Thereโs a lot of information available on the internet about a variety of things, and this is no less true when it comes to fitness topics. Youโre here, reading this right now, after all. However, when it comes to physical fitness, thereโs only so much that words can convey.ย
This is where a personal trainer can be an invaluable resource when it comes to putting you on the right track to your goals.
You can find a million articles and products promising to get youย ย shredded,ย but thereโs nothing like a person who knows what theyโre talking about guiding you in real life.ย
However, a personal trainer is also going to be a lot more expensive than the free information you can find in an article or YouTube video. But how much more expensive? Thatโs going to depend on several factors that weโll take a closer look at down below.
Itโs no secret that the answer is largely going to come down to, โit depends.โ However, there are some solid numbers that you can use as a general guide to compare different personal trainers.ย
The commonly cited average cost across the entire country is a $60 hourly rate, but some personal trainers charge even lower than $30 and higher than $200.
These are two extremes, however, and the average personal trainer cost is going to depend on a bunch of factors.ย
But again, this is only going to be a general guide. There are several different factors that are going to play a part in the cost of a personal trainer, most of which are going to come down to your personal circumstances and fitness goals. Once we see how pricing is normally done, itโs a good idea to see what exactly one should be looking for in a personal trainer.
The most essential part of personal trainer rates is the length of session and whether you buy it in a package of several training sessions.ย
Itโs easy to assume that personal trainers sell their services on an hourly basis, but some also work in 30, 45, or 90-minute sessions.
So, you shouldnโt be assuming that your $50 session is going to necessarily be a one-hour sessionโitโs a good idea to check before going forward since clients pay per session.ย
The next most essential factor that dictates personal training cost is the number of sessions and whether youโve bought them in a special package.ย This is another obvious factorโseveral sessions are going to cost more than one.
For example, having multiple sessions each week for several weeks might be more expensive upfront, but if you know youโre going to stick to the training, it can make financial sense. The discounts on these packages are largely going to come down to the gym or fitness trainers themselves.ย
If you're just starting out with your training, it can make more sense to book multiple sessions in a week so that you get a solid foundation quickly, with some added motivation.
If youโre looking to develop a particular skill or need specialized guidance in some area, a weekly session might be enough.
The location of the training can refer to two different things. For one, your geographic location is going to matter a lot. If youโre living in a big city like New York, chances are that prices will be higher than in a smaller town.ย On the other hand, you can also get fitness training either at a commercial gym, private studio or at your own home.
The latter option is obviously going to be the most expensive since the trainer has to drive to the clientโs home for the private session. The gym session will make the most sense for many people since youโre already paying for the equipmentโyou might as well add some cash to learn how to use it properly.
Some trainers may be affiliated with their gyms while others may be considered independent trainers.ย
You should try shopping around different gyms in your area to see prices. Online personal training is also an option thatโs popped off recently, but there wonโt be that physical presence that there otherwise would be. Nevertheless, online personal training can often be cheaper and will also provide you with high-quality trainers that can adapt to your needs and goals.
There are also small group training sessions and personal training sessions. The first option is going to cost significantly less because there are several people sharing the costs. However, these sessions are going to be much less flexible for individuals that want a specific fitness plan.ย
If youโre looking for a flexible session with plenty of one-on-one time, a personal training session is going to get you a lot further.
This is especially true if there are any noteworthy injuries that you want your trainer to take note of when creating your training program. It also becomes a lot easier to adapt the program directly to your goals and nutritional needs. However, there will be a higher price tag attached to this option.
This is a big one and itโs going to be one of the largest factors when dictating price. There is nothing stopping anyone from declaring themselves a personal trainer, which is why there can often be such a huge disparity in prices and PT skill levels.ย However, the fact that there are no requirements for becoming a personal trainer doesnโt mean that licensing doesnโt exist.
There are a ton of different certifications and ways to discern a trainerโs credibility.
Some of these โcredibleโ ways simply require someone taking a test or doing an online course, which likely wonโt allow for the best quality training even though youโre then a certified personal trainer (CPT).
Some people may do their Bachelorโs in Exercise Science, but this doesnโt mean theyโre experienced trainers.ย There are six personal trainer certifications that are the most widely seen. The National Personal Training Institute (NPTI) credential actually requires potential PTs to take a full program at a school. This makes the NPTI certification one of the most credible out there.
The other commonly seen certifications include:
Keep in mind that all of these certifications arenโt equal, and they all have their pros and cons. However, in many cases, theyโre better than not having any certification at all. But education shouldnโt be the only factor when considering someoneโs credentials.ย
Weโll look at this further down below when we discuss how to choose a personal trainer, but it should be said here that just because a personal trainer has a ton of credentials, doesnโt mean theyโre good.
In many cases, itโs the real-world experience that matters the most.
This isnโt to say that certifications have no place, but that they have to be taken in the wider context.
Education, certification, and experience flow into one of the next largest factors that dictate price: specialization. If youโre paying $20 per session, chances are that youโre going to get very limited personal treatment, let alone offer some sort of specialization.ย
Specialization refers to those trainers who have racked up enough schooling or experience to be considered specialized in certain areas such as rehabilitation, or working with diseases such as MS or cerebral palsy.
The more unique your needs, the more specialized of a personal trainer youโll need.
And the more specialized the trainer, the higher the price will be.ย This is because youโre not just paying for an hour of their time, but youโre paying for all the schooling theyโve done and the experience theyโve earned over years. These are the people that are going to be able to fit your own personal needs and goals, and this partnership will likely result in success for you.
