Offering Couples Personal Training: Ultimate Guide

Couples personal training is steadily growing in popularity and we can see exactly why! Clients benefit from being able to split the cost, work out together, and bring some healthy competition to their exercise regime.

If you’re a personal trainer considering offering this service, this guide will show you how you can design such programmes and offer them to your clients, covering:

• What Does Couples Personal Training Involve?
• How Can I Create A Programme for Two People?
• Benefits of Offering Couples Personal Training
• How Much Should Couples' Personal Training Cost?
• FAQs

But first, offer couples who train with you more by expanding the services you offer with special Level 4 Courses, including our Level 4 Sports Nutrition Course. Contact us today to find out more and download our course prospectus here.

What Does Couples Personal Training Involve?

Since you’re here reading about how to offer personal training for couples, we’re going to assume that you already have a good idea of what couples personal training involves, if so feel free to skip to the next section.  

To make money as a personal trainer, you need to keep thinking of ways to attract a wider range of clients and this is where couples personal training comes in. This consists of a session tailored to two people instead of one, and more often than not, these people are either partners, friends, or at least acquaintances. 

As a personal trainer, you will train two people at the same time, the ins and outs of the session get a little more complicated depending on who exactly you are training and how different the couple are in terms of their build, fitness level, and exercise goals. 

That said, for the most part it is usually pretty straightforward. For example, if you have two women of a similar age and body type who have similar goals - it is going to be pretty easy to create a programme that caters for the two of them. 

However, if you have two clients on completely different paths to fitness, it can become more difficult as their programmes may be highly varied. You’ll obviously want to be able to give a good service and the same amount of attention to both clients, however with one client needing to be on cardio for example, and the other on resistance, it becomes difficult to be on two ends of the gym at the same time!

Don’t let this discourage you from being able to offer this service though, as by offering the right packages, you can be inclusive of all kinds of clients and use couples personal training as a way to boost your income. Don’t forget that to offer this service, you must be a qualified personal trainer, so find out how to become a personal trainer here in our helpful guide.

How Can I Create A Programme for Two People?

The best way to create a couples fitness personal training package is to target people based on specific exercise goals, creating training plans for people who share an interest in terms of what they want to achieve through their personal training sessions.

Creating couples training plans based on goals makes it much easier for you to build a package that allows you to cater for two individuals whilst still being relatively similar in terms of a session structure and overall plan. Say you have two people who have the goal of weight loss, you can create a very similar plan and simply adjust intensities and sets or reps so that it is suitable for each individual.

If you’re lost for inspiration when trying to plan personal training for two people, don’t worry, as we have done some research on popular UK businesses that offer couple training to gage a better understanding of how they construct their services and how they go onto advertise and sell them.

We took a look at The Village Gym and saw that they have a clearly laid out structure of couples training packages which are catered to various client circumstances. This includes what they call Ditch The Desk which is a great example of how you can target particular groups of people depending on their circumstances. 

Many people have similar if not exact routines - such as those who work the 9-5, which is who The Village Gym are targeting with this package. This package is a great way of how you can use your understanding of various clients and demographics to your advantage and target efficiently rather than trying to sell a one size fits all package. You can see below the few examples of what the Village Gym offer for their packages of personal training for some guidance:

As we know, personal training is different for each and every individual and so, by grouping certain types of clientele you can create more relevant tailored plans and save yourself, and the client, any unnecessary stress of having two completely different workout regimes. 

Some example packages that you can offer include:

Off Peak Sessions

As you’re probably aware, many gyms class their off peak hours from around 11am to 3 or 4pm, this is because many people are at work during this time period. So, this means that these off peak times are usually available with personal trainers and, as you may have recognised before, are often sold as discounted memberships in gyms.

A solution for this, use it to your advantage! With many people taking their lunch break at midday, you could offer lunchtime sessions so that clients can come along with their work friends to train with you for 45 minutes. This is not only advantageous to you, due to the fact that what would usually be a quiet few hours without business, but the clientele too. 

Workers understandably want to avoid the busy rush at 5pm after work in the gym and to get their exercise in during their day saves time and breaks up their day at work. By taking part in your couples personal training lunch sessions, people can get their workout out the way, leaving them with their full evening to relax.

So, market it this way. Not only is this perfect for those on their lunch break, but you can advertise to those who work part-time too, this is especially beneficial for new gym goers who may have new gym nerves and don’t feel confident in a busy gym. 

Since this time of day is typically pretty quiet for business, you could offer these packages at a discounted rate. That way, you can earn some money when you otherwise wouldn’t have clients, and your clients benefit from competitive pricing which might just be the thing that tips the scale in your favour when selling as a personal trainer.

Varied Intensity Couples Training

As we mentioned, it is easier for you, and more effective for the clients, if they both have your undivided attention. However, this is sometimes difficult when you have two people with completely different levels of experience in the gym environment. 

Therefore, it makes more sense for the clients to have a similar range of ability when it comes to working out. For example, you could split your packages into three intensities, this could look something like this: 

Package 1: Gym Newbies

Package 2: Intermediate Gym Goers

Package 3: Advanced Gym Goers

This doesn't mean that the price changes, it simply just makes it easier for you to design a programme that is going to be effective for both parties of the couple you are working with. This makes more sense when it comes to the efficacy of the session, as to train a gym newbie with an advanced and seasoned gym goer, would require two completely different sessions in terms of speed and intensity.

