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How To Find A Personal Trainer

Snapshot of an online search how you can find a personal trainer near you

Many people fail when trying to discover how to find a personal trainer (a good one) near them. But don't worry, as we qualify over 5,000 personal trainers each year, you're in safe hands!

In this guide, we will break down step-by-step what you MUST look for in a trainer, what you need to do, and where to find one:

Before you jump in, why not turn your passion for fitness and become a personal trainer yourself with our Personal Trainer Diploma - the fastest way to launch your career. Alternatively, download our course prospectus to learn more.

Step 1 - Find a Personal Trainer Who Specialises in Your Goals

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Firstly, you need to avoid the common misconception that all personal trainers are equal. There are so many different types of personal trainers out there!

Personal Trainers are the same, you get great ones that will revolutionise your attitude towards health and fitness and you get ones that will put you off personal training for life!

The trick is how to find a good personal trainer and it all starts with you identifying what you actually want....

Do you want:

  1. Fat loss?
  2. To feel more energetic?
  3. To build more muscle?
  4. Just to tone up a little?
  5. To feel better and more confident?
  6. Reduce stress and anxiety?
  7. For health and injury recovery?
  8. To compete for a run, cycle or competition?
  9. Post Natal support and advice?
  10. Combination of several of the above factors?

Once you have established what you want, you will easily be able to narrow down your search for how to find a personal trainer that is right for you.

Personal trainers have speciality areas and based on your goals and purpose you should pick a trainer that has background and experience in your area. For example, if you want to build muscle, why would you go to a personal trainer that specialises in fat loss?

We will show you later on in this article how you can find a personal trainer’s specialties quickly and without having to talk to them directly....

 

Enquire to Become a Personal Trainer

Join the fitness industry with our CIMSPA-endorsed Personal Trainer Diploma!

Step 2 - How to Find a Personal Trainer For Your Budget

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When looking how to find a personal trainer, the cost of personal training is of course an influencing factor. You need to be aware that there is no one cost fits all approach with personal training. Personal trainer cost will come down to several varying factors:

1. Their Level of Experience

Generally speaking, the more "experience" they have the more you pay end up paying when finding how to hire a personal trainer.

2. How qualified they are

Personal trainers whom have more relatable fitness qualifications such as Level 4 certification or degree background may charge you more for their expertise.

3. How busy they are

Personal Trainers diary congestion is . a major factor to how much you will pay for Personal Training. Trainers often change rates based on their level of demand. 

4. Age of the trainer

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Normally the older the trainer the higher the fee for personal training. This is mainly down to the potential experience of the trainer, life experience, expectation of hourly rate and social status.

5. What they feel they are worth

Many personal trainer's prices are determined by how much they "feel" their time is worth. This tends to be based on what they have read or what they have been told to price themselves at without any real marketing strategy behind them.

6. Location

Yes, Location is a huge factor! If your pay for a Personal Trainer in a boutique gym in an affluent area, you will pay more almost irrespective of their ability as a trainer. They will have either rent or lease fees that are excessive to pay out, this gets placed upon the clients.

7. The market they wish to attract

If the Personal Trainer is trying to create exclusivity through their advertising this can be achieved by inflating prices, normally justifiably, but sometimes not.

8. How and where they deliver their sessions

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If a personal trainer trains you online, in groups or outdoors, normally the rate is lower as they do not have to pay out on any overheads.

9. Do they offer discounts for bulk or package deals.

Personal trainers whom do not work in a commercial gym, often are very flexible with payments, especially when paid in cash and upfront (let you by the decider as to why). This can influence how much a personal trainer costs.

That is a lot of variables!....

This is why you can find a personal trainer charging just £10 an hour, all the way through to £250 per hour (no joke).

But why would the price be so different? Take a look below at two very different trainers:

Personal Trainer 1:

- Qualified for less than 1 year

- Works for a National Chain

- Is a Level 3 qualified personal trainer

- Is 21 years old- Has 7 paying clients

- Marketing towards the General gym population 

Personal Trainer 2:

- Qualified for 8 years

- Owns their personal training studio

- Has a 1st class honours degree in Strength & Conditioning

- Has Level 4 Nutrition, Level 4 Lower Back Pain Qualifications beyond their Level 3 PT certificate

- Marketing is geared for business owners

Which personal trainer do you think will cost more?

The second one, right?......That is because personal training is like any other product or service you purchase. It is only worth the amount that someone is prepared to pay! 

Personal trainers that charge £250 per hour, normally have a reputation built up in the sector over several years, have a fully booked up diary, have trained the odd "z" list celebrity or two and target exclusivity. In the same way, you can pay £15 a night at one hotel and £5,000 a night at another. It’s a combination of marketing, quality, availability and exclusivity that determines the price of personal training.

