Career "Life Span" of the Personal Trainer

by Ryan Hogan | Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The following post was written by exercise physiologist, FILEX presenter and industry consultant William Sukala. You can read the original post on his blog by clicking here.

I was having dinner with a personal training colleague the other day when the conversation fell on the topic of the average professional "life span" of a personal trainer. We anecdotally observed that most trainers in the industry last anywhere from 1 to 3 years and then drop it for something else altogether. This prompted the question -- why so short?

What are the reasons personal trainers decide to bail on what is arguably one of the healthiest professions. As we discussed/analyzed the topic some more, we came to the conclusion that, for many, it's just viewed as an expendable J.O.B. instead of a career path. Something to do until a better J.O.B. comes along. If this is the case, then why? I don't have a definitive answer, but in my 20 years in the health/fitness industry, I have seen a lot of so-called certifying bodies/agencies/organizations pop up in the shadow of the main players ACE, ACSM, and NSCA. In 1998, I did a consulting project, part of which looked at the number of certifying organizations in the US. Much to my dismay, there were quite a few questionable companies selling personal trainer certifications not even worth the paper upon which they were printed. Though there appears to be more scrutiny these days on the part of employers who ask for legitimate credentials, there are still plenty of opportunists looking to make a buck off of certifications. Therefore, the barriers to entry are lower, making it easier to enter the industry. A prospective trainer might conclude, "oh well, if I don't like it, I can just walk away from it. Not much invested. So what? Disposable J.O.B.

Other factors may be related to the reality that personal training is actually hard work whilst on the floor and the paper shuffle afterward (the business side of things) tacks on yet more time to an already busy schedule.  In the early 90s, I recall working from 1 to 10 pm four to five days per week with most of those hours filled with hands-on client sessions.  While I loved what I did and made a healthy income in the process, I started to feel the stress cracks (especially so given I was simultaneously juggling university classes).  Nowadays, trainers are growing more savvy and minimizing the time-for-money trade-off by creating multiple income streams, but there are still lots of trainers in the trenches trading time for money...and in time will either evolve and adapt or burn out.

I have also seen a surge in personal training academies around the world, some excellent, some good, some ok, and others abysmally pathetic, run by charismatic sociopaths with nothing more than a well-orchestrated marketing plan and a unilateral goal of making money off selling personal trainer qualifications. End result? Same as an easily acquired personal trainer certification. Spend several thousand for an academy, get a certification or eligibility for registration, and voila, a new job all within one calendar year. Don't get me wrong, it's not my intention to slam certification or academies.  Quite the opposite, I'm merely just pointing out that it's considerably less time and financial investment than four years at university.

Some trainers think they're going to make the big bucks overnight, but once they get into it, they realize a new certification or qualification is not the only requisite to be a successful trainer. Wages will clearly vary depending on if you're an independent contractor or a paid employee. There are people skills, working within a team, putting the personal in personal training, etc. I think you can teach people so much in this department, but after that, you have to run with it and develop your interpersonal communication skills. If you don't have them, you're going to struggle.

While I genuinely believe that most trainers are into this industry for the purpose of helping others improve their lives, I'm sure nobody will doubt some personal trainers are only into it for the money. While they might do ok with this, the vast majority will sink if it's their only motivator. When I tell people I've logged 2 decades in the business, it usually raises and eyebrow and begs the question, "what keeps you going?" In short, I have three criteria by which I judge everything I do: 1) first and foremost, it must be a passion. Anything less and I won't pour my heart and soul into it; 2) It must be fun. If not, then I won't be smiling, and nothing is more effective people repellent than a frown; and 3) it must be creative. Doing the same boring menial task day after day is like being one amongst the living dead. Creativity keeps the mind refreshed and excited to develop and evolve both personally and professionally.  Bottom line: money has its place but newer research in the area of eudaimonia clearly shows that people who do work for intrinsic satisfaction are much happier and last longer in their professions than those chasing a dollar.

Another factor is what I call the PMS, or Personal Mission Statement. What is your guiding light, your professional compass that keeps you on track? As a medical exercise guy, my PMS is to use exercise as a form of medicine to help people with health problems improve their lives. So no matter what I do, my work MUST serve the PMS and abide by by three commandments. If not, then I'm not being true to myself.

Bringing all this back to the "life span" of the personal trainer, in my own subjective observation, I believe would-be trainers should have a higher bar to jump over, more to lose which should theoretically weed out those who are not serious, or perhaps make sure they have a clear expectation of the challenges ahead (i.e., training is hard work, especially when learning the ropes).  The barriers to entry should be demanding and force people to do the hard yards so they place higher value on their investment in the industry. Though I personally have university degrees in the areas of nutrition and exercise physiology, I am not of the school of thought that everyone should have a four-year degree in order to be a trainer. In all fairness, I have seen plenty of well-educated, qualified trainers with excellent theoretical book knowledge, yet shockingly piss poor people skills and, accordingly, did not make good trainers.

