Reflecting on Paul Wright's series of interviews about the gym business, Nancy Arnold gives her take on the personal training business.
(update, 12/31/2006, Nancy informs me that my assertion that Liberty starts paying benefits at 20 hours was incorrect. I've made the change below) In this podcast (Quicktime ipod compatible, 30MB; Google streaming flash video), Nancy Arnold and I (Bud) continue our gym business series by discussing the training business from a trainer's perspective. Nancy concurs with Paul Wright that personal training is an important revenue stream for Liberty Athletic Club where she works. She bases this assessment on the number of hours she sees trainers work and the amount the club takes for each hour.
A full time trainer can manage to work 35–40 hours per week. Although possible, more is not sustainable. To get those 35–40 hours, a trainer may have to work may have to be at the club over 50 hours to fit clients' schedules.
Of Liberty's 12 trainers, four routinely work 35–40 hours. A number work 20 hours, the amount required to get benefits, and some only work 8. Having slack trainers is to the club's benefit so that clients have someone to train with when the more popular trainers are taken.
Liberty's trainers get 50–65% of the training fee, a bit better than the industry standard of 48–52%. Liberty's trainers typically have relevant bachelors and masters degrees in addition to certifications.
Finally, Nancy estimates that she has 50 active clients. The advantage of working at a club vs. independently is that there is a constant stream of potential new clients as clients turn over.
Additional Links
- Personal training requires constant hustle. This article describes the business support Back Bay Fitness provides its trainers in developing their business.
Comments (3)
Just got around to watching this. Interesting interview guys.
I'm curious...what do most of Nancy's clients come to her for? I'm assuming fat/weight loss of some sort? or perhaps some sort of other training? Do any men come to Nancy for training?
Posted by Chris D. | December 30, 2006 6:14 PM
Posted on December 30, 2006 18:14
I'll get Nancy involved in the response, but let me respond quickly based on what I know. People use personal trainers for a variety of reasons. I once asked Nancy about what percentage were there for aesthetic reasons (weight loss plus wanting to look sculpted), and I recall her saying she thought it was on the order of 50%. I was mildly stunned because while I saw looking good to be a result of training, it was never consciously my primary motivation.
There are a lot of reasons to go for personal training. One is that you want a sanity check as to whether you are doing things right. Many men are happy to work with a woman, in part I think because they are less likely to be macho. As a result, Nancy has plenty of male clients, though I think females predominate.
Posted by Bud Gibson | December 31, 2006 11:42 AM
Posted on December 31, 2006 11:42
Bud,
Thanks for the follow up. I find it interesting that Nancy has a variety of male clients, but not impossible. Probably doesn't hurt that Nancy is very beautiful.
Posted by Chris D. | December 31, 2006 1:07 PM
Posted on December 31, 2006 13:07