But, how to find a good personal trainer in your budget?

Firstly, you need a budget in place, the average cost of personal training on an hourly basis is around £30 per hour (outside of London). The personal trainer costs in London rises to around £50 per hour, so be prepared for this.

How to Hire a Personal Trainer: How do You Pay them!

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When thinking about how to hire a personal trainer, you need to understand the different ways that Personal Trainers construct packages.

Some Personal trainers do session packages, where you pay for sessions normally upfront and more than likely through cash. This can range from 4 sessions through to 24 sessions depending on your commitment level. This is the most common way of hiring a personal trainer.

That said, this is NOT the way we recommend to both trainers and to clients, here is why.....

1) Protect Yourself

When paying for a service that has not been delivered yet (especially in cash), you need to protect yourself encase your trainer leaves the gym, moves away, stops personal training or is fraudulent. Yes, these things happen! 

2) You Might Not Like The Trainer

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When deciding to hire a personal trainer and paying upfront you’re not just making a financial and health commitment, you're buying an inter-personal service, what happens after two sessions you don't like their training style? Dislike the way they talk to you, find them a difficult to relate to or communicate with? You have just paid upfront for another 14 sessions to come and there is 99% of the time, a no refund policy!

Check out our guide to the questions to ask a personal trainer to make sure you find the right one for you!

3) Service Level May Drop

Ever paid for something upfront where the service started great and then the standards quickly dropped? This can happen in Personal Training too! If you have already paid upfront for 16 personal training sessions, you have removed the motivation and incentive to get the quality and standard of service you deserve. When finding how to hire a personal trainer, you  should commit to it, but this is not the same as financially committing. Keep them wanting your business and driving standards.

4) You Have Created an End Date Which Creates Procrastination

Is there an end date to your health and wellbeing? - No!

It just maybe that your fitness goals or priories change over time.

Let's say you hire a personal trainer and pay upfront after 16 sessions. What is going to happen after those 16 sessions? 

Here are some possibilities:

  1. A) You Re-buy some more sessions before you're 
  2. B) You buy less session as the upfront cost is a lot
  3. C) You Will sign back up but after Christmas, the kids birthdays, holiday, wedding, weekend away (I have heard them all)
  4. D) You take a break and get out of the habit

The last two are far more than likely that former two. As people, we all love to procrastinate! Your fitness goals do not have an "end date", it is a lifestyle that you should be buying not a 16 week fix to hope that you lose a stone before a holiday. 

What should i do instead then?

Hire a Personal trainer that allows you to pay monthly, here is why....

Monthly packages such as the one below from Dr Huma Lateef, a London based Personal Trainer: 

When looking how to find a personal trainer, the cost of personal training is of course an influecing factor. You need to be aware that there is no one cost fits all approach with personal training. Personal traienr cost will come down to several varying factors:  1. Their Level of Expereince  2. How qualified they are in Personal training  3. How busy they are  4. Age of the trainer  5. What they feel they are worth  6. Location  7. The market they wish to attract  8. How and where they deliover their sessions  9. Do they offer disocunts for bulk or package deals  That is a lot of variables!....  This is why you can find a personal trainer charging just £10 an hour, all the way through to £250 per hour (no joke).  But why would the price be so different?  Take a look below at two very different trainers:  Personal Trainer 1:  - Qualified for less than 1 year  - Works for a National Chain  - Is a Level 3 qualified personal trainer  - Is 21 years old- Has 7 paying clients  - Marketing towards the General gym p

This has several benefits to you:

  1. Allow you to hire a personal trainer monthly with no commitment
  2. Does not set an end date so you get results all year round
  3. Makes the payments more manageable and part of your other financial bills
  4. Allows you to leave if you do not get on with the trainer
  5. Ensures the standard of personal training you receive is exactly what you deserve

How Many Sessions Should I do with a Personal Trainer?

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Depending on what your budget allows a minimum of one sessions per week would be advisable, if you can afford more then great!

There never should be an end to fitness goals as we have already established, they should just change and adapt with time as your hit a goal and then you set another, which is why there is . no reason you should ever not have a personal trainer.

A good example of this could be that you want a personal trainer to help you lose weight and tone up for a holiday. This is the most common reason we here as trainers! Let's say you hit your goal before your holiday, but what are you going to do after the holiday? You might have a new goal that you wish to aspire to or sustain your results that you achieved before going away. 

Ask yourself this, who do we seek when we are ill? - a GP, who do we seek when our teeth hurt? - A dentist! But when we want to get fitter do everything but seek a fitness professional, maybe ask a friend, give it a go ourselves, read unqualified advice online! This is why when asking how many sessions should I do with a personal trainer, the real answer is limitless.

