How to Become an Online Personal Trainer

During the pandemic, indoor gathering restrictions left many gyms and studios closed for months. Many gyms and coaches had no choice but to offer services online because of this. Since then, however, many clients have learned that they actually prefer online coaching. Would you like to have one of these online personal trainer jobs?

Benefits of Online Training for Clients

Online coaching offers several benefits to the client. Perhaps the most significant is having total flexibility in scheduling workouts. It’s easy to simply move a workout to a later time if unexpected work or life responsibilities get in the way. There can be complete privacy as well, which is a major plus if a client is self-conscious or just enjoys solitude.

If a client opts for a home gym there are even more benefits. No disinfecting needed! All equipment can be specially picked to meet the individual’s needs and preferences, and they’ll never have to wait for equipment to be available. Music and environment can be controlled, and best of all: no commuting time.

All of this translates to fewer potentially missed workout sessions. We all know the most important factor in predicting success for trainees is consistency. Remote coaching takes away a lot of excuses for missing sessions, which means better results for your clients!

Usually, remote coaching is more affordable for the client as well. This gives clients access to personal trainers they perhaps couldn’t otherwise afford, or that wouldn’t be available to them locally. These advantages are placing online personal trainer jobs in high demand.

Benefits of Online Coaching for Personal Trainers

Remote coaching offers many advantages to the trainer as well. Working hours can be much more flexible. You can even travel during the work week! All you really need for an online personal trainer job is access to an internet connection.

Remote coaching takes away a lot of excuses for missing sessions, which means better results! Click To Tweet

Many trainers find they can service a larger number of clients remotely. There are many instances in the gym—warming up/down, resting between bouts, chatting with training partners—when a professional’s attention isn’t needed. Repurposing this time to service other clients can make you much more time efficient.

Organizing and archiving programming are far more convenient online. Reviewing past performance and assigning new programming is a more streamlined process when using software. Blocks of programming can be copied to multiple clients if they are performing the same programming, and templates can be used to quickly write up a common layout you use frequently.

Trainers can save a substantial amount of money by coaching remotely. Depending on the distance to the gym, commuting can add a significant expense (and time!) to your services. Some personal trainers also have to rent gym space—another expense that raises your rates.

By lowering costs and shaving time off of each interaction, personal trainers can actually lower their rates while making more money! This competitive edge is difficult for trainers who don’t offer online services to match.

What It Is Like Training Clients Online

Technology has revolutionized the fitness industry. Through a fitness coaching app, trainees can have all their programming conveniently organized on their smartphones. They can record videos of their exercises and upload them directly to their app. Their trainer will then be notified a workout was completed, and upload feedback for their client in time for the next session. Feedback can be in the form of text-only messages, videos, or a combination of both. All communication can stay on the app, so messages aren’t missed or misplaced with busy schedules.

Of course, this workflow relies on the functionality of an app, so make sure you research your choice carefully.

Online Personal Trainer: Independent or Employee?

If you decide to consider online personal trainer jobs, you have two general options: working independently or as a contractor for a coaching company. Both have their advantages.

Contracting with a company largely removes the burden of finding your own clients. This is a huge advantage if you struggle with marketing yourself or simply don’t want to deal with that responsibility. For this convenience, you lose the ability to set your own pricing and will have to provide at least some degree of standardized service to clients. This is probably not a bad thing, but the choice will be out of your hands.

Also, trainers will likely have to sign non-compete agreements. If you decide to leave the company at some point, your clients will stay with the parent company.

Working independently requires more management but allows for more freedom. You can decide on pricing and how quickly you offer feedback, and you can have complete control over branding and your training approach.

Marketing Your Services

If you have plenty of clients already, you can simply transition them to online coaching if they prefer that option. If you are looking to expand your client base, there are many strategies that can work successfully.

Remember to not limit yourself to your local markets! Anything that has worked to attract local customers to you in the past can work just as well in other cities, states, and regions. Introduce yourself to groups in those areas, just as you would normally. If you choose to market yourself as a personal trainer on social media platforms, think nationally and globally. Text, picture, and video posts of you personally exercising, training clients, and describing your professional approach will bring value to consumers while informing them of your services. Client spotlight posts are also a great way of showing how you’ve helped and guided others.

It doesn’t have to be all business, either! Many consumers like to see what kind of person you are outside of the gym. Decide on a couple of hobbies or interests you’d like to share, and periodically post about those as well. This can work well to humanize you and allow consumers to empathize with you.

Conclusion

Where do you find online personal trainer jobs? There are many online coaching companies that use contract trainers to service their clients. Research which ones offer the style of training you prefer, and accept the professional certifications and experience you have. Consider approaching a successful gym or studio that doesn’t currently have a remote coaching option, and offer to establish that service for them. You’d be their exclusive personal trainer!

In such a fast-growing industry, there is plenty of opportunity for innovative newcomers to carve out a niche for themselves.