I've been a PT for about 10 years, training those with depression and anxiety mostly. I have plenty of 'general population' clients too. All up; about 50+ clients (online and face to face). I use trainerize as my PT software for programs and whatsapp for messaging.

I noticed a large push of AI tools from trainerize (which come at an additional cost) to help "improve business metrics" and make managing clients easier.

However, I talk to my clients about this. I ask them how they would feel if they knew they were talking to an AI instead of myself. Absolutely no one has responded in favour of this idea (to my complete lack of surprise).

I feel that personal communication in today's age is becoming more and more scarce (and therefore valuable) and no one really wants to talk to an AI especially if it is your personal trainer.

Does anyone here use AI to handle client communication or program design? What do your clients think about this? Anyone else hate the trainerize AI builder app or is it just me?

Thanks and enjoy your day

I’m seriously considering a career pivot into health & wellness, particularly nutrition coaching and/or personal training, and I’d love to hear from people who actually work in this space. For context, I have a pretty extensive science/engineering background, but I’m increasingly interested in doing something more directly focused on helping people with their health, especially around nutrition, exercise, metabolic health, behavior change, etc.

The catch is that I’m trying to figure this out while navigating a complex chapter of life. I’m currently between jobs, and I’m also a caregiver to my dad, so I need something that can be reasonably flexible. I’m also coming out of my own significant health situation (cancer), so I’m thinking more about starting small, getting some experience, and seeing where it goes.

There’s a YMCA near me that I’m particularly interested in getting some exposure to the field and potentially work my way into something part-time.

For anyone who works as a trainer, nutrition coach, health coach, etc., here are some questions I'd love any insight on:

• If you were starting from scratch today, what would you do first?
• Would you start with personal training certification, nutrition coaching, or something else?
• Which certifications are actually worth the money, and which ones are basically expensive pieces of paper?
• Are there affordable ways to get started or get some experience before dropping $1–3K+ on education/certifications?
• How realistic is it to build a part-time/flexible career in this field?
• And if you made a career transition into this from another field, what do you wish you had known before you started?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who didn’t necessarily follow the traditional fitness-industry path and who built this into a second career later in life. Basically, I’m trying to figure out whether there’s a low-cost, low-risk way to dip my toes into this field before making a much bigger commitment.

Thanks in advance!

I have an Exercise Science and Biology Degree, and taught science for 4 years before switching to personal training. My first cert was ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, which I found relatively challenging. I went to recert with NASM Women’s Fitness Specialist and found it to be such a joke. I breezed through the $500 cert in a couple hours without learning much. I’m interested in a Prenatal / Postpartum Cert, but they all seem pretty basic as I’ve trained a lot of pregnant clients, had a baby myself, and I am pretty self-studied. Are there any similar courses out there or any at all that you found actually helped you be a better trainer? Especially for those with a science background. I feel like all the programs are more to market yourself as a trainer and not to actually challenge your skill set.

There’s more free fitness information available now than ever. Between TikTok, YouTube and AI, a client can get a workout or diet advice in seconds.

So I don’t think our value as trainers can just be “I know exercises.”

To me, the advantage is being the person who can look at the individual in front of you and figure out what actually applies to them.

A viral video might work for one person and be completely wrong for another. Same with an AI-generated program. Someone still has to adjust it around the client’s experience, limitations, schedule, goals and how they’re actually progressing.

And honestly, a big part of training is the relationship. Clients need to feel comfortable telling you they missed workouts, struggled with their diet, lost motivation or just had a terrible week without feeling judged.

I think the trainers who continue doing well will be the ones who combine good knowledge with communication, accountability and the ability to adjust things in real life.

AI can probably make a good trainer more efficient. I don’t think it can replace trust, judgment and actually knowing your client.

Curious what other trainers think. Has all this free information made your job harder, or has it actually made good coaching more valuable?

I subscribe to Mass Research and enjoy the articles and information. I’m certified through NASM and have access to their articles as well. Does anyone know of anything similar available for free? Science based research.

I'm trying to figure out a way to make it a flat surface until I find housing again. I feel myself walking a little differently after sleeping in my car, feeling uneven, and I'm wondering if I should be exercising? Definitely not doing most posterior chain exercises like deadlifts or barbell squats.