Step 3 - What to Look For Before Meeting a Personal Trainer

 

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When finding how to find a personal trainer in your area, you want to check their online credibility! There is nothing we can't find online anymore, and you should be doing your due diligence to ensuring you get the best personal trainer for your needs.

If you have found a personal trainer that is within your budget, has the right speciality area, you now want to see what their personal trainer reviews are like, what current and former clients say about them.

You need to go to trustworthy websites where reviews are monitored and verified. Google, Amazon and Trip advisor are not reliable platforms! You can buy Google reviews of the likes of People per hour for £1 per review:

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You need to be checking Trustpilot, Feefo, Review Centre to get a fair reflection of personal trainer reviews. Trustpilot for example verifies reviews to keep the authenicity of their platform secure:

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Even Facebook reviews are not bad as you can even reach out the person who has written the personal training review to see their real and up to date opinion. See below people reaching out to one of our past personal training students about our courses:

Checking Case Studies and Testimonials is a great way when how to find a personal trainer near you has worked with people who were or are in a similar positon to yourself. What did they achieve with that client? Did they reach their goals?

 

Enquire to Become a Personal Trainer

Join the fitness industry with our CIMSPA-endorsed Personal Trainer Diploma!

Step 4 - How to Find a Good Personal Trainer that Matches Your Time & Availability

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Location is obviously a key point for how to find a good personal trainer, they of course need to be local and accessible to you. This being said, do not substitute convenience for quality. Let's say you're a member at Pure Gym and for ease you decide to take out personal training with one of the trainers there, but you found a great trainer online, that ticks all the boxes, but it would take 30 minutes to get to them. When thinking how to find a personal trainer, a good one anyway, you need to be prepared to travel a little or even have to switch gyms.

In the "where to find a personal trainer" section, later in this article, we provide you with a host of websites where you can search by location to find a "personal trainers near me" based on your postcode, town or city.

Not all personal trainers are full time either, many have side adventures or have extensions in their personal training business that restricts PT bookings. When to making contact with a personal trainer you want to find out what their time and availability is like, do they take bookings evening, mornings and when you want to be trained.....Otherwise is could be a pointless exercise.

Additionally, often when trying find out how to find a good personal trainer (UK) they can also be very booked up, they're good for a reason right? Then you may need to be more flexible in your diary to get the ideal trainer for your needs!

Finding a Personal Trainer in Your Area: Train Where you want to be Trained

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Personal training can be done anywhere and I mean anywhere! The thing is, you need to ensure you are getting personal trained in an environment that best suits your needs.

Find the right Personal Trainer for your needs:

Find an Online Personal Trainer

Hiring an online Personal Trainer gives you everything you get from a face to face personal trainer just without them physically being there when you are training.

PROS: 

  1. A) Cheaper than Face to Face to Face Personal Training
  2. B) Still Get a Personalised Programme
  3. C) Round the clock distance Support
  4. D) Access to online software that allows you to track progress
  5. E) Can do your programme at time and place convenient for you
  6. F) Not bound by location to hire a good personal trainer

CONS:

  1. A) Difficult to build rapport with the trainer
  2. B) They tend to have far more clients than a face to face trainer, thus time for you is spread more finely.
  3. C) They are not physically there to motivate and inspire you
  4. D) Can include things in your programme that you don't have access to

Find a Personal At Home

You can hire a personal trainer at Home to come and see you once per week and workout in your Garden, living room or Garage for example.

PROS:

  1. A) Time convenient as they can come to you without you leaving your home
  2. B) Great if you suffer from confidence issues and like a private setting
  3. C) Get dedicated 1-2-1 physical support and motivation
  4. D) Can very easily build rapport with the trainer

CONS:

  1. A) Lack of available equipment that you may require
  2. B) Personal trainer cost will likely by higher as you're paying for them to travel to you.
  3. C) Most are not CRB checked and you’re letting them into your property.
  4. D) Lack of space to perform certain exercises

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Find a Personal Trainer in a Gym

More Personal Training is done through a commercial gym chain than anywhere else. This is because more personal trainers operate out of commercial gyms such as Virgin Active, Pure Gym, Fitness First than anywhere else!

