Considering Fitness as Your Chosen Career? Here’s What You’ll Need to Succeed

The fitness industry is worth billions of pounds, whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, gain confidence or work on your mental and physical wellbeing, millions turn to gyms, health centers and trusted personal trainers to help them embrace a healthier lifestyle.

[Image: pexels by victor freitas]

If you've chosen to enter the fitness industry as a PT and want to help others reach their fitness goals, then you're not alone. With more people than ever setting up their own personal training companies and taking on clients, it can be a difficult and saturated market to navigate.

Thankfully, arming yourself with the right tools from the offset will help you stand apart from your competitors and make yourself much more attractive to prospective clients. Every factor of your PT business must be covered, this includes your marketing and your qualifications, and you'll also need to look at invoice templates from FreshBooks.com to help you get paid faster and to simplify the payment process for you, your clients and for tax purposes.

Want to know more? Read on to discover what you’ll need to succeed in the fitness industry.

The right certifications

Frustratingly, some individuals practice the role of a personal trainer, simply based on their own personal experience in the gym. This is not only dangerous, but misleading as these people aren't trained in safe practice, the way the human body works, and how to cater fitness programmes to specific clients. 

By getting yourself fully qualified as a PT you'll be able to offer a fully tailored service to each of your clients, you'll also have the confidence and the knowledge you'll need to succeed. As part of your training, you'll also receive safety certifications such as CPR, first aid and others.

Consider a niche

No two clients are the same, but rather than offering your services to people from all backgrounds, you might want to think about specialising in a certain niche. That way you can charge more for your specialist knowledge and build a successful brand based on your reputation and expertise. Potential niches include bodybuilding, senior citizens, pre and post-natal fitness, people looking to lose weight, people with disabilities or even army-style boot camps aimed at businesses and corporate firms.

Consider your medium

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way many people approach fitness. With gyms and health centres closing, many PTs have turned to live streaming, video uploads and exclusive Zoom workouts that clients pay for to gain access. As a budding PT, you might want to consider offering various mediums of fitness, some live, virtual sessions, some pre-recorded and of course, 121 sessions once restrictions are lifted.

And finally, a strong marketing strategy

As mentioned above, the PT industry is incredibly saturated, which means standing apart from your competition is essential. Developing a strong marketing strategy is key, and utilizing social media to your advantage is a necessity. You’ll need to actively promote yourself across numerous platforms and build a following. You can build your brand by having a customized fitness software your clients can use with your brand and logo on it. It may take time, but as your client list grows, so will your success.