In case you’ve ever entertained the Idea of becoming a personal trainer there are links within this post that will help you to become one that truly Kicks Ass.
Quite often, I’m asked what one has to do to become a personal trainer/fitness coach/bootcamp instructor. The question comes by those who either have been infected with the passion and transformative power of fitness and wish to do it for others, or by those who see what we do and with an air of presumption ask, “How’d you get this gig anyway?” as if it’s a line of work I’ve fallen into.
For the latter questioner I’ll usually tell them one day I was discovered in the aerobics section at K-mart and the rest is well, history. If they pry any further, I’ll get real and tell them they gotta spend a couple hundred dollars for a home-study course or weekend intensive followed by a test.
I usually lose them at, “spend a couple hundred…”
Personal training is not for the nominally interested or the dabbler. The fact that you are in good shape or like to work out aren’t sufficient credentials, or a calling to pick up a clipboard and stopwatch to roam the gym floor to prospect unsuspecting gym folk.
The fact of the matter is, becoming a personal trainer is easy. Perhaps too easy.
You get certified, or not, throw on a mesh shirt and a whistle, and boom start calling celebrities and writing the latest Fab to Flab dieting paperback and work book!

But becoming a trainer, and becoming a Thriving Trainer who overflows with raving clientele, are different things entirely.

First of all, unless you wanna play “who wants to get evicted?”, you have to know how to get Personal Training Clients and how to keep them. Then you have to keep them happy, motivated, and coming. The same rules apply for starting a Fitness Boot Camp.
Unless you have people coming to you and trusting you, shouting at your television set as contestants on The Biggest Loser scurry on treadmills, will be the closest you get to the client trainer relationship.
But how do I get personal training clients you ask?
This is where 95% of trainers get it wrong. You can be the greatest trainer in the world but if you don’t have people walking through the door the only Biggest Loser contestent you’ll get is you 😉
Training is a business, and just like any business, you need marketing. Personal Training Marketing is usually done horribly wrong if at all. People spend countless dollars “shot in the dark” marketing on some small-town magazine ad and bumper stickers and then when it doesn’t work they write off marketing off marketing altogether.
The trick is to not only be a great trainer, but to be great marketer. One such guy who has done this to an outstanding degree is Chris MccCombs. His site is dedicated to trainers looking to make a real meaning living out of being a personal trainer, or fitness entrepreneur.
If this line of work interests you seriously, check his site out, kickbacklife.com .You won’t regret it.