PROS:

  1. A) 1-2-1 Personalised service
  2. B) Physically there to motivate you
  3. C) Generally nice and clean environment to workout in
  4. D) Safe and secure environment
  5. E) Lots of trainers to pick from

CONS: 

  1. A) Highest turnover of trainers is in gyms, meaning they may leave before you have finished your sessions
  2. B) Inexperienced trainers are found at gyms, as that is the most common place trainers start out
  3. C) You may have to wait for equipment at busy times
  4. D) Have to pay for gym membership on top which can be costlly

Find a Personal Trainer in a Private Studio

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Private studios or gyms tend to be one off establishments (by and large) and this is the fastest growing part of the market, with over 6,500 private studios and gyms across the UK. They are normally started by Personal trainers who have branched out from 

PROS:

  1. A) Normally very experienced trainers
  2. B) More exclusive approach
  3. C) 1-2-1 Personalised service
  4. D) Private setting where there is just one or two people training
  5. E) Easy to build rapport with your trainer

CONS:

  1. A) Can lack equipment you need
  2. B) Not as aesthetically pleasing as a commercial gym
  3. C) Not Training with other people, so can lack atmosphere
  4. In the Park

Personal Training In Groups

Group Personal training is not the same as classes. Group PT is where you still get a personalised programme, but your session is simply shared with a few other people. Classes are where you're all following the same routine and choreography simultaneously. 

PROS:

  1. A) Far cheaper than one to one and online personal training
  2. B) Create a rapport with other group members and your trainer
  3. C) Can attend with a friend
  4. D) Get the physical help and support when you need it

CONS:

  1. A) Sharing your session time with other people
  2. B) May not enjoy the company of other group members
  3. C) May be a health and safety issue if you're lifting heavy weights

Environment and how personal training is delivered is very important. You want to feel as comfortable as possible and checking to view the facilities and finding out where you will be training is just as important as finding out about the trainer themselves. 

Some aspects below to consider which differs from person to person:

  1. Does the environment have the right facilities for your needs?
  2. Does it have the right fitness equipment?
  3. Is it clean?
  4. Do you like training outdoors?
  5. Is it an open gym?

These are factors that you should weight in to hwo to find the best personal trainer for you.

Read on as the next part is really key for how to find a personal trainer.....

Step 5 - What Qualifications and Insurance Should a Personal Trainer Have

 

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Now that you have narrowed your list down to a few trainers by finding a personal trainer that is within your budget, appears to have the skills set you need for your goal, great personal trainer reviews and will fit into your schedule you now need to speak to them face to face to find out more!

You really want to see before asking anything else two things:

  1. Their Fitness Qualifications
  2. Their Insurance

Why is this so important?

Imagine driving around in a car without a driving license and MOT, you might find yourself in some trouble! This happens in the fitness sector, where individuals are advertising their "fitness expertise" despite not having either the qualification or insurance to allow them legally to do so. 

This is protect yourself from those "trainers" that have not undergone the appropriate training, bring this sector into disrepute and operate outside of the law. 

What does a proper personal trainer qualification look like?

1. Has the Ofqual stamp of authority on, Ofqual is the sister business to Ofsted and regulates the industry at government level. 

The stamp looks like this:

2. The awarding body is also printed on the certificate. There are 5 main governing bodies that virtually all Colleges and Training providers utilise:

 

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3. Personal Trainer Public liability insurance is what you would need to see from a personal trainer, normally with a minimum cover of up to £5million or more.

Step 6 - What a Personal Trainer Should Ask You & What Red Flags to Look Out For

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Now you have got the legal aspect clear and feel safe they have undertaken the correct training, there are a few things to note when how to hire a good personal trainer that you should be aware of.

Paying close attention to your needs

When hiring a personal trainer, they should be analysing, writing down your requirements, asking questions about why you want a personal trainer, your goals and aspirations.

Appear healthy themselves (practice what they preach)

No, they don't have to be built like a bodybuilder, ripped or anything of the kind. That being said, they should be someone whom works out and looks after themselves. They should not be preaching about how beneficial a healthy lifestyle is and not so themselves.

Establish what your nutritional intake is like

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Nutrition is the most important aspect for you wanting to reach your fitness goals, whether you want to put on more muscle or lose fat. When finding a good personal trainer, they should be establishing what your current nutritional intake including your portion sizing, macros, sugar, time of the day you eat and more.

Be passionate about helping you

Passion gets you a long way as a personal trainer, but it is the minimum requirement. If you get the impression that the trainer does not sound fully committed to your goals or that you get inspired when talking with them, run a million miles as this will affect all the other points on here in the long run.

Have a clear plan of action to how to get you to your goals

how to find a good personal trainer can be tricky, but one of the most key areas is the overall plan of action. By the end of your meeting, the personal trainer should have a clear plan of how they can help you, where they can help you and a strategy based on your needs. You too should be clear on that plan and be excited about getting started. 

Make you feel comfortable

When deciding how to find a personal trainer, the way they make you feel in the presence is equally important as their ability as a trainer. You should be made to feel at ease and want to open up honestly about your insecurities, your goals and generally feeling comfortbale in their company. 

