Do you guys know what is the average rate in Raleigh/Durham for one session of personal training? I am ACSM certified and got my HFI. I want to work part time but most gyms aren't telling me the rates unless I become a member. If any of you guys get personal trained in Raleigh or Durham please let me know how much people are willing to pay. Take care.

9/13/2008 1:20:33 PM

I used to pay 140 a month for 1/2 hr session, once a week. I lost 20 lbs and 8% body fat with my trainer.

9/13/2008 1:32:06 PM

80/hr is what a buddy charges

9/13/2008 1:32:21 PM

http://www.ymcatriangle.org/Alexander_Family_YMCA/Programs/Adult_Fitness/Programs.aspx

9/13/2008 1:37:42 PM

73/hour (prices decrease per session based on how many are purchased)

36/half-hour

9/13/2008 1:38:34 PM

http://ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/campus_rec/fitness/personal-training/rates-policies.php

9/13/2008 1:42:35 PM

i'm in the wrong business

9/13/2008 1:58:19 PM

So the average price people are willing to pay in Raleigh is around $45. People paying $140 or $80 just got too much money to throw away and please give me these moronic people's phone numbers and you'll get 5% cut from me.

9/13/2008 2:21:26 PM

^ the 140 was for 4 half-hour sessions

but it doesn't really matter what you're charging, so much as you believe the price is worth what you're offering.

you're not going to make it anywhere if you view that as "too much money to be throwing away"...if people see value, they will pay whatever you're charging

9/13/2008 2:27:58 PM

people are paying $140 a month for 2 hours of personal training? i guess I never paid attention to how much PTs charge. Just seems silly to me unless you are REALLY out of shape.

9/13/2008 4:01:03 PM

meh

9/13/2008 4:20:20 PM

Ok so how do I find these people who are willing to pay $140 for 2 hr personal training in NC? I mean are these people paying some fitness club this amount or to private personal trainers. Most of the times if some fitness club charge $45 for one session, they give $20 to the personal trainer.

9/13/2008 5:40:37 PM

^^^ why does it seem silly?

some people have no motivation to do weights on their own, some don't want to think about putting together a program that's right for them, some need accountability, some just need attention. This is NOT subject to just people who are obese or overweight.

You'd be surprised how many in shape people are trained (I train a triathlete, a former personal trainer and now marathoner, some ex-gymnasts, and people who most would consider in shape).

As far as finding people "willing to pay XXX for personal training" it's all about experience, marketing, and networking. It'll be a little harder at first if you're going it on your own...once you get started you'll basically live off of referrals.

Working out of a gym has it's own challenges, but could be better. Usually all of the legal stuff is taken care of (PAR-Q's, informed consent, physician approval waivers, etc.), you have equipment to use, and people are coming to you for the most part (not to mention you have tons of people using the gym you can approach). Sure the pay may be based on a % of what you actually sell and train, but you don't have to pay for liability insurance, buy your own equipment, drive to a clients house, or pay to rent a "space" at a gym.

[Edited on September 13, 2008 at 5:51 PM. Reason : ]

9/13/2008 5:51:20 PM

Quote :

"You'd be surprised how many in shape people are trained (I train a triathlete, a former personal trainer and now marathoner, some ex-gymnasts, and people who most would consider in shape)."

oh yea i totally understand it there. I mean I had a personal trainer for wrestling outside of practice. But for people who are only getting trained 30 mins a week at a local gym it certainly wouldnt seem like the kind of people who are training hard for gymnastics or a triathlon or something. And I have friends who are PT so im not knocking them. Its just that since we are talking about people just going to gyms, at most gyms im at the people I see using PTs could be doing everything they are doing without a PT (ie not getting their moneys worth). It seems like a lot of them are playing mind games with themselves, tricking themselves into thinking that if they hire a personal trainer 30 minutes a week they are going to be a lot more in shape than going to the gym normally.

[Edited on September 13, 2008 at 5:58 PM. Reason : ]

9/13/2008 5:56:24 PM

Generally the people I see only once a week, just want someone to hold them accountable and manage their current plan. It's def. not about the work out at that point, but more about checking in on diet, cardio, if they lost weight/body fat %, how their program is going, etc.

But generally someone doing a 30 min. workout once a week with the thought that "this is all I need to improve" is fooling themselves.

9/13/2008 6:04:17 PM

how often do you see that personally? maybe those are just the ones that stand out to me in the gym. its prob not the majority it seems to be.

9/13/2008 6:05:15 PM

I make sure to stress to people how much work they're going to have to do ON THEIR OWN if they only work with me once a week. I'd say most realize they need to do more, but there are a few lazy asses that want once a week to be it.

9/13/2008 6:07:15 PM

Quote :

"73/hour (prices decrease per session based on how many are purchased) 36/half-hour"

Does this not make sense to anyone else?

9/13/2008 6:48:08 PM

lol, thought the same thing

9/13/2008 6:49:45 PM

I m new to this area so I guess it be good for me to start at a fitness club. Also, if my clients wanna workout only 30 min 3 times a week I jack up the intensity and make sure they are shaky when walking away wanting to cuss me out

Looking to work part time.

9/13/2008 7:11:28 PM

^^, ^^^

the price PER session decreases with the more you buy

ex.

1 = 73
3 = 213 (71 ea)
8 = 544 (68 ea)
12 = 768 (64 ea)
24 = 1464 (61 ea)
48 = 2640 (55 ea)

9/13/2008 7:56:51 PM

Can you buy 2 back to back half hours and save a dollar?

9/13/2008 8:05:20 PM

Quote :

"the price PER session decreases with the more you buy"

36 + 36 = 72 ...

