9 min
A Typical Day For A Personal Trainer
From prep time and client meetings to meal planning and inspiring others, there are many different pieces to consider when it comes to being an effective fitness professional.
Let’s take an inside look into what a typical day for a personal trainer includes.
Early Morning Start
Most personal trainers have an early start to the day, often while it’s still dark outside. Depending on where they are located, this usually means getting up between 5-6 am.
This is when many of them go for their own morning runs or do their own training before heading into the gym to start training their early morning clients.
Traveling To Work
Once they’re ready, they head out and get to the gym or meet up with clients at their preferred location for training sessions.
This could mean driving across town or taking public transport, depending on how far away from home they might be located.
It’s important for them to arrive early so that they can set up any equipment or prepare for any classes that might be scheduled for later in the day.
Working One-On-One With Clients
The most important part of being a personal trainer is working one-on-one with clients, helping them reach their goals whether it is to lose weight, gain muscle, or manage an underlying health condition.
A typical session could consist of anything from strength training to cardiovascular exercises, depending on the client’s needs and desired outcomes.
As a personal trainer, you’ll be responsible for designing individualized programs tailored to each client’s health history and fitness level.
Crafting Customized Workout Programmes
Creating unique programs for each client is an important part of being a personal trainer. You’ll need to consider your client’s goals, current fitness level, nutrition habits, and any medical conditions they may have when designing the program.
It’s essential that you stay up-to-date on the latest exercise trends so that you can effectively advise your clients on how they can achieve their desired fitness results.
Lunch Break
Many personal trainers bring their lunch with them and eat between training sessions so that they can maximize their time on-site at the gym or outdoors with clients.
Eating healthy meals throughout the day helps them stay energized so that they can give all of their clients 100% focus and dedication during each session.
Floor Work in the Gym
As well as providing one-on-one sessions with clients, many personal trainers also work on the gym floor.
This involves welcoming newcomers to the gym and giving orientations or inductions so they’re familiar with all the gym equipment before they start using it independently.
You may also be required to answer questions from members about exercises or general queries about the gym equipment - this is why it’s essential that you know your stuff!
Organising Equipment
Personal trainers also spend some time cleaning and organizing equipment throughout the day.
They may need to wipe down machines after every use, make sure weights are put back in place after use, adjust machines if necessary, check cords/wires for wear and tear, etc.
Even though it’s not glamorous work, making sure everything is tidy and organized is an important part of keeping a safe environment for everyone who uses it throughout the day.
Staying Active During Downtime
When not training clients, many personal trainers will use this time to stay active by doing workouts or activities such as running, yoga, weightlifting, etc.
This helps them stay healthy and fit while also giving them some much-needed downtime between sessions.
Additionally, many trainers use this to enhance fitness networking with other professionals in their field so they can keep up with industry trends and find new business opportunities.
Holding Specialised Gym Classes
Another popular role for personal trainers is teaching group classes in their fitness studio such as HIIT or spinning classes.
Setting up these classes requires organization and research - not only will you need to create an effective workout plan but you’ll also need to think about how best to keep participants motivated throughout the class.
As a teacher of group exercise classes, it’s important that you demonstrate leadership skills and show enthusiasm for what you’re doing - after all, your enthusiasm will be infectious!
Administrative Tasks
Then there are the administrative tasks such as responding to emails from potential new clients, updating client profiles and tracking progress over time, scheduling appointments with current clients over email or phone calls…the list goes on!
To run a successful business as a personal trainer you have to stay organized even behind closed doors!
This is why many trainers nowadays prefer to automate their administrative tasks by using apps for fitness coaches or using management softwares such as Virtuagym’s Complete Coaching Software.
Additional Considerations For An Online Personal Trainer
The following are some additional tasks that are part of the daily life of an online personal trainer.
Social Media Management
As a personal trainer in the online realm, social media management is an absolutely essential part of your daily to-do list.
Social media platforms are some of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal when it comes to publicizing your offerings and reaching potential clients.
Mastering these outlets gives you access to an incredibly wider audience than you could realistically achieve with more traditional methods of marketing and outreach.
By leveraging analytics and tracking engagement with your posts, you can get even more specific with tailoring content to individuals in order to maximize conversions.