They should set you realistic goals

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One of the first things personal trainers learn during their level 2 fitness instructing qualification is for how to set SMART Goals. This is where goals are set that are realistic, time bound, specific and measureable. If they set you a goal that you believe to be unobtainable or doesn't do any of those points mentioned before, then that is probably not the best trainer for you!

Show you personal trainer testimonials of previous clients similsr to you

When finding how to hire a personal trainer, testimonials and reviews from other clients and previous clients matter. More impotently clients that are similar to you. If you want tom lose weight and tone up a little before the summer, then you should be shown personal trainer testimonials of clients who have been sitting where you are right now. They should not be showing you personal trainer testimonials of how they helped someone who they helped build muscle or compete in a triathlon.

Have further courses than the basic level 3 certificate in personal training

The level 3 certificate in personal training is the minimum requirement for a personal trainer to operate in the UK. When looking how to find a personal trainer, ideally you want to someone who strives to improve themselves, wants to take further fitness courses and plug gaps in their knowledge. This demonstrates to you their long-term plan as a personal trainer, that they have more knowledge and expertise in certain areas and that they value their own education to help their clients.

 

Enquire to Become a Personal Trainer

Join the fitness industry with our CIMSPA-endorsed Personal Trainer Diploma!

RED FLAGS TO WATCH OUT FOR!

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RED FLAGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

When finding how to hire a good personal trainer, there are some very easily identifiable red flags:

  1. Trainer talks about other clients who are very different to you
  2. Use over complicated language to explain exercises and plans
  3. Advise to put you on machines as opposed to free weights
  4. Chicken and veg diet plans
  5. That you can lose fat from one part of the body
  6. Unrealistic goals (you're going to lose 5 stone in 4 weeks)
  7. Generic plan that all their clients seem to have
  8. They don't talk with passion and empathy

If any of the above creep in to your conversation with a personal trainer, it's time to get out of there. Personal training costs money and you need to invest it wisely. One of the most understated and in my personal opinion key attributes to how to find a good personal trainer to hire is in the next chapter....

Step 7 - What Determines Good Value in a Personal Trainer

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Rapport is everything in how to find a personal trainer! They can tick all the boxes we have been through but if you can't hold a conversation with them, it is only a matter of time before you don't enjoy attending your sessions.

Ask yourself this.....Who cuts your hair?

in 9/10 scenarios it’s a friend, family member or someone you have gone to for years. This is because you like and trust that person not just to do a good job cutting your hair, but also because you get to have a chat with them and this makes you feel at ease.

Personal training works on the exact same principle!

Yes of course you want a great trainer that has loads of qualifications, based near you, knows what they are talking about, but they MUST be someone you look forward to engaging with.

A good Personal Trainer should be:

1. Engaging

2. Charismatic

3. Fun

4. Friendly

Rapport with your personal trainer is key to the longevity of the professional relationship. They don't have to text you outside of your sessions to see "how you are" or "go on nights out with you", If you're spending an hour of your day with them they need to be someone you can really get along with.

Step 8 - Myths About What Makes a Good Personal Trainer

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Most trainers will allow you to get a sample of their training prior to signing up on a personal training package with them. Definitely be pro-active and ask the question if you can get a taster to see if they work well for your needs. This normally is in the format of either a free half hour taster session, attending a workshop that they deliver or joining a group PT session.

Once you're completely satisfied with their abilities, qualifications and personality you need to see the value they you actually get from your trainer.

Added value comes in many forms, but it is what determines the cost of personal training. 

Here is what I mean....

1. Do they offer free nutritional advice, or do you pay on top?

2. Do you get free progress reports, if so how often?

3. Do they help with meal prep at all?

4. Are their supplements included?

5. Do they offer round the clock support outside of the gym?

6. Do you have to sign a contract with them?

Good trainers should include at least a nutritional plan as part of their package, but when deciding on the personal trainer costs, ensure to look at all the factors!

Myths About a Personal Trainer: Don't Believe the Marketing Hype

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Before we show you where you find a personal trainer, we need to show you some things to be cautious of when speaking with Personal Trainers:

When finding how to find a personal trainer, many people look at the wrong things to evaluate a trainer. This can lead you down the wrong path! Here are a few of those myths:

How long has a personal trainer been qualified

Just because a Personal Trainer has 10 years’ experience does not make them a good Personal Trainer. They could be bored with the role, stuck in their position, have not progressed in their career. Equally a new trainer can offer passion, have 10 years’ experience in other industries or disciplines of sport and really keen to help you. 

Many trainers lead with "experience" as the key factor to why you should hire them as a personal trainer but try to look at it in reverse where appropriate.

