Many of us see personal trainers on TV and some of friends recommend them but many people don’t know how much it costs to hire a personal trainer. The personal training field is unregulated and you get what you pay for so I decided to give you a little advice on what a personal trainer costs and what you should expect with the price you’re paying for the personal trainer.

Personal training currently is like the wild wild west because there isn’t any requirement from the government to make sure that people are qualified to do the job which can leave you with someone that might injury you in the process of the workout. Just because someone is in shape doesn’t mean they can get you in shape safely.

Some of the “certifications” that are out there are easy to get and only require a weekend class to get the piece of paper that holds your life in their hands.

When you decide to go cheap on a trainer you might pay for it in the end and that’s never a good thing so I have put together some key points of how much a personal trainer should cost you.

The cost

 Most personal trainers these days’ charge anywhere from $50-$120 per session and my company On the Go Fitness Pro sits somewhere in the middle $69-$89 per session which is about standard for the Northern Virginia area. Many gyms such as lifetime fitness will charge $99-$129 per session depending on the trainer but after working there I know that you’re mostly paying for the flash of the gym not the personal trainer. Lifetime will hire you if you have that weekend personal training certification that we talked about before. So, if you’re looking to hire a trainer plan on spending $300-$1000 per month depending on how many sessions you’re doing per week.

How to bring down the cost of training

 If this price point for personal training seems a little high, there are somethings that you can do to bring the price down. Adding a partner to your training is a great way to drop the price because you’re splitting the cost with a friend. Group training is also a great way to reduce the cost for a personal trainer but the only down side is that the training gets less and less personal the more people you add. At On the Go Fitness Pro we allow one extra person to our personal training sessions at no extra cost, most companies do not offer this but feel free to ask.

Pick the plan that fits your budget

 I’ve had many clients start with me at 3 times a week only to find out that they can only afford 1-2 times per week which is fine. Picking the plan that fits your budget is important because it will help you to get more mileage out of your personal training program. Plan things out with your personal trainer when you first meet and remember to manage expectations. Many of my clients do once a week and follow a homework plan that I provide them outside of our training sessions and this model works well for them. Remember to find the plan that you can keep up with for a long time so that you get results. Burning up your budget for personal training in a few months won’t get you the results that you were looking for when you first started your program.

Why quality is important

 Making sure that you hire a good personal trainer is important to your fitness goals and you should keep this in mind when you’re looking for a trainer. If you get stuck with a personal trainer that doesn’t know how to teach a squat or a deadlift you might be looking at an injury and medical bills down the road. I recommend finding a company that lets you try out the service before making any commitment to the service so that you can feel if it’s a good fit. Ask the personal trainer to send you their certifications so that you know that they’re qualified to train you. Look for NCCA Accredited Certifications when choosing a personal trainer because they are of the highest level.

In-Home Personal Training Vs Gym Personal Training

 In-home personal training is almost the same cost as gym training if not a little cheaper because the low overhead of the cost of doing training in the home. I recommend considering both because having a personal trainer come to your home can save you a ton of time and maybe some money too. Big box gyms and smaller gyms tend to jack up the prices of personal training to offset the costs of rent every month.

If you’re interested in personal training contact us at On the Go Fitness Pro.

Key points

 Hiring a personal trainer can be very helpful but they aren’t cheap. Doing personal training with a partner or group and bring down costs of the service and save you a little money. Make sure to hire someone that is certified with a NCCA Accredited Certification to make sure that they know what they’re doing. When looking for a personal trainer plan on spending $50-$120 per session. Find a company that will offer you a free training session to try out the service before you buy. Using a personal trainer is a lot of fun and can be enjoyable. Enjoy the process of finding the right personal trainer to fit your needs and budget. Pick a program that fits your budget.