Freelance Personal Trainer Advice Pages
The fitness industry has seen a phenomenal growth here in the UK during the last decade, but especially in the last 5 years. While the rate of growth has started to slow down, with the continuing media attention on subjects such as child nutrition, the long term effects of obesity, the Government's attempts to reduce the number of smokers in the UK and even the upcoming 2012 Olympics, the fitness industry as a whole is likely to see continued growth for some time to come.
This
growth is of course driven by the consumer demand created by the aforementioned
media focus. As consumers become more aware
of the impact of their fitness levels on their life expectancy and
significantly, life quality, so they start to look for ways to improve
their fitness. Such
methods may include going to slimming clubs, gyms, consulting their
GP or a nutritionist and increasingly seeking the specialist knowledge,
attention and services that only a personal trainer can provide.
Some people will simply use the personal training services provided by their local gym, especially if they are already a member. However, there are many people who prefer to use a freelance personal trainer. They may be uncomfortable with walking into a gym due to low self-image, they might not have time to travel to and from a gym and need to fit their training around their occupation and family, they may have specialist needs that the average gym does not offer as a speciality, such as a disability, a medical condition or perhaps a sports specific goal. Whatever the reason there will always be the need for freelance personal trainers.
However, just because there is a high level of demand, it does not mean that being a personal trainer is an easy way of making money. In fact it is quite the opposite. Not only is it very hard work, both physically and mentally, an increasingly high output of qualified personal trainers by fitness training companies, universities and colleges has created a high level of supply to meet the demand, making this area of the industry very competitive.
Nevertheless, a hardworking, fit and savvy individual with great people skills, can make a very good living as a personal trainer on a self employed basis, and it is a very emotionally rewarding job as well. The following pages have been put together to help anyone entering this field to get the best out of themselves, their clients and their personal training business.