You would need to take more time on a client who has never been to the gym before, not just for the client to enjoy the session, but for safety purposes too. However, without a challenging enough session, their advanced partner won’t get any real benefit from your sessions, which will inevitably result in them not wanting to pay to train with you.

So, you are probably safer and better off offering personal training to couples that are at similar levels of fitness. 

Another example of how you can begin to offer personal training for couples is by creating packages tailored to goals. This could mean that couples who are both looking to lose weight could buddy up and come to a session of yours. Some examples of the kind of goals you could tailor your couples packages to are:

• Weight loss
• Competition prep
• Muscle definition
• Increase Flexibility

Whatsmore, if you’re a personal trainer that has extra skills under their belt - you can offer specialist services. This could include the likes of helping particular individuals with certain needs; for example, you may have an elderly couple who want to tackle their back pain and aches with exercise, this is where you can come in. 

If you have a Level 4 in Lower Back Pain Management, you could have the title behind you and the knowledge to help these particular clientele that may otherwise go untreated. Elderly people especially can benefit tremendously from regular exercise and with the right extra qualifications behind you, you could improve their quality of life. Moreover, they can do it all with their significant other, or even a friend with your couples packages! 

Now that you have a strong idea of what a couples personal training package could look like, you can shape your version into what suits you, your clientele demographic, and the qualifications that you uphold. If you’re interested in furthering your repertoire of qualifications to offer more personal training for couples packages, why not check out our article on what is a strength and conditioning coach to see if this could be your next venture?

Benefits of Offering Couples Personal Training

At this point, you may be wondering exactly what the benefits of offering couples personal training are. Some common questions include ‘should I be taking extra qualifications?’, ‘Are the financial benefits worth it?’. All of which are questions to be answered in this section of benefits.

#1 More Attractive Price Bracket

As a personal trainer, you may find that the price of your service is what could sometimes make it difficult to gain as many clients as you hope for. We understand that it can sometimes be intimidating when you’re trying to price your services as a new personal trainer - you don’t want to undervalue your service but you also want to avoid over charging for your level of experience. 

So, you need to confidently find that balance so that you can bring clients in and more importantly, keep them there. Offering couples personal training can do just that, all the while without devaluing your service.

Clients that go for a couples service are able to slash whichever price you pose in half. Compared to the cost of regular personal training, this is a huge discount for both parties and is bound to bring in those clients that were initially in two minds due to the price of personal training. 

In turn, you could see an influx of clients come your way due to your competitive price tag, along with the added bonus of the client being able to workout with their friend, partner, or colleague.

If you’re a young person looking to get started in the fitness industry, check out our article on how old you have to be to be a personal trainer.

#2 Clients Feel At Ease With Company

The cost of couples personal training isn’t the only factor that makes the whole scheme beneficial for your business, as the clients who you are training are bound to feel less nervous and more at ease in the presence of their gym partner.

This promotes positivity throughout the session, and of course you want, and ultimately need, your clients to be happy in order to retain their service and get results. Working out with a partner is certain to help cure some new gym nerves and help to convert any potential clients that are hesitant to take part in personal training sessions on a 1-2-1 basis. 

Use this as a selling point, you can ask clients that are in two minds about joining you to have a taster session with a friend, partner or colleague, all the while selling the fact that if they do get on board with a partner, they’re able to slash the price in half.

The fact that your clients would be at ease circulates a positive reputation of your business, which leads us into our next point. 

#3 Happier Clients = Positive Word of Mouth

As we have mentioned, couples fitness personal training puts your clients at ease and so, makes for happier clients. 

Happier clients equate to a positive word of mouth, of which provides what could be considered as free advertising for you and your business. Happy clients will want to leave positive feedback, they will want to show off their results and in turn benefit your business. 

This is perfect for those who have friends or family interested in couples personal training, or even 1-2-1 training. Positive word of mouth is the best way to circulate business in your area, particularly if you live in a small town as people are much more likely to listen to the opinions of their peers than they are to buy something based on an Instagram post or Facebook advert.

Living somewhere that is close knit with a lot of mutual friends being nearby, word of mouth is everything. It only takes one bad review to begin the circulation of negative talk about your business; so keep your sessions up to scratch and present results to your clients to feel the return and effectiveness of positive reviews. 

For more useful resources for being the ultimate personal trainer, head over to our articles below!

• How To Make Money As A Personal Trainer
• Top Personal Trainer Specialities
• Personal Training In Parks: Everything You Need To Know

#4 Healthy Competition Equates to Better Results 

You may be well aware of the fact that you can achieve results when you have a competitive side, and so, your clients will benefit from the same feeling.

Better results from your clients is great news for you and them, they can leave happy knowing they have achieved the goals they set, and you can feel humble in knowing you helped them get there. You can explain to your clients in a consultation how healthy competition can encourage much better motivation. 

