Staying fit is the modern-day mantra, which is now witnessing near universal acceptance and popularity. While we may have our own understanding of fitness, there is a general consensus that fitness trainers are among the most reliable professionals.
Fitness trainers are absolute fitness freaks with whom lie the secrets to a perfect lifestyle and physical fitness. Their fitness mantra is absolute and requires strict adherence, and that is why we often find them overbearing and annoying. Nevertheless, it is not possible to adequately utilize the services of a gym without their assistance. Each training equipment serves a distinctive purpose, and you cannot randomly pick any of them and start exercising. You need the guidance of a gym trainer!
Going beyond the gym, there are other ways to exercise as well and they require the assistance of a fitness trainer. Thus, the conclusion is whether you hit a gym or undertake any other form of exercise, you need regular support and directions from a fitness trainer.
Judging by the importance of a fitness trainer and the unprecedented rise in the desire to stay fit and strong, fitness trainers are becoming highly popular in the fitness industry and hence, you can make a bright and lucrative career as a fitness trainer. In fact, freelancing as a personal fitness trainer is a superb idea, which requires a couple of things to be done before actually starting with it.
If you are wondering what to do to become a freelance fitness trainer, then this article will help you with that. Here are four things you must certainly look into before starting your journey as a fitness instructor:
1. Freelance Fitness Trainer Jobs
While obtaining certification or any degree is not a mandate to become a fitness trainer, there has been an increase in the number of professional certificate courses in fitness training. Under this head, we shall explore in detail what it takes to become a fitness trainer:
- It is to be noted that there are various kinds of trainers, and some are specialized in specific areas such as weight training or aerobic training.
- The most commonly known categories include aerobic trainers, who may conduct group sessions within the gym’s premises or at home, and specialise in exercises such as running, cycling, swimming, running, etc; clinical exercise trainer, who is engaged with patients suffering from physical ailments; Group trainer or gym trainer, who provides training in groups in gyms; personal trainer, as the name suggests, provides training on an individual basis; and a celebrity trainer, who is assigned to a celebrity and has only become popular recently only.
- Now you know what and all categories exist as far as fitness instructors are concerned, let us talk about more important aspects of this section—educational qualifications.
- There is no specific academic qualification required; however, a bachelor’s degree in any field is the most rudimentary qualification many clients would want in an employee. In addition, you can go for fitness courses which are available in plethora—many of them are available online. But, remember this, employers prefer those instructors with certifications from registered institutions.
- These institutes include Gold’s Gym, Indian Academy of Fitness Training, etc. An example of fitness courses is that of those conducted by the Reebok Instructors Alliance, which has an array of courses on a variety of fitness training areas such as the CPT program that grants a certification of a personal trainer and undertakes courses which include martial arts, pilates, and functional training. Another example is the country’s first international fitness institute—Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute—which offers a number of courses in Personal Training, Spinning Instructing and Fitness Management.
- Certification courses may be expensive at times, though the general slab is between Rs. 10,000 and 30,000.
- Apart from educational qualifications, you need to gather experience. For that to happen, you need to frequently engage with other professionals and clients. Work in different settings, that is, even if you are an aerobic trainer, you should associate with gym trainers and others. This is a wonderful way to diversify your overall experiences.
2. Skills Needed To Become A Fitness Trainer
Educational qualifications will not be of much help if you have not grown and developed the following mentioned skills.
- Communication skills: As a fitness trainer, you will presumably have a plethora of things to tell to the client; but without exemplary communication skills, you won’t be able to make much impact. Your communication skills must be impeccable, and you should be able to tone them down according to the level of understanding of the client. For example, if the client has no clue about the typical fitness terminologies, you must simplify the conversation in the manner best suited.
- Knowledge about the buzz in the fitness industry: You must be well acquainted with the latest fitness trends in the industry and incorporate the same in the training regime if feasible and desirable.
- Patience: Patience is the utmost important ingredient in training. You, as a trainer, must not be fidgety and impatient; you must be patient with the client and avoid annoyance over slow progress. Impatience will hamper effective training, and this will be harmful to your career as a freelance trainer.
- Stay fit: It is not just about making your client fit and healthy; you too are obligated to maintain health and fitness. Do not skip your fitness routines due to work, and always find time for workouts.
- Motivated and enthusiasm: Motivation to stay fitness is an element that gives enough strength to bear with the harshness of a fitness routine. While it is part of the job to keep the client motivated, you must retain motivation too. If you start feeling disinterested in the client and the fitness routine, the performance of both you and the client will dwindle, and the same applies to your career prospects.
3. Work Opportunities
It is not that difficult to find work as a freelance fitness trainer. Read below to know more about the same:
- Fitness trainers are massively recruited in gyms across the country and abroad. You can offer freelance services to gyms and earn handsomely.
- You can start personal training services, which are equally profitable.
- Helping an influential and popular person will take you to new heights and hence, the prospect of working a celebrity trainer can be eye-popping.
- Start your own classes or gym.
- You can come up with a Youtube channel or blog on fitness training and earn lavishly. Many fitness channels and blogs pay wonderfully to freelance fitness writers. Since you know how to train, you can presumably write on them.
- In order to explore more job opportunities, you will have to catch up and go online. There are a number of websites that provide freelance opportunities by bridging the gap between freelancers and the employers. Create an account and update a resume. Apply to job openings and follow-up. These websites offer a convenient alternative to expanding your career. Examples of a few websites for freelancers include freelance.com, upwork.com, linkedin.com, and guru.com. Most of them need a subscription fee, but it is worth it.
4. Fitness Trainer Salary
The pay rate cannot be estimated independent of certain factors such as experience, skills and educational qualifications. A fresh fitness instructor without much experience will usually earn between Rs. 12,000 to 15,000 per month depending on the place of work; a personal instructor will generally earn between Rs. 750 to 1000 per hour; group classes will get you around Rs. 400 to 750 per hour. The pay rate will naturally increase with experience and skills.
To know more about the courses, you should join associations and groups of fitness trainers. These groups not only provide you with ample information on the fitness industry but also help you in making connections.
