How To Become A Personal Trainer And Nutritionist

Do you want to create bespoke workout programmes and meal plans to help others reach their fitness goals? Then you should learn how to become a personal trainer and nutritionist!

To help you with this process, we will cover the following topics:

• Personal Trainer And Nutritionist Job Description: What Can You Expect?
• What Is The Average Nutritionist And Personal Trainer Salary
• Qualifications Required To Become A Certified Personal Trainer And Nutritionist
• How Do You Work As A Personal Trainer And Nutritionist? 
• What Are The Benefits Of Becoming A Personal Trainer And Nutritionist 
• Do I Need Insurance To Become A Personal Trainer And Nutritionist

But if you’re eager to get started, you can take the first step to transforming both your future and those of your clients by completing OriGym’s Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma.

Alternatively, download our course prospectus to learn more about this course and many others! 

Personal Trainer And Nutritionist Job Description: What Can You Expect?

Before you can begin your journey to becoming a personal trainer and nutritionist, it’s important to understand the roles and responsibilities associated with both positions. 

As a personal trainer, your main duty will be the creation and delivery of bespoke workout programmes, tailored to your clients’ individual needs and goals.

Other responsibilities of a personal trainer include:

• Conducting initial consultations with prospective clients 
• Carrying out fitness assessments to assess clients’ fitness levels to track their progress over time.
• Instruct clients on how to perform exercises correctly to minimise their risk of injury and optimise performance.

Whereas the role of a nutritionist extends to helping clients to improve their eating habits. This is achieved through creating tailored meal plans that take into account various factors such as allergies, personal preferences, as well as health and fitness-related goals.

Whilst these roles may sound mutually exclusive and unrelated, when combined they can significantly benefit a client, helping them hit their goals at a much faster rate. 

For example, let’s say one of your personal training clients is looking to build muscle. You could create a bespoke workout programme that incorporates strength training whilst simultaneously recommending a high-protein meal plan.

Offering these two services side by side increases your value, allowing you to charge increased prices for workout programmes and meal plans. 

This is proven by the example below, from Ultimate Personal Well-Being, who charge  £570 for 10x1 hour training sessions and nutrition consultations:

This is compared to the £400 they charge for 10 standard personal training sessions, without the additional services added on. 

From this example alone, you can see how combining both services increases the value by £150 per client.

What Is The Average Nutritionist And Personal Trainer Salary 

Some of you researching this topic may have decided ‘I want to be a personal trainer and nutritionist to earn a decent salary!’. 

It’s easy to see why so many people have this mindset too, as both of these services are individually lucrative, but when combined they can provide a significantly higher income.

Let’s break it down - According to OriGym’s independent research, personal trainers in the UK typically earn between £16,000 and £55,000 a year. 

More specifically, the average salary of a personal trainer is estimated to be around £27,965 per year. Naturally, this won’t be the same for every single job role, as numerous factors could affect your earning potential such as:

• The amount of experience you have - Those who are newly qualified will typically earn less than those who have been working in the industry for years.
• How many hours you work per week - Those who work full-time hours will earn more than part-time. 
• Where you’re based in the country - To offset their higher cost of living those working in London will typically earn a higher wage than other parts of the country. 

For example, according to employment experts at Indeed, trainers working in London typically earn £33,190. This is compared to those in Birmingham earning an average of £27,490.

From these statistics alone you can see just how financially lucrative personal training can be. But this is just one side of the job, to get a complete understanding we now need to look at how much you can earn as a nutritionist.

Once again OriGym conducted independent research and found the average salary of a nutritionist to be around £25k per year. Similar to the points raised above, your earning potential in this role can be influenced by:

• The number of hours you work
• Your location 
• Whether you work in the private or public sector

But as highlighted in the previous section, when working as both a personal trainer and nutrition coach your salary has the potential to exceed both of the statistics mentioned above. 

This is further supported by industry professionals such as Scott Laidler, who increases his service by £180 with the inclusion of bespoke meal planning and additional nutrition services:

Let’s say you followed a similar pricing structure and had a total of 10 clients, you could be earning £5,290! 

With this example in mind, you can see that when working as both a nutritionist and personal trainer your salary will be highly rewarding and more lucrative than working in each role exclusively. 

Sounds tempting right, well before launching yourself into this job role you’ll need to undergo the proper training! 

Qualifications Required To Become A Certified Personal Trainer And Nutritionist

There are two qualifications you need to earn to become a personal trainer and nutritionist:

• Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma
• Level 4 Nutrition qualification

Whilst there are different ways you can go about earning both of these qualifications, at OriGym we’d recommend becoming a personal trainer first and then pursuing a sports nutrition course.

