varies wildly and could only improve if the trainers had to invest more time/effort on the front end.
Unfortunately it's a problem that will always exist.

Sure if you compare the qualifications needed to be hired at a low cost club to a much higher cost club those issues MIGHT be a little less common...but honestly I see it as an issue across the board no matter where you look for a trainer...

There are only certain accredited certifications that Lifetime Fitness will accept to be hired...hell there was a time that for certain roles you needed a college degree...and even with that you still had the same issues including but not limited to:

laziness
fear of rejection
over-confidence
lack of punctuality
poor business management
poor social interaction

Once upon a time I was in management for Lifetime Fitness and got out of that after 2 years of running the Sugar Land club. Not because of the trainers underneath me (even though I dealt with all these issues I listed above and more) but because of the politics of the people above me combined with the pay actually being worse. For two years I had turned a poor performing club into an over-performing one and even still the stress was so high I was ironically in my worst physical shape ever and after a hospital scare I stepped aside.

Now I just personal train and I'm honestly making way more money than I ever did when I was in management with all the crazy stress. Last year I made roughly $150k and I'm on pace to do that again this year....never came close to that number while in management...

Also to compare charge rates, I charge $130/hr (I get 60% due to performance) and I've been asked to increase my rate multiple times by managers and I keep saying no just because I don't want to price too many people out of my services.
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aggiederelict
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12:58p, 9/11/24
My issues with the personal training business is that some of my patients who seem them step into treating/diagnosing injuries which they aren't qualified to do so. The barrier to entry is low in the world and the advice they at times give to my patients isn't correct at all. This whole "DPT" issue at LifeTime is misleading to the public about their credentials.
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jokershady
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In reply to aggiederelict • 1:01p, 9/11/24
AG
aggiederelict said:
My issues with the personal training business is that some of my patients who seem them step into treating/diagnosing injuries which they aren't qualified to do so. The barrier to entry is low in the world and the advice they at times give to my patients isn't correct at all. This whole "DPT" issue at LifeTime is misleading to the public about their credentials.
oh lord don't even get me started on the DPT stuff.....so ridiculous and I agree with you

i will say at our location myself and a few other trainers are very experienced in corrective exercise (with the credentials) and even after all these years we're not afraid to say we don't know something and find other people to help correct the problem.....Arasti is one location I refer clients to at times...
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AggieLAX
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In reply to MRB10 • 1:32p, 9/11/24
AG
MRB10 said:
Those that do it to put food on the table… do you think raising the barrier to entry would fix the complaints here?

As it stands, any gym bro/gal can get a week long certification and walk into a 24 hour fitness as a "trainer". I funded my social habits doing this at A&M. I have to imagine that the customer experience varies wildly and could only improve if the trainers had to invest more time/effort on the front end.
I don't necessarily think the low barrier to entry is the problem. I have a Master's degree in Kinesiology and yet all of the relevant and useful information I possess I learned after I became a personal trainer. Of course, I was, and remain, a passionate student of all things health and fitness but I was also financially incentivized to get better at my craft. As much as I love doing what I do, I wouldn't have stuck at it if I was only making $20-$30 an hour.

If the big box gyms provided the same financial and educational incentives, I think you would find more expert and professional trainers. That was my model when I expanded my facility to 6,300 sqft in January of 2020. My goal was to be THE PLACE in San Antonio to go if you wanted real training. Then Covid happened.
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aggiederelict
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In reply to jokershady • 2:10p, 9/11/24
I know a lot of really good personal trainers here in Austin that I send my clients to when appropriate. I really like to network with them. But it becomes a race to bottom with pricing and so many are transient in the profession that it doesn't put it in a great light.

But I will say there are a lot of PT's that I wouldn't trust my rehab with either since they aren't well versed in strength training or even to working out themselves a whole lot either. Every group seems to go after the general population in these professions. Acupuncturists are mad that PT's do dry needling. MD's are mad that NP's are taking over in some areas. PT's are mad that personal trainers are treating injuries.
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500,000ags
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3:10p, 9/11/24
AG
I think low barriers to entry is universally the problem with any business when you zoom out enough. My gf and I have also never been to a big box gym. Current gym is also THE place for personal training / body building (granted it's a much smaller market).

Previously, I worked out at Central Athlete in Austin. Loved it. The part-time "coach" met with me once a week and did all my programming. This person was on a UT sport staff part-time, lots of credibility. This person eventually ran into issues for some personality stuff.

Gf went to a spot on East 6th called Thicc Chicks or something. Lol, she loved it. This trainer owned a small studio space and it was pricey, but great. Owner advertised hitting a pretty big revenue goal in just 8 months. She hung it up to coach other entrepreneurs on starting a business. That lasted like a year or two, and she's back to training.

It is a free world, but it is always something, and it's very strange after seeing for 5 years now. Successful, but don't really want to be a trainer. Good at training, but don't want to play nice with others.

It's not even specific to just young people, flakiest bunch of 30-40 year olds ever.
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aggiederelict
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4:54p, 9/11/24
" It is a free world, but it is always something, and it's very strange after seeing for 5 years now. Successful, but don't really want to be a trainer. Good at training, but don't want to play nice with others."

I see this a lot in my PT world. Start a cash pay practice and overstate your success. Start a business to help others grow theirs as well. These people never wanted to be PTs at all. They just wanted the credibility so they could sell others on how they became "successful." I used to work on of these practices. It was odd listening to a podcast about how great things were and i was like is he talking where i work. This isnt true at all.
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jokershady
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In reply to aggiederelict • 5:19p, 9/11/24
AG
aggiederelict said:
I know a lot of really good personal trainers here in Austin that I send my clients to when appropriate. I really like to network with them. But it becomes a race to bottom with pricing and so many are transient in the profession that it doesn't put it in a great light.

But I will say there are a lot of PT's that I wouldn't trust my rehab with either since they aren't well versed in strength training or even to working out themselves a whole lot either. Every group seems to go after the general population in these professions. Acupuncturists are mad that PT's do dry needling. MD's are mad that NP's are taking over in some areas. PT's are mad that personal trainers are treating injuries.


absolutely perfect! And you can add in...

Personal trainers are mad because they aren't allowed to state the obvious (i.e. looking at someone's blood work who clearly has high cholesterol but can't say "YOU HAVE HIGH CHOLESTEROL").
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94chem
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7:03p, 9/12/24
Rule #1?
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
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