The Trainer is in Amazing Shape

All the best personal trainers I have encountered are individuals that if they walked past you on the street you wouldn't necessarily know they are personal trainers. They are all healthy individuals and good condition, but if they really have the time to train themselves hours on end, means they probably don't have the client base they may seem to have. Top personal trainers have 40+ clients and work up to 70 hours per week, the reason, people buy off the best and time restricts other aspects of their lives.

The PT has Trained Celebrities, They Must be good!

This one really gets me! If a PT starts to brag about which athlete, celebrity or want to be that they have trained, you know they are not doing very well. You should care about how they have helped someone like you or similar to you, whether you're an athlete or never stepped foot in a gym. Quite often their stories of helping X celebrity are fictitious and they need that to make you buy off them. These are desperate sales tactics that we do not recommend any trainer to sell via.

The More Qualifications they have the more qualified they are to help you

Another myth about personal trainers is them listing qualifications that doesn't seem to have an end must be a good thing. In some instances, yes, but in others no. If their qualification is not relevant to your fitness goals as discussed in Step 1, most of the others can be pointless. Additionally, we get applicants for our sister companies like JD Gyms, Sports Direct and DW Fitness First where they have qualifications listed onto 2 pages, yet they want to work for minimum wage. Why?.....They can't build a client base for one reason or another.

In the next chapter we're going to show you where to find a personal trainer near you....

Step 9 - Where to Find a Good Personal Trainer

Now with where to find a personal trainer.....

There are loads of different avenues that you explore to how to find a personal trainer, but we have collated a list of the best places to search to make it really nice and simple for you:

National Register of Personal Trainers (NRPT)

The National Register of Personal Trainers is a website that connects the general public with certified personal trainers. There is over 800 qualified personal trainers listed on their website that are fully insured with the correct personal trainer accreditation, which the NRPT verifies before allowing their profile to become live.

https://nrpt.co.uk

The personal trainers listed tend to be freelance personal trainers as they pay a nominal subscription fee to be listed on the website and have a visible profile. The profiles list their pricing structure and personal trainer cost, as well as their qualifications in fitness, their location, where they train and personal trainer testimonials for you to view before having the option to reach out to them.

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Please do note, that the National Register of Personal Trainers is not an official register and is run by a digital marketing company that make money from their subscriptions, but it is a good way for how to find a personal trainer near you.

Your Personal Training

Your Personal Training (YPT) is a Personal Training Management company that manages personal trainers largely within the Leisure sector for the likes of GL Leisure, Better Gyms and Active Leisure to name just a few. There are thousands of personal trainers from all across the UK listed on their website that you can book in via.

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As you can see from the below image, you can see their personal training credentials, qualifications, personal trainer reviews, biography and specialisms prior to engaging with them. With thousands to pick from, YPT functional platform is a great way to how to find a personal trainer.

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Do note, you may have to be a member also at the gym that the personal trainer works at prior to starting personal training sessions.

TruBe 

TruBe is a app that you can download to your phone, which you can download from the Appel store to book sessions with its network of fitness professionals. Whether you're looking to find a personal trainer and nutrionist, a yoga instructor, Pilates trainer or boxing coach, the TruBe app has it all!

https://trubeapp.com/

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The platform is super easy to use, simply select the type of trainer you're looking for e.g. yoga instructor or personal trainer for example, then the date you're free, the time and your location and then TruBe will pull up recommendations based on your search criteria. You can then search via who has the highest personal trainer reviews as seen below:

Just click on the profile you wish to get more information on and you will see the personal trainer’s area of speciality, about us page, location, PT qualifications and how to book with them. The Trube app is taking the fitness sector by storm in the UK and is a super easy way to how to find a personal trainer in your area at the click of a few buttons, whether you're out and about or at home.

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At Home Fitness

When asking yourself, where to find a personal trainer online, look no further than At Home Personal Trainer. The clue is in the name with this website, the trainers come to you! Whether you want to train at home, on the beach, in your local park, At Home Fitness has a personal trainer local to you for you every need.

http://www.athomefitness.co.uk/

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Select the trainer that is based in your area to view their profile, where you will see their personal trainer costs and fees, list of fitness courses they have completed and most importantly the areas they are prepared to travel to. 

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Bidivine

https://www.bidvine.com/personal-training

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Bidivine is a website that operates in various sectors including fitness. It is a platform where if you want to find a personal trainer and nutrionist, you don't actually select the trainer, the trainer is selected for you. The way it works is that you submit your details with how many sessions per week, how often you want to train, your goals, reason for wanting to get into shape and then personal trainers bids for you as a lead against other personal trainers. Bidivine uses its sophisticated algorithm to remove certain trainers who do not meet your criteria, however ultimately it is a bidding war and you do not necessary end up being presented with the best personal trainers you are looking to find. 