9/13/2008 8:05:39 PM

yea, exactly.. the logic is flawed

9/13/2008 8:05:42 PM

The newest Coupon Saver book has rates from a local personal training guy (hes got his flyer on the counter at Planet Fitness) -- I'll tell you this though, he NEVER gets clients at my gym. His rates are outrageously high from what I am told.

I think the rate may also depend on who you are working with. I know professional bodybuilders who are ACSM certified that charge $500 just to design a training program for amateur bodybuilders. If you want to train with them its $75/hour and up depending on who you want to work with.

I know people who work with their trainers for years 2-4 times a week. Clearly, they have learned what they need from the trainer and at this point are just paying for a workout buddy. If I had a client like that I would probably not charge the same rate as a new client who is just getting started... but, that's just me.

9/13/2008 8:54:56 PM

^ it's totally up to the gym what the price is going to be

with that being said, I think if someone gets their hair cut at the same place for over a year they should be entitled to a reduced price....not

9/13/2008 9:39:17 PM

Peak Fitness, downtown Raleigh, charges like 160 for 4 one hour sessions when you sign up. Im not sure if that was discounted because i was new or not

9/13/2008 9:42:18 PM

Guys I recently got my ACSM personal trainer cert and HFI cert this past year and don't really have years of experience to make me look extra ordinary. I want to do this on the side to make extra cash. How should I begin to get started?

9/14/2008 8:59:27 AM

^ I get people asking me to train them all the time at the gym -- maybe just go workout during prime time gym hours and let your physique sell your personal training services? I don't train anyone since I'm not certified, but I give free advices if I have time...

You could work as a trainer at a local gym for a little while to get some experience/build up a client basis/references, then go solo. I think theres a book called "personal training for dummies" which talks about all these things.
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Personal-Trainer-Dummies-Melyssa/dp/0764556843/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221411415&sr=8-1

9/14/2008 12:57:55 PM

9/14/2008 1:09:47 PM

When I went for my free consultation at Peak I think the guy said their lowest package was $45/hr.

9/14/2008 1:13:39 PM

i was quoted $69/hr at my gym

9/14/2008 1:14:46 PM

I just need some impersonal training...someone to email me every couple of months and tell me I'm a fatass.

9/14/2008 4:03:58 PM

If the rates are really this high in NC I will train people for much less. But sadly I'll have to start at some gym to build my clientele.

9/14/2008 4:07:41 PM

most gyms will have you sign a non-compete agreement which is good for the duration of your stay AND for like 6 months after you leave...meaning you can't really build your clientele and "take them with you" without risking serious legal action

9/14/2008 4:16:07 PM

one of the reasons I choose to work at Carmichael (as opposed to a corporate gym) is because they don't make me sell a certain number of memberships/supplements/bullshit each month.

I know I could get paid more if I worked somewhere else, but I'd rather not sell myself out.

9/14/2008 5:15:10 PM

I'm not required to sell memberships or supplements

we have a sales staff for memberships

supplements are optional....obviously some of you are confused as to how working at a regular gym works (that or you're just looking at the wrong gyms)

[Edited on September 14, 2008 at 5:43 PM. Reason : ]

9/14/2008 5:41:13 PM

The trainer I have charges 70/hr if I sign up for 36 sessions which is what I do. If someone wanted a lower number of sessions I think his prices go to 80/hr

9/14/2008 6:38:07 PM

^is that at Lifetime?

9/14/2008 6:53:00 PM

No I use a trainer at O2 Fitness

9/14/2008 6:56:56 PM

be concerned about the security of your shit

9/14/2008 7:27:22 PM

Since some of you are trainers in this town or know other trainers who are CERTIFIED. How do you guys get clients? I m kinda new to this and this will not be my full time job but I do have a big interest in this field.

9/14/2008 9:06:37 PM

$25/30 minutes for me

lol owned

9/14/2008 9:09:19 PM

Guys soon I will offer $25 an hour sessions which is half price of what most trainers charge these days. ACSM is gold standard and I also did my minor in Exercise Physiology unlike some of the jocks calling themselves fitness gurus now days. I worked with Cardiac Rehab clients for about 6 months as a volunteer. Currently I m settling in Raleigh, NC so soon I will be available to help anyone that wants to get trained from someone who actually studied more than a little picture book for benching. Biomechanics is a big part of personal training yet most trainers I talk with here say they never heard of it.

My apologies to some of the Jocks and Trainers who are not ACSM certified.

9/15/2008 8:45:30 AM

wow you sound like you'll be a ton of fun to work with

you know ACSM is not the only nationally accredited certification right? Once you have some experience under your belt the little letters don't matter as much as you think. Good luck...oh and make sure you do yourself a favor and get some good liability insurance.

9/15/2008 3:25:45 PM

Guys I m not trying to piss anybody off or call their cert piece of shit and you are right about experience. To get HFI through ACSM a person actually have to study at some accredited institution and it's not easy cert to get. Most other certs you can get so easily these days after just reading book for a month. I guess thats why they call ACSM HFI cert the gold standard but I will not argue about it anymore.

[Edited on September 15, 2008 at 6:44 PM. Reason : spelling/grammar damnit]

9/15/2008 6:42:46 PM

A lot more work is going to go into this than just the hours you spend training...I personally think you're selling yourself short by only charging $25 per hour. You've seen that people are willing to pay more, so why not charge a little more, but still less than what has been shown.

I would go with $40 per hour

9/15/2008 9:16:00 PM

I was thinking of charging $25 just to start in this area and get some customers. I m new to Raleigh and I never heard anyone paying $40/hr in NC for personal training which is why it's shocking to me. I am wanting to train solo, do you know how much the gyms charge here for letting trainers use their facility? Thanks bro.

9/15/2008 9:53:14 PM