#1 Become A Personal Trainer With A Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma

The first step on your journey to becoming a personal trainer and nutritionist is to complete a Level 3 Personal Training Diploma - This qualification combines both the  Level 2 Fitness Instructor and Level 3 Personal Trainer courses respectively. 

The diploma prepares you for a career as a personal trainer, teaching you how to create and deliver bespoke workout programmes to help each client reach their personalised fitness goals.

When studying with OriGym, this course can be completed through three different study methods, including:

• Full-Time - 4 Weeks
• Part-Time -12 Weeks (average)
• Online - 16 Weeks (average)

Once you finish this course, you’ll receive an Ofqual-regulated and CIMSPA-endorsed qualification, which ensures you’re trained to industry standards expected by the fitness industry.

Having a Level 3 qualification is an absolute necessity if you’re looking to work as a personal trainer in the industry. This is the minimum requirement that employers will ask for, as evident from the following screenshot below from Ultimate Performance:

Even if you’re looking to work on a self-employed basis, the Level 3 qualification will be a legal necessity to purchase insurance (but more on that later).

#2 The Next Step is to Get a Level 4 Sports Nutritionist Qualification 

After completing your Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma, you can progress your career and enrol on a Level 4 Nutrition course. This course will teach you everything you need to know about becoming a nutritionist including how to create meal plans that compliment your clients existing fitness goals and bespoke training programmes.

At OriGym, our Advanced Sports Nutrition course is typically completed within 12 weeks and is studied online. This allows students to learn at their own pace, working through virtual study materials such as video lectures, interactive modules and quizzes at the end of each section! 

Through the completion of this course, you will develop an understanding of:

• Macros and micros foods including when to introduce them into your clients' diets to improve their physiological functions.
• Nutrition legislation and how this can support your health claims to clients when introducing foods into their nutrition plans.
• The best meal nutrition meal plans for clients from special populations such as the elderly, pregnant and women who are currently breastfeeding.

This qualification will increase your employability, as many job advertisements will prioritise trainers who know about nutrition, such as the example below:

It’s for this reason that we always recommend earning your Level 3 Personal Training Diploma first. 

Through following this method you will be able to secure work in the fitness industry, all whilst working towards your Level 4 Nutrition qualification in your free time.

Alternatively, since there are no prerequisites to enrol on the nutritionist qualification, you could complete this first and deliver nutrition-based services to clients. Then in your spare time, you could complete work on your personal training qualification.

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• Personal Training Career Options
• Personal Trainer Responsibilities
• Become A Sports Nutritionist

How Do You Work As A Personal Trainer And Nutritionist?

When you’re researching how to become a nutritionist and personal trainer, you’ll likely come across a plethora of fitness professionals working in a variety of capacities.

Some will be working at a gym full time, others will be running their own business and then there will be those that combine the two!

To get a better understanding of what approach might be right for you, let’s take a look at each position in greater detail: 

#1 - What to Expect When Becoming a Personal Trainer and Nutritionist in a Contracted Position! 

Personal trainers and nutritionists who work under contracted positions will likely be employed by the likes of gyms and fitness centres. 

They will primarily be tasked with creating bespoke workout programmes for members, in addition to offering complimentary meal plans and nutritional advice. An example of one of these positions can be found below:

If you’re just entering the fitness industry after qualifying this kind of employment is highly recommended. Here you will be able to gain experience in a structured environment and grow professionally with the help of employers and colleagues.

There are many benefits to working in a contracted position, for example, you will earn a stable income that you can depend on. This provides financial reassurance, as you’ll receive a set amount of income every month and can budget accordingly. 

In addition to this, you will have a built-in client base and won’t have to worry about recruiting or renewing, this will be the responsibility of your employer.

So, if you want to pursue a career that offers financial stability whilst you work as a personal trainer and nutritionist to help people achieve their fitness goals, a contracted role might be right for you.

#2 - Gain Independence As A Freelance Personal Trainer And Nutritionist

If you want greater freedom in your fitness career, you might want to consider becoming a freelance Personal Trainer and Nutritionist instead.

Through pursuing self-employment, you will be able to create your working schedule around any personal or professional commitments. 

This gives you the benefit of earning unlimited revenue as you can control the number of hours you work and how many clients you take on. So, if you’re sitting there thinking ‘I want to become a personal trainer and nutritionist to earn a decent wage’ then this might be the employment type for you.

Being self-employed also gives you the freedom to decide the types of services you want to deliver as part of your brand.

This is something that David Kingsbury provides as a self-employed nutritionist and personal trainer:

So after gaining experience in a contracted role, you can look to progress your career by launching your own business. This approach will help to ensure you have the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills to deliver exceptional service to your clients. 

#3 - Alternatively You Can Combine These Two Types of Employment 

The beauty of becoming a personal trainer and nutritionist is that there is no one ‘right way’ to work in these roles, meaning you can shape your career! 