Additionally, when we did a dummy sign up as a personal trainer on their website, no verification was utilised to see if we had completed the right personal trainer courses or were insured to be advertising personal training. Bidivine is a good place still for where to look for a personal trainer and does have a huge range of personal trainers to pick from and you will be able to see their profiles and personal training reviews before booking, as seen below:

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How to Find a Personal Near Me: Google is Your Friend

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You might be wondering how to find a personal trainer in my area? Google is your friend, but sometimes the search brings up irrelevant results. This is because many one off personal trainers have weak performing websites and get outranked by other personal training related services, such as personal training course providers, gyms and other fitness brands. Instead of just typing personal trainer into Google, try typing in "personal trainer" with the inverted comas followed by location as seen below:

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This brings up far more defined results and list of personal trainers than simply typing in personal trainer, where you may have to scroll pages of Google to find what you were actually looking for. This makes how to find a personal traine really simple and easy. See below how by adding your location and placing "personal trainer" in inverted commas just brings up personal trainers and also Google maps where you can see personal training reviews and exact locations:

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PT Findr

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When finding where can I find a Personal Trainer, look no further than PT Findr. This innovative platform makes finding a PT super quick. Unlike other platforms it has personal trainer reviews, costs and everything else you need to know about the trainer before you go ahead and book. 

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The great difference about Findr to a lot of the other platforms on this list is that they take the payment from you as opposed to the trainer. Starting with a personal trainer often requires for you to pay up front costs or fees that can extensive and this methodology protects you from any personal trainers operating on the platform that are potentially dishonest, keeping your money in escrow until you receive what you pay for. This is whist distinguishes Findr as the go to website when trying to where to find a personal trainer that is reliable and trustworthy. They also vet trainers PT insurance and fitness qualification’s prior to them signing up and creating an account. 

 

Enquire to Become a Personal Trainer

Join the fitness industry with our CIMSPA-endorsed Personal Trainer Diploma!

How to Find a Personal Trainer in My Area: Your Local Gyms

The most common way for where to find a personal trainer is at your local gym. Every National Gym Chain, Leisure Centre and Private Gym has personal trainers, depending on the size of the gym and location, they will have on average around 10 operating out of one gym for you to pick from. Some gyms like Gym Box in Central London can have up to 40 trainers at just one site.

Personal Training is big bucks to gyms as they generally charge the trainer rent to perform personal training sessions from their facility, meaning they always want to fulfil their capacity of trainers. 

How to find a personal trainer online that operates at a gym is simple. Type into Google "Gym" Personal Training followed by your location e.g. "gym" personal training Leicester, alternately you can just type in the gyms name (if you know it) followed by personal training and your location. You will find lots of gyms that have dedicated personal training pages making finding a personal trainer near you really quick and simple:

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We have collated a few of the biggest gyms offering Personal Training for you to view below:

DW Fitness First

24/7 Fitness

Pure Gym

Virgin Active

JD Gyms

Sports Direct Fitness

Nuffield Health

Once you pop in your club, you can then view the online profiles of each fitness trainer and decide which one would suit your needs better:

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What is also a good idea to finding a personal trainer near me is to go physically going down to your local gym and viewing the list of personal trainers that is advertised on the board or speaking directly with them. Remember, gyms like David Lloyds, Sports Direct Fitness etc will only hire correctly certified personal trainers that are fully insured, thus when thinking how to get a personal trainer, going to a recognisable brand that you know, and trust is a good way about this.

Many gym chains now also take payments for personal training services through the till as opposed to their trainers direct in cash, which offers that extra layer of protection when handing over large sums of money that is untraceable. Do note, however that in the majority of the gyms you will probably also need to be a member of the gym to have personal training by one of the personal trainers, which could inflate the amount of how much a personal trainer costs to you.

GumTree

https://www.gumtree.com/personal-trainers

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Is there anything Gumtree Don't do? Yes, Gumtree allows personal trainers to advertise their services through paid sponsored ads. One of the good things that Gumtree provides is an carousel of images for you to really get a good visual representation of the personal trainer, the facility they operate out of, the trainer in action and their personal training testimonials.

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Top Local Personal Trainers

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https://www.toplocaltrainer.co.uk/

Another useful platform for how to find a personal trainer in my area is using Top Local Trainer. Top Local Trainer is a really slick looking platform that allows you to find a certified personal trainer in your area quickly and safely. 

You can search based on personal trainer reviews which is a really powerful for how to find a personal trainer that has the testimonials to back up their marketing claims. Top Local Trainer is founded and manged by established personal trainers with decades of experience and knowledge of personal training, so you know you're in safe hands when using the platform. 

With personal trainers in virtually every major town and city, where to find a personal trainer has never been easier!