There has even been research which found that those who were in a competitive team had attendance of 90% more than a group that was fueled by social support. Though there is of course not going to be a huge level of competition between friends, there will still be an underlying push that may otherwise not have been there in a 1-2-1 sesion. 

Infact, it is a healthy amount of competition that will be hugely beneficial to you and your clients through the presentation of results! 

#5 Client Retention

Finally, what makes all of these points so important to recognise for couples personal training is the improvement in client retention. 

All of the aforementioned benefits are reasons for why you should add couples personal training to your business, and they all contribute to client retention. Having a client for 6, 8 or even 12 weeks is great - but what about when they have reached their initial goal?

This is why you should be careful when promoting your couples personal training packages, as if you sell in blocks, you’re going to have to go through the hard work of re-selling again to the same customers. 

However, by offering a couple a set price that rolls over month by month means you can keep them as a regular session, they can change their goals as they progress and there is even the possibility of them branching out into 1-2-1 sessions if they become more serious about their fitness. 

Like we said, taking the first step into the gym can be daunting for some, so getting started with a partner can be the stepping stone to a longer commitment either 1-2-1 or 2-2-1! 

Don’t worry if you’re new to the personal training industry either, learning how to retain clients comes with practice and the correct planning prior. You can learn more about why and how to set up personal training packages here or check out this article for more tips on client retention. 

How Much Should Couples' Personal Training Cost?

If this sounds like a package that you want to add to your business, you probably want to know how much the average personal trainer charges for training two clients at same time. 

So, we found some businesses that offer just that so that you can work out what your average wage might be. Remember, personal trainers have a range of experience - whether that means that they have acquired more knowledge through further education like CPD courses or simply a longer time span in the industry. 

For this reason, prices are naturally varied and you should always consider your own experience, qualifications, and location when deciding on your exact prices.

First we looked at a company in the UK called CostaFitness. They offer 5 joint sessions that last 1 hour, with the total amount for the 5 sessions being £235.00. 

Below, you can see what they ask for to get you started with training:

We broke this down more clearly: 

Per session: £47

Per person, per session: £23.50 

Since the average cost of a personal training session starts at around £30, £23.50 is of course a discounted rate when you whittle it down to how much each person will be paying per hour. However, the good news for you is that this discount doesn't put your business at a loss, as you are actually earning more per hour than you would for a regular PT session. 

To use this as an example, if you typically charge £30 a session for 1-2-1 training, and when you’re working with couples you charge £23.50 per person, per session - the client is getting your services at a discounted rate of just under 25%. This discount is what is going to make it easier for you to convert clients who might have otherwise been put off by your prices. 

Plus, whilst you might charge £30 per person for 1-2-1 sessions, being able to earn a total of £47 for couples training means you actually receive a surplus in hourly rate even though you're offering a discount per person per hour.

Another example we looked at was Dean Clarke Personal Training, similarly this is a package directed exclusively to people looking to buddy up and start training with a partner. This is what their website looks like below:

This business markets their sessions per person, per hour. 

They specify that their sessions can last 45-60 minutes and cost £20pp per session. This could be a better way of showing off your discounted price rather than a lump sum of a block of sessions - your potential clients can always do the math and see how much it will cost for X amount of sessions.

Seeing a number such as £20 can be a lot more attractive than hundreds of pounds so maybe keep that in mind when you’re trying to highlight the beneficial properties of couples personal training to your customers. 

Only you can decide your price and you should first consult your experience and knowledge first. Charge what you are capable of providing and be sure to understand the average price in your area of practice first before setting your prices too high and receiving very little business. 

FAQs

Can I Create A Diet Plan for Both Clients?

In short, no. It is vital that you get to grips with what you can provide in terms of diet and nutrition advice to your clients. Unless you’re a registered dietitian, you can not prescribe meal plans or tell your clients what they can or cannot eat. 

Ensure that you make it clear in your package that you can only make nutrition suggestions, you are not qualified to prescribe any kind of diet. Instead, you should use language that is purely on the terms of advice - not prescription.

Overall, you can give advice to both of your clients based on general fitness goals, but you cannot prescribe meal plans unless you are a dietician. 

If you need more clarity on what a personal trainer can or cannot provide in terms of diet, read our article: can personal trainers give nutritional advice?

How Many PT Sessions Should I Offer A Week?

This should be dictated by the goals of the couple. You may decide to take our previous advice and create targeted packages for couples with similar goals and if so, you could design these packages with X amount of sessions per week in mind.

However, if you are wanting to retain clients, it may be a good idea to negotiate a weekly amount of sessions with your clients and give them flexibility and freedom to increase or decrease the amount depending on their preferences. 

This way, you’re not limiting yourself and the clients to 3 sessions a week for 4 weeks for example; you’re instead keeping it rolling week by week or month by month. 

Before You Go!

Now you know all the vital information from personal training rates for couples to the benefits of offering the service - you’re ready to start designing your packages that people will be getting straight on board with!

But before you go, why not continue to expand the number of services you can offer couples be checking out our Level 4 Fitness Courses, starting with our Sports Nutrition qualification.

Enquire today or browse through all of our fitness courses by downloading our course prospectus here.