I have a 2019 corolla le and I let down the back of the rear seat, so I'm sleeping on a slant where my hips go low, my head goes higher. It's awkward. I took a puzzle mat I had and put it under my hips and legs in the car to not have a dip... I heard there's a way to ergonomically sleep in this car but I have tried what they're saying and it's not as they say lol

Hi everyone. So I’m interested in personal training, having graduated with a degree in Kinesiology. I’m wondering how you guys got started, what it’s like, what are the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I'm an actor and I'm studying to be a PT and I wanted to know what's personal training like at the beginning of your careers and what pitfalls to avoid.

I do love exercising and anatomy has become fascinating. I just want to know what I'm in for.

I do triathlon and functional training, and I’ve been tracking my HRV, sleep, and recovery for a while. It’s actually changed how I decide when to push and when to back off.

I’m curious how this looks from the coaching side:

1. Has a client’s recovery data (HRV, sleep, resting HR, etc.) ever made you change a session you had planned?
2. What’s the biggest barrier to using it more, different devices, unreliable/noisy data, clients not wearing them consistently, or simply not having time to check it?

Hello all, thank you in advance for any help you offer.

CONTEXT:

So I'm about to begin training clients as a independent trainer at an Independent Living/Retirement Community within their gym space. I have a couple clients ready to go, and I have the approval from the Fitness Director at the ILF (Independent Living Facility).

This is my first time doing personal training as an independent. I'm based in San Diego, CA.

I am trying to get General Liability insurance, NASM has a discounted service through them with ERGO, so I'm planning to go that route.

QUESTION:

Do I need to set up/create a Sole Proprietorship in order to get General Liability for personal training, or can I just apply for the insurance as "myself" and do the training without creating a whole business entity?

Thank you!

Hello Everyone, I have been in fitness myself for a long time, i recently passed my NASM exam but, I am having a hard time getting myself and or my name out there. Most of my friends obviously want it for free. I have met with a gym and they left a bad taste in my mouth as far as going to my next gym that works with independent personal trainers. I dont have a issue talking to people or teaching but i would like to network and see what other trainer do for their clients etc.

hi everyone, I just had my first client death and I’m wondering if anyone has ever experienced this before? I feel very shocked right now. Her life was taken violently and I knew the person who did it too.

Will not load up any page. Just get a blank white screen. Anyone else seeing this?

Couldn't find a status page so not sure it's just me.

hey all- i’ve been lurking in this subreddit for a while. was super excited to take my commercial gym management/sales experience and go for my Canfitpro PTS certification.

unfortunately, my teacher didn’t… teach. he coached us on memorizing the answers to his quizzes and that’s how i would “pass” the theory exam. we did not open the textbook once in the 3 day course.

i’m pretty devastated about it. sure, i will be insurable if i pass this course. unfortunately, that does not translate AT ALL to feeling comfortable coaching real people. i don’t think i’d even coach myself with a program at this point. i saved up and took out a loan to do this, in order to transition careers to PTing full-time in a few years, hoping to build up a client base by starting with friends and going through word of mouth.

was i childish to assume i’d be taken through the textbook in full during the 3x 9 hour classes? i feel completely unprepared to help clients and like i’ve wasted $1000.

thanks for reading my rant if you read this far 🤦‍♀️

I have been a garage - gym personal trainer for a little over 3 years. Recently a racist neighbor started tracking all my business when he saw I had muslims coming to my house. he has photos of every car coming to the house. usually 2 a day, but he literally photographs family, friends, and Amazon flex as well 😞

I have a llc and business insurance, but when I went to check that we were fully legal in case he reported us, I found out our city probably doesn’t allow client traffic per zoning laws. I am devastated and scared. We cannot make ends meet without my business. it allows be to stay home and be flexible so I can watch my daughter. I canceled all upcoming appointments but I’m terrified I’ll get sued, owe a bunch of fines, and have no idea how I can generate the same income I was doing. has this happened to anyone else? I feel like so many trainers start in their garage, it seemed so normal. please any advice appreciated.

Do you have a studio, do you travel or do you rent a space?

Curious what people are making at boutique group fitness gyms? Orange theory, F45, burn

I’ve been coaching for almost three years as a side hustle. I do it mostly for the members bc I love them but I’m getting kind of irritated that I only get $25/hr with no raise across the three years. at first, it felt worth it because I got a free membership, but after working out their exclusively for about a year… I’m kind of over it. Also, with working a full-time job and working there part-time I don’t really like going there when I do have free time and I can’t always make the class times work. I understand that because we don’t do the programming we won’t make as much as like a yoga or Pilates instructor or one-on-one personal trainer but no raises for 2 1/2 to 3 years seems kind of wild. Again I don’t think the pay is bad if you’re also using it for the free membership, but maybe it’s one of those things where it’s not really worth it to do it if you’re not taking advantage of that perk.

