Entering the fitness industry as a new personal trainer or group exercise instructor can be an exciting opportunity with many benefits. However, it’s not a smooth path, as popular fitness education companies often portray in marketing campaigns. According to American Spa (2019), “the industry has an annual personal trainer turnover rate of 80 percent.” Before the realities of the fitness industry set in, there were several things that a new fitness instructor could set in motion to help them not become a part of the negative statistics surrounding the profession. In this episode of the KIPS Podcast, returning guest Aimee Nicotera shares insight from her time as a personal trainer, group exercise instructor, virtual instructor, conference presenter, and consultant for corporate gyms. Aimee is the 2024 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year, and her expertise shared in this episode equates to longevity for new instructors.
Independent vs Corporate Personal Trainer
This episode shares tips for personal trainers working for a corporate-style gym and independently functioning. Personal trainers working for a corporate gym benefit from new members constantly being signed up, which means more opportunities to improve your fitness consultation. There’s also the legality of being covered by the gym's insurance plans if anything negative occurs with a client.
On the other hand, independent personal trainers are typically small-business owners renting space within a facility or owning a small gym. There are several hurdles that an independent personal trainer must overcome, but the benefits vastly outweigh working for a corporate gym. Not only is the income potentially higher due to not having to share personal training sales, but you can make your own hours, grow your brand, and develop business partnerships.
How Virtual Helps Live Instruction
An interesting segment in this episode is when Aimee discusses how instructing online workouts has helped her in-person cueing. During online workouts, fitness instructors cue and describe exercises in such detail that any participant following along can easily digest them. While in-person instructors should strive for the same level of cueing, they can utilize manual manipulation and mirroring to hide mistakes.
In this episode, Aimee and host Tyler Valencia, Ph.D.(c), share how filming online workouts has helped keep them sharp for in-person group fitness and the benefits of offering these services.
When is the independent route appropriate?
After a fitness instructor has been in the fitness industry for a few years, they consider the independent route. So, how does an instructor know when it’s appropriate for them to take the leap? Aimee shares some insight on this topic and her reasons why it’s a benefit. One of those benefits is the flexibility in creating your schedule. It should be first noted that this is a challenging career path. Still, schedule flexibility is a benefit that instructors training across different gyms, virtual gyms, or small studios can utilize. A sample training day could start with filming online workouts, including training in-person clients at a gym where you rent space and teaching a group fitness class at a local gym.
The main takeaway for fitness instructors interested in going the independent route is first to develop the basic skills of being a personal trainer. Suppose you can work for a corporate gym and gain valuable repetitions in fitness consultations, cueing new clients, and performing assessments. In that case, that can be a priceless experience that can help you develop a fruitful career within the fitness industry.
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