I don't think we should go back to the early days where any gym monkey with 22-inch biceps should be allowed to personal train (or give nutritional advice, but that's another article), but I would very much like to see a greater degree of screening in the industry and not a low barrier to entry where anyone that passes a personal trainer exam can waltz right into a job. Much in the same way you'd expect your tax accountant, plumber, or lawyer to have invested in their education, so too should fitness professionals have invested time and money so they have something to lose. By no means are these comments intended to sound elitist or a slight against the existing industry infrastructure.  Quite the opposite, it is my hope that this (as one of many factors) would increase the number of fitness industry "long-stayers" and possibly enhance the caliber of certified fitness trainers.

I have a number of friends who have survived and thrived in the industry, namely Carl Hammington in Wellington, New Zealand (www.hfd.co.nz). He's young, driven, a degree in exercise science, thirsty for ongoing information, quick to get involved in new projects, and possesses a genuine desire to learn more and more to help his clients get the most from their workouts.

Michelle Barbera is another friend of mine and is the owner of Fit Vixen in Margate, New Jersey.  When I was last back in NJ for a visit, we spoke at length about the industry in the region and how a many trainers are still stuck in the outdated "rep-counting" mode.  Maybe some clients are into that, but with the popularity of boot camps and other outdoor exercise regimens, the public is now seeking out non-gym based workouts which offer both fun and variety.  The thing that really impressed me about Michelle was her enthusiasm for her career and, naturally, for helping people improve their lives.

In both cases, each has logged a fair bit of time in the industry and I can say with relative confidence that neither will be jumping ship any time soon!

In closing, while the fitness industry is larger than ever before, I'm not prepared to say this is a clear indication of its "health."  In fact, it might be a sign that it's out of shape and needs some trimming down.  Sadly, some members of the public I have personally spoken to view personal trainers the same way they view a waiter or bartender:  common and expendable, a temp job for university students, etc. This is unfortunate but perhaps a symptom of the oversaturation of the industry with "certified personal trainers", so much so that the title no longer evokes respect the way it did even a short decade ago.  While certification, registration, and/or a personal training course are clearly steps in the right direction, with the short "life span" of the fitness professional, we may be missing the mark.

What are your thoughts on the industry as a whole?  Does anyone have stats on the actual drop out rate from the industry in different countries? 

Posted by: Andreas Ioannou | 28-Oct-2010 06:48 PM |

I finished my course with the Australian Institute of Fitness in 2009 and can say with relative confidence that it was the biggest waste of money I've ever made. The only good thing that came out of it was that I walked into what I think is one of the best professions around.
In retrospect, the technical skills taught were laughable and severely out-dated. The business skills taught were irrelevant and ultimately, useless. Trainers who finished in the same 'batch' as myself have already left the industry and sought work in other sectors, disheartened, disillusioned and angry.
Raising the barriers of entry may help, but if someone's willing to waste $6000 for a course without being committed to doing anything about it, how much more would you charge for that course to deter them? I'm not sure what the answer would be, but I don't think it's the cost. Perhaps time may work. Get rid of the 8-week courses, in favour of 6month or 12month ones. Then maybe people would take it a bit more seriously.

Posted by: Anonymous | 05-Nov-2010 11:25 AM |

Great Article

I think the point raised about personal training actually being 'hard work" is a major reason for the drop out rate. There is a huge market and need for pt services, but little guidance on career counselling and marketing. By this I mean, employment opportunities and wages.
In my opinion PT training Institutions use clever marketing to get people in, by telling them that they can be there own boss, stay fit and have the freedom to work when they want. But the reality hits hard once people become qualified.

At the end of the day, the deteremined, passionate and genuine Trainers who really want to assit people succeed will survive and prosper

Posted by: Miki Kobayashi | 20-Dec-2010 03:06 PM |

Very interesting article, I must say!

when I completed Cert III and IV to be PT, I was confident that I could make my career straight away. The reality, however, was not so easy. More I learnt about PT business, more confidnet I lost. It is really hard industry to work in but any job comes down to what you realy want- that is your passion.

As I have done a number of shadow shifts with senior PTs at my future employer's gym, and I am still nervous but I made a decision not to give up. I really want to thrive my goals like poeple come to their gym trying to achieve their goals! Same things! I can not give up but have to work on things that will lead to my PT career! I can not wait to start my new career as a PT as it is my PASSION!