I’ve written quite a few articles and made some videos as well. It adds to your “perceived value”. Also, if you put up a website with client testimonials and before/after shots that will help a lot.
How big of a client base do you want? I take a max of 6 clients at a time and do about 3 sessions a day M-F. If you’re in demand and working a lot of hours raise your prices - you’re obviously worth it 
[quote]LS87 wrote:
When I started I photoshopped pics of people for
before and after photos and made up testimonials haha
Fake it till you make it.[/quote]
Someone’s been rading PFP. Man, I saw that headline and was hoping that’s not what the article was about, sad.
[quote]LS87 wrote:
Obviously someone didnt sleep through ethics.
Add in seminars and certifications on your resume.
When I started I photoshopped pics of people for
before and after photos and made up testimonials haha
Fake it till you make it.[/quote]
I have gotten certified. Are you suggesting that I add certs that I don’t actually have? I’m not totally above doing something shady, but I think that is beyond my threshhold.
To the OP:
Personal Training is challenging… like everything else in life if you want to be great you really have to dedicate yourself… (I think I stole that Dave Diehl on Joe Defranco’s Strong). But honestly I’m 2 1/2 weeks into my career and its no joke, I spend hours at the gym not getting paid trying to sell personal training packages; granted I’m not an independent contractor, making sales aren’t the easiest. I have about 5 clients that I see regularly now, but I’m at the gym from about 8am to 8pm. So… to sum it up… its a good time as long as you are sure you like it.
Rant: Competency is essential… certifications mean shit… I had a successful trainer that I work alongside of tell me that muscles can burn fat during a workout by getting a pump. I respectfully disagreed, but nevertheless the guy sees about 15-20 clients per week, 3x per week, paying about $50-65 a sesssion. So I urge you not to be a piss-ant even though the general public may think that you’re great… I try not to be one myself, I only talk about what I know and learn about what I don’t, self-education is continuous in my opinion.
So… take a dive… get certified so people will take you seriously, but then invest in training knowledge: books, tapes, advice from exeperienced lifters and practice your craft. Its hard, but rewarding.
TDRINK
I’d avoid doing the fake seminars and certs. First, this is a direct-sales position. You WILL exude dishonesty through your pours, if you’re generally the honest type.
Second, as Barret said, certs don’t really mean a whole lot. Get an ACE if you need a quick piece of paper, the ISSA if you have a bit more time. CSCS is THE cert and is a guarantee on raised rates and higher perceived value.
I know of several trainers who buy, sell, and trade before/after pics, as well as testimonials. Not the most ethical thing in the world. I have been tempted, but haven’t dipped my toe in that pool yet. Don’t photoshop the stuff. It’s easy to figure out, hard to hide, and really isn’t necessary after your first few success stories.
RCFROMDB has what I would consider the ideal setup; enough activity to keep a high income, few hours, and what is probably a very flexible and infinitely fulfilling lifestyle.
OP, also check out super-trainer.com. Very useful resource.
Just training friends and then got certified and now market myself privately. I specialize in behavior management and habit reformation, but for me that’s my degree, social science. Ill probably try and do grad work on behavior alteration and training etc.
-chris
Thanks for the all the advice, guys.
Just to make myself clear. I HAVE a certification with ACE. I also have years in the gym, have gotten very good results for myself and for the (very) few clients I have trained privately. I spend many hours a week reading articles and websites in an effort to gain more knowledge as well as discuss training with people in my gym. I agree that learning is a constant in this game, but I do feel like I am qualified to train people. I have left a corporate job that I held for the past 10 years in an effort to pursue this full-time. I believe that there is real value in getting affiliated with a well-respected facility and was looking for tips on how to land such a position. Maybe that is not realistic at this point and I need to attract more private clients/work in a lower end facility first. I don’t know.
What I do know is that there are a lot of personal trainers out there who are ineffective and not really dedicated and passionate about getting results for their clients. Then there are many other’s who are excellent with great reputations. I want to give myself the best opportunity right out of the gate to establish myself with the well-respected, professional crowd. Without a ton of facility experience, I am sure this will be a challenge.