Since youโre here and not on the website of your local gym, chances are that you couldnโt find their prices readily available. Although some will make their prices publicly available, most will not.ย
This is because gyms and personal trainers want to get you in so they can talk to you.
The more they get to know you and your personal needs, the better they can cater to your own needs. This also means that itโs easier for them to sell you on a particular trainer or a particular program.
For example, if a gym pushed the fact that their personal trainers will make you feel sexy, that wonโt be a great selling point for people simply looking to rehabilitate after an injury.
Since goals are as diverse as the people who have them, itโs much easier for personal trainers and gyms to first speak to someone before selling them on a program or session.ย
However, this also isnโt necessarily a bad thing, even if it might be conceived of just going after a โsale.โ Going in to speak to a real person can help both you and the gym (or personal trainer) connect you to someone that can really help you and push you to your goals.
Now that you know what a decent price range might be for your needs, itโs time to choose a personal trainer thatย ย works for you.
At the end of the day, youโre trying to get results that further your progressโgetting generic advice that can be used on everyone is something you can get from the internet. But just like the question of price, this is easier said than done.ย
There are several factors to look at when considering a personal trainer, but it all comes down to whether you trust them to get you to where you want to be. This means that you shouldnโt look at just price, that you should consider their expertise and certifications, and you should get along to some extent.
Itโs good to have a budget (and stick to it), but as weโve seen, pricing differs on several different factors. And although weโve been focusing on price, that shouldnโt be your main deciding factor.ย
When comparing a $25 session and an $80 session, youโre going to likely get very different values of training.
You might be saving a lot of money with the cheaper option, but your trainer will likely give you more generic workouts instead of focusing on your personal needs and motivations.ย
However, at the same time, you shouldnโt be seeing the price as an automatic indicator of value. In sales, thereโs a common understanding that the higher you price something, the fewer complaints and haggling youโll get. This is because people tend to associate higher prices with higher quality, even though it may not necessarily be the case.
Higher prices will also attract people who have more money to spend and are therefore less likely to pinch pennies.ย
These are factors you should be aware of about yourself when choosing a budget and a personal trainer. But, if you shouldnโt be focusing too much on price, what should you be focusing on?
By far the most important factor in the quality of a personal trainer is going to be their expertise. And even more importantly, how their expertise meshes with your goals.ย So, itโs going to be important to have some goals. Sureโyou can walk into a gym, buy some personal training sessions, and have at โem without any specific thing youโre working towards.
But this isnโt going to be efficient and it might even be a waste of money. Everyone can find free, generic advice on the internetโthereโs no point in paying upwards of a hundred dollars if you donโt know exactly what youโre paying for.ย
And this is also why itโs so important to become very familiar with your goals and at least understand them from a theoretical perspective.
This will allow you to find a personal trainer that honestly understands what you want, whether thatโs losing weight, hitting a new PR, becoming a competitive powerlifter or bodybuilder, or simply wanting to become more physically fit.ย
Understanding your goals and knowing what it generally takes to get to them will also allow you to see through any potential BS. Itโs important to head professional advice while also being critical in a constructive manner. Ask questions like, โwhy do you want me to do this exercise instead of x?โย
Youโre not looking to subvert professional opinion, but just trying to find out the methodology behind the system, if you have different ideas of how you think you should be progressing.ย
You may want to find a personal trainer that has expertise in the area that you want to train in.
Sometimes this will be easy. For example, your budget will likely limit the expertise you can buy (at least to a certain extent). Or your goal might be simply learning your way around a gym. For more general goals, more generic guidance is acceptable.
Since there are no official requirements to becoming a personal trainer, it might seem like a wild west out there. This is also why those with certifications (and especially those with more stringent certifications, such as a relevant college degree and a personal training course) can often charge more for their services.
After all, theyโve โprovenโ the fact that they know something about personal training.
However, education shouldnโt be considered the end all and be all, of effective personal training. For one, donโt completely overlook trainers without certain credentials.
And furthermore, donโt unquestioningly accept everything about a trainer thatโs credentialed.ย Just like in the job market, itโs experience that matters the most.ย
You want to find a personal trainer that has a track record of helping people like you reach similar goals.ย
Another good source of experience is if the personal trainer has actually performed or reached the goals that youโre after. For example, if youโre looking to get into bodybuilding, finding someone whoโs competed in bodybuilding can be invaluable.ย
However, you also need someone whoโs enthusiastic about helping you reach your goals and knows how to teach. Doing and teaching are two separate skills. Someone may be an amazing bodybuilder but a bad teacher, or vice versa. How you balance these skill requirements is up to you and will once again depend on your goals. If youโre a quick learner and can get along with most people, maybe you donโt need an amazing teacher.ย This leads to our last point.
A good personal trainer should be interested in your specific goals and be enthusiastic about helping you.
And generally speaking, someone whoโs getting paid $150 per session is going to be more enthusiastic than someone whoโs being paid $30. But this is obviously not always going to be the case.ย
Personal trainers are amazing resources of information, but their job goes further than simply teaching you the ropes.
They should be sources of motivation and of general guidance in your journey. How well you personally get along with a PT can speak to how quickly and efficiently you work towards your goals. That also means you shouldnโt be afraid of backing out if you have some personal gripe with a potential trainer, since this will play a large part in your success.
In the end, you need a budget thatโs within realistic boundaries depending on a host of individual factors. However, you also need achievable and well-defined goals, because a personal trainer can only help you in so far as you help yourself.
If you're lookingย to lose weight and get shredded while maintaining mental clarity and energy throughout the day,ย
SHREDDED-AF is exactly what you;re looking for.