Experienced personal trainers won’t just know how to construct effective strength training regimens - they’ll also be savvy enough to take charge of their own social media success by strategically curating posts that promote their services.
This means monitoring account activity, responding to comments and messages, and posting relevant fitness content .
Cold Emailing
This may sound old and traditional but many online personal trainers still utilize this method.
Since online personal trainers are not limited by geographical boundaries they can train clients anywhere in the world, which means your pool of potential clients is much larger than it would be if they were limited to training people in their city or town.
Secondly, cold emailing allows them to reach out to potential clients who may not be actively looking for a personal trainer.
Many people don’t realize they need help to get in shape until they see someone else achieving the results they want. When they reach out to them with a personalized message, they’re more likely to see the value in what you have to offer and be open to working with you.
It also gives them the opportunity to stand out from the competition. With so many personal trainers out there, it can be tough to get noticed.
But if you take the time to write a well-crafted cold email that speaks to your potential client’s needs, you’ll be one step ahead of the pack in the fitness business.
Learning More About Their Field.
It’s essential that fitness professionals stay up-to-date on all the latest developments and trends within the fitness industry so that they can provide the best service for your clients.
Because of this, a typical online personal trainer spends every day learning more about their field. Whether it’s reading books about fitness entrepreneurship , researching online fitness challenges ideas , or taking continuing education online courses .
Most trainers also get certified as a conditioning specialist to deepen their knowledge, having a commitment to learning new information allows personal trainers to be well-equipped to serve their clients.
Each day may include some way of building on previous knowledge and gaining new ideas that will help them stay on top of the latest health and fitness trends.
Example Of A Personal Trainer Schedule
Following is an example of a day in the life of a personal trainer.
6:00 am – Wake Up and Get Moving
The first thing I do when I wake up is drinking a big glass of water. Then I’ll either go for a run or do my own workout, depending on how I’m feeling that day. After my workout, I’ll shower and get dressed for the day.
8:00 am – Breakfast and Prep for the Day Ahead
I usually have breakfast around 8:00 am. I try to eat something healthy that will give me energy for my morning workouts.
After I am done eating, I’ll also start getting everything ready for my clients who have early morning sessions. This includes setting up my equipment and making sure I have enough water and snacks on hand.
10:00 am – First Client Session of the Day
My first personal training client session starts at 10:00 am. We’ll warm up together and then get into the meat of the workout.
Depending on the client’s goals, we might do some strength training, cardio, or a combination of both. We’ll wrap up the session with a cool-down and some stretches.
12:00 pm – Lunch Time!
After my first client’s training session, it’s time for lunch. I usually try to eat something light so I’m not weighed down for my afternoon sessions.
I might have a salad, some fruit, or a protein-rich sandwich. Then it’s back to work!
2:00 pm – Second Client Session of the Day
My second client session starts at 2:00 pm. This one is usually similar to my first session, with a warm-up, workout, and cool-down/stretches.
However, I always mix things up to keep my clients engaged and motivated. No two workouts are ever exactly alike!
4:00 pm – Free Time! (Sort Of…)
Once my afternoon session is over, I usually have about an hour or two of free time before my next client comes in.
This is when I take care of any administrative tasks that need to be done, such as scheduling future appointments or updating client records. I might also use this time to plan out new workouts or research new fitness trends.
6:00 pm – Third Client Session of the Day
My third and final client session starts at 6:00 pm. By this time of day, I’m usually pretty tired but I push through because my clients are counting on me! We finish up around 8:00 pm and then it’s time to clean up and head home for the night.
10:00 pm – Bedtime!
Once I get home from work, I take some time to unwind before bedtime or go out for drinks with my friends to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This might involve reading, taking a bath, or watching TV. Then it’s off to bed so I can do it all over again tomorrow!
Wrapping up
A career as a personal trainer is both rewarding and demanding. It requires long days filled with back-to-back client appointments along with planning out individualized workout plans tailored specifically for each person’s needs.
Additionally, it requires staying active during downtime between sessions so you can stay healthy yourself while networking with other professionals in your field so you can stay up-to-date on industry trends and find new business opportunities.
While there may be some challenges along the way, being able to help people achieve their health goals makes it all worth it!
