Which Fitness Route Is For You?

Article by: Josh Douglas-Walton

Once you realised you had a passion for fitness, you dreamed about being able to use that passion towards a more fulfilling career. You worked hard, studied, and earned your personal trainer qualification. Now, you’re ready to take on the world! So, what’s the next step? Apply for employment at your local gym or health club, or go the solo route and start work independently as a freelance personal trainer?

Here are some points to consider in making the decision.

Working at a gym can be a great start to a personal training career. Gyms have loads of high-quality equipment from which to choose. They offer the benefit of a brand name business and the reputation that inherently comes with. Gyms also offer can be most difficult to come by for newly qualified personal trainers: leads for generating new client sales. There can be trade off however as you may be required to pay a certain amount of rent in order to operate on the gym floor.

Some gyms and health clubs may even go so far as to charge commission on the sales you make.

That arrangement can seem a little restrictive and it’s a major factor for personal trainers choosing to go down the freelance route. This involves registering your business name and entity, finding a facility and equipment in which to train, and independently finding clients. Most freelance trainers work out of a small fitness centre, at their own home, or at the homes of their clients. This usually requires a small investment in some portable gym equipment, such as dumbbells, kettlebells, cables and bands. You can also establish your own home gym or recommend the client purchase the equipment to keep at their house for personal use.

As previously mentioned, finding clients can be the most difficult task of working as a freelance trainer.

It helps if you have strong interpersonal skills, good networking abilities, and are always on the lookout for clients everywhere you go. Anyone you meet can potentially be a client! Using social media to promote your business is a good way to interact with friends and followers to establish a relationship and earn new business. For more great tips, it’s highly recommended that you read this advice from some of the UK’s best personal trainers.

While it might seem appealing to start out working for yourself, if you’re new to the fitness business it may be wise to seek gym employment. Without any experience as a trainer, potential clients may be reluctant to hire you. It also takes time to build strong people skills and to polish your ability to market and sell your services. Without this, a lack of self-confidence can make it difficult to get business. Gyms have experienced staff on hand and usually offer education for helping improve the skills you need to learn and grow as a trainer and a self-salesperson.

When considering freelance versus gym training, also realise that you don’t have to follow an either-or approach.

Many successful trainers work at gyms and also work independently at other facilities. Through experience, you can find what works best for you, whether that is as a business owner, an employee, or both.

Written by: Josh Douglas-Walton, fitness writer and journalist for HFE, the UK’s leading provider of personal trainer courses and fitness qualification.