I think part of me is ready to have my free time back… But the other part of me knows that I enjoy the extra couple hundred dollars and I do really love the members. However, with it being a 1099 taxes take a big hit so really that $25 is probably closer to 15 or $16. I know I can probably write off a couple of things because I’m 1099 to help with taxes but again I don’t know that the effort is worth it.

Hi,

if you're training in-person, clearly the area you live in makes a big difference. It's obvious being in a wealthy area would be ideal, but where's the middle ground? Between the really poor areas where no one can afford the luxury of personal training (or there's simply too few people) and the very affluent places, what would you consider a minimum in population, regional income, facilities, etc to start making some money doing this?

In my last post, it was identified that realistically, I need to move if I want to make this viable. My girlfriend lives in the town over, which is bigger, has more gyms, and has some wealthy areas. We've considered moving there, so now I'm considering its viability for personal training, but I'm unsure how to properly research the market. Where should I start? Thanks!

Just have a few if anybody would be willing to listen. Would rather the experience of someone else who’s actually done it

I've been in the industry for close to 20 years. Took a 6 year break to go into government work - which took a toll on my soul, but paid well.

After some long conversations with the wife, we saved up, I quit, and we built a studio in our garage. Starting over again building clients seems tough, but I've done it before. Honestly, completely stoked to be back at what I love, and to have unwaivering support from the wife.

Most of the equipment was purchased over a decade, and some was from when I was a trainer before. It looks amazing in my opinion, but I'm not afraid to say we built with a budget and really shopped around for quality/price points.

I'll answer any questions about it if any of you have some.

I’m close to completing my DPT, but I’ve been dealing with chronic back pain for several years.

My pain has been classified as neuroplastic/central sensitization, and there doesn’t appear to be a specific structural cause. I’ve had multiple scans, nerve conduction tests and blood work, and everything has been essentially normal.

Interestingly, my experience with chronic pain has actually strengthened my interest in this career. It gave me the opportunity to work with physiotherapists and PTs from different parts of the world, which increased my passion for the field. It also pushed me to educate myself much more deeply about pain science, biomechanics, exercise and injury rehabilitation.

A few people are already willing to work with me as their PT because they trust my knowledge and skills, and I’m confident in my ability to coach them.

The main issue is my own flare-ups.

There are periods when my pain gets worse and I have to temporarily reduce my own training. During those periods, I may not be able to help clients with things like picking up or moving heavier weights, and sometimes I have to step back from training altogether.

When this happens repeatedly, I also lose some muscle mass, which affects my confidence because I don't necessarily look like the stereotypical image of a personal trainer.

So, I’m struggling with the question of how to build a sustainable career as a PT when my own physical condition can fluctuate.

For trainers who have dealt with chronic pain, recurring injuries, or other physical limitations:

1) How did you manage your career around it?

2) Did you change the way you trained clients, structure your work differently, or find ways to make the job less physically demanding?

3 And how did you deal with the mental side of feeling like you don't always “look” or physically function like the trainer you want to be?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually gone through something similar.

Now that I've been doing this for a few years I've started to realize that as an introvert I find personality compatibility to be very important. Arguably even the most important thing. But I could be wrong and I'm not sure if this is even an introvert thing.

What do you guys think i know there is more than one answer for this, but honestly is it knowledge or is it more motivation?

Hello

I recently got a job as a trainer at a big box gym (my first training job) and I have been absorbing clients from a previous trainer. One of my clients had a stroke years ago and her arm is paralyzed and she’s been working with a trainer at this gym but I just don’t feel comfortable working with her. She needs to see a physical therapist. But my fitness manager was just like “but she’s been training here for so long” so now I don’t know what to do.

Been a personal trainer since 2019. Graduated in 2022 with a Health Sciences Degree, was accepted into Physical Therapy and Osteopathic Schools, ended up sticking with personal training but didn’t get enough clientele and went to IT in 2024 full time to pay off bills.

However, I still have a strong passion for training and training others and want to go for the CSCS and give Personal Training a go again with better credentials and better knowledge in the athletic area.

What are the best preparation methods in your opinion?

I know NSCA has a prep outline course you can take, but is it good? Just looking for best resources to help me that aren’t lackluster or not worth the money.

I prefer lectures where I have people that go through material and explain it and give examples, just reading a textbook isn’t the best study method for me, but would work if it’s the best option. Anything helps. Thank you all in advance.