If you’re looking to land with a gym first, there is a different way to approach that.
Put together your resume’, obviously. Put it with pics of your clients, before and after, as well as testimonial. If you don’t have before, the after picture, with their praise of you, your skills, how they enjoyed your coaching, etc, are still powerful qualifiers.
Aside from that, with your current knowledge, having a certification, you should be able to land a gig at just about whatever facility you want.
[quote]tdrink wrote:
LS87 wrote:
Obviously someone didnt sleep through ethics.
Add in seminars and certifications on your resume.
When I started I photoshopped pics of people for
before and after photos and made up testimonials haha
Fake it till you make it.
I have gotten certified. Are you suggesting that I add certs that I don’t actually have? I’m not totally above doing something shady, but I think that is beyond my threshhold.[/quote]
no dont break the law.
I am legally certified and insured.
I just added bullshit seminars and certifications on my
resume that I never did… eg. “Fit to Ski”, “Kettlebell Cert” etc
No ‘gym manager’ is going to check them out.
@jehova… I dont know what your talking about,
please put a link up though.
[quote]LS87 wrote:
@jehova… I dont know what your talking about,
please put a link up though.
[/quote]
Sorry, I was mistaken. There was a recent article in Personal Fitness Professional titled “Fake it till you make it”.
I stopped reading that magazine a few years ago, as it seems to have gone downhill a while back. I just noticed that headline article
If you can motivate, educate, and produce results you should do fine. Sounds cliche but it is true. It doesn’t hurt either if you can read people. Do they look for the serious all the time demeanor or respond better to having fun will training. I think that is a crucial step. Some clients just want some ‘hang out time’ and aren’t really looking for the results. I HATE those clients. That is the main reason why I am moving toward training SC and working with athletes.
[quote]Ct. Rockula wrote:
HolyMacaroni wrote:
No.
I don’t get you.
do you “rip shit”? or are you just a fat dude?
not a fat dude, how would I get ppl to agree to sign contracts if i was out of shape?
realize the “years training” it says 15. I’m 20 now I have sick mass on me.
and yes i’m rippin shit every time i’m in the gym
[/quote]
Not to call you out too much, but these threads absolutely do not show 15 years of successful training experience, let alone the knowledge to get results for clients:
Factor in your avatar from a few weeks ago of a heavy guy in a tank top, and I think HolyMac nailed it on the head. You’re not as muscular as you think you are. Any chance you managed to get a more recent pic than the old one in this thread:
And yet, I agree with your point on building a portfolio to record the results a trainer produces. That’s something trainers should be doing from day one.
[quote]tdrink wrote:
I believe that there is real value in getting affiliated with a well-respected facility and was looking for tips on how to land such a position. Maybe that is not realistic at this point and I need to attract more private clients/work in a lower end facility first.[/quote]
Doctors don’t always start with private practices in Manhattan. They often have to first intern at skeevy hospitals, working lousy shifts, gaining experience as they go. Eventually, they get to where they want to be. Same principle applies here.
I think you’ll gain more experience sooner in a commercial gym setting, rather than training on your own. You’re exposed to a more diverse population, which sharpens all your skills faster than would otherwise happen. Is there someplace in particular you’re looking to work? In the city or on the Island?
You might want to check out the Trainers Talking Shop thread (not sure if you’ve posted in there before). There’s a bunch of random and relevant training info there:
http://tnation.tmuscle.com/free_online_forum/music_movies_girls_life/trainers_talking_shop
I also suggest picking up a copy of Fitness Riches. It’s an ebook that has some of the top trainers and fitness marketers (Cosgrove, Ruth, Rigsby, Berry, Ballantyne, etc.) giving great advice.
http://www.fitness-riches-book.com/
[quote]Chris Colucci wrote:
.[/quote]
I knew that was him. He had an avatar of him doing cable flyees. 300 lbs my ass
my bad, I see that was from a cell phone and he was like 15, doh.