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How to Find a Personal Trainer Using Social Media

More and more prominent way of how to find a personal trainer is using social media. Yes, it has more uses than looking at funny cat videos and spying on people you once knew! In fact, social media is a really recommended way of how to find a gym trainer and you can do it in seconds.....

Instagram

If Instagram is your favourite social media platform, which for many of us it is you can actually put it to a good constructive use and use it for how to find a personal trainer near you. 

Simply type in "PT" followed by your location. In case you were unaware "PT" is the abbreviation for personal trainer and many trainers utilise it within their bios and Instagram handles. They also tend to put their location in their too making it super easy for how to find a personal trainer in your area. See the example below for how to find a personal trainer in London:

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Facebook

Facebook works in a similar fashion as Instagram, apart from one major difference. All you need here to find a personal trainer on Facebook is to put in "PT" into the search bar - that's it!

As many personal trainers include “PT” after their name on Facebook, in fact there are thousands of them that do this you can pull up a list of personal trainers that you can outreach directly to via messenger. Just ensure you search for "people" in the search bar before commencing your search.

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Twitter

Finding a personal trainer in your location on Twitter is super easy. Just type in "Personal Trainer" followed by your location into the search bar and then click on the "people" tab and it will bring up a list of personal trainers near you that you can follow, tweet to or direct message. See the example below of finding a personal trainer in Liverpool:

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Why is social media relibale way for how to find a fitness instructor or personal trainer?

1. You can see their photos

2. Read reviews and Testimonials

3. See where they located and train from

4. Decide if they are someone you could work with

5. See how tey engage with people

6. How they talk to thrir clients and friends

 

Enquire to Become a Personal Trainer

Join the fitness industry with our CIMSPA-endorsed Personal Trainer Diploma!

Step 10 - How To Get the Most Out of Your Personal Trainer

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When you decide on embarking on a new fitness journey and hire a personal trainer in your area, you should be prepared to accept that the hard work starts now!

Personal Trainers do NOT do the work for you, you do! This is our list of how to get the most out of your personal trainer:

1. Be honest with yourself & your trainer

Honesty is always the best policy!

If you have had a cheat day or only completed part of the session on your workout programme or do not fabricate or embellish the truth and tell your personal trainer that you have done something when you have not. This could negatively influence how they write your programme, the areas they feel you need work on and potentially damage your relationship with your personal trainer.

2. Show Up

When thinking how to get the most out of your personal training sessions, the number one rule is show up, full stop! There will be days when you’re not quite in the mood after a stressful day or other priorities in your life will be present, but this happens to us all and you simply need to show up! Personal Training is not cheap and if you do not turn up you will lose that session and sometimes you need to dig deep mentally to get you to where you want to be and turning up in the first place is key to you hitting your objectives.

2. Make the most of your time together

When deciding to hire a personal trainer, you really want to get the most out of your personal training sessions. That means, leaving your phone in your locker, be mentally ready for each session and tap into their expertise.

3. Open Minded to their Ideas

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One of the biggest problems personal trainers face is clients that are stuck in their ways or who don't like getting out of their comfort zone. You should have an open mind and be flexible to suggestions for how to get the most out of your personal trainer. Embrace their strategy to helping you achieve their goals, after all they are the fitness professional and should know best. 

4. Vocalise when Needed

If there are particular exercises, movements, types of training, food or anything of the equivalent that you disagree with or really don't enjoy then vocalising them to your trainer is advisable. Good trainers can always adapt and find alternatives that you may find more beneficial.

5. Learn and Educate Yourself

When finding a good personal trainer, you want to learn from them and educate yourself. This helps for the sessions away from 1-21- sessions and for when you're at home. Additionally, in the future you may not be able to afford or want a personal trainer and need what you have learnt to fall back on.

6. Ask Questions

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If you're unsure of something or want something explained to you more thoroughly, then just ask! Asking questions is what personal trainers like! It shows you’re interested and that you want to get things right. 

Before You Go!

While finding a personal trainer that meets all the criteria may not be straight forward, with our advice, you're sure to discover the ideal one for you.

However, if you think you have what it takes to be a personal trainer after reading our guide, why not get started with our Personal Trainer Diploma? Find out more by enquiring today or download our course prospectus to see what else we offer!

Written by Luke Hughes

CEO and Co-Founder

Join Luke on Facebook at the OriGym Facebook Group

Luke is the CEO and Co-Founder of OriGym. Holding a first-class degree in Sport and Exercise and an MSc in Sport and Nutrition, he is also qualified as a Level 4 Personal Trainer with various specialist credentials covering the entire spectrum of health, fitness and business. Luke has contributed to a variety of major industry publications