You may find that exclusively working on either a contracted or self-employed basis isn’t right for you. In this instance, you could choose to combine the two employment types, and get the best of both worlds! 

For example, you could work part-time in a gym, providing personal training services to their clients, and offering you financial stability. Outside of these hours, you could use your nutrition expertise to create custom nutrition plans or offer group PT classes to boost your income. 

Having income streams from these different types of employment allows you to have a constant source of revenue, and allows you to find a great work/life balance to succeed as a personal trainer and nutritionist.

What Are The Benefits Of Becoming A Personal Trainer And Nutritionist

Offering personal training and nutrition services as a combined package carries four key benefits to it. These include increased earning potential, better client results, broader appeal, and scalability.

Let’s explore each of these in more detail. 

#1 You Can Cross Refer Services To Make More Money

As we’ve discussed at length throughout this article, becoming a nutritionist and personal trainer can be highly lucrative as you can offer both of these services separately, or cross-refer clients between the two.

For example, you could recognise one of your personal training clients is not losing weight from their bespoke workout programme. In this instance, you can refer them to your nutrition services, creating meal plans that will facilitate their goals.

In doing so, you can move said client on to a more lucrative payment package and earn more money. 

This is something that Sarah O’Neill offers, as the example below shows, for every block of 10 sessions someone buys, they’ll also receive nutrition-based advice and assessments: 

Alternatively, if a client wasn’t interested in personal training they could specifically just use her nutrition services. 

The cross-referral scheme is highly effective, as you will already have a working relationship with the client. This will ensure that they trust your advice, making moving them from one package to another easier. 

It also strengthens your professional reputation as a personal trainer and nutritionist who is capable of addressing the various needs of your client base.

#2 Allows You To Get Better Results For Clients

Integrating your personal trainer and nutritionist services allows you to take a multifaceted approach when tackling the different fitness goals of your clients. 

It can help to accelerate their goals, for example, if you train a client who wants to build muscle and strength, you can also offer nutrition services that promote diets to help them achieve these goals.

Many Personal Trainers who focus on providing nutrition services along with a client’s training, post their client’s transformation results to show how effective this two-pronged approach can be.

More Than Muscle, for example, offers 90 programmes to transform clients’ bodies which includes a focus on ‘sustainable nutrition’ according to their website. They’ve included a results page to show clients' transformation results:

If you decide to offer similar services, you could similarly promote your business.  It’s a win-win, you receive promotional material for your website and socials, and your clients will see effective results!

#3 You Can Appeal To A Wider Demographic Of Clients

A dual career as a personal trainer and nutritionist attracts you to a wider range of clients who come from different backgrounds and with different fitness aspirations. 

This can be financially rewarding for your career as you’ll be working with people who want both of these services or just one of them specifically, you’re essentially casting your net wide and doubling your potential number of clients.

Offering both personal training and nutrition services will also allow you to work with a wide variety of clients, who will have different needs and goals. In turn, this will allow you to develop skills as a fitness professional and will improve your approach to future clients!

Other personal trainers may choose to work with a singular demographic and won’t be able to gain the level of insight you’ve gained from working with a broader of clients, which will help advance your skills in the fitness industry.

#4 It’s Easy To Scale Your Business To Help It Grow

Merging your personal trainer and nutrition services allows you to scale your business and expand it into other areas of the fitness industry.

For example, you could expand your business by becoming an online personal trainer and nutritionist, working with clients from around the world.

Rather than being limited to one specific area and group of clients this approach will expand your reach, and allow you to earn a greater income!

This is what Ben Malton has offered to scale up their business with online personal trainer and nutritionist services:

The best part for you is that you won’t have to give up your in-person responsibilities either, as these online services can be done in your own free time! 

Do I Need Insurance To Become A Personal Trainer And Nutritionist

Having insurance as a Personal Trainer and Nutritionist is important. It provides you with legal coverage in the event a client makes a claim and you need financial coverage. 

This is to cover you in the event a client gets injured or receives poor service. There are two types of essential insurance you require these are: 

• Public Liability Insurance protects you from loss, damage, or injury claims made by clients.
• Public Indemnity Insurance protects you from claims for negligent or poor service clients believe they received from you.

There are different types of insurance you may require, including Equipment and Loss of Earnings Insurance. To learn more about these different types of insurance read our article, ‘What Personal Trainer Insurance Do I Need?’  

Before You Go!

In summary, stepping into the exciting world of personal training and nutrition offers boundless opportunities within this vibrant fitness industry. 

Through the right training, you gain the power to design bespoke workout programmes and devise nutrition strategies that can propel your clients toward their fitness goals.

If you're prepared to make a difference and change lives, OriGym's Level 3 Personal Trainer Diploma is your essential gateway. Seize the opportunity to embark on this transformative journey by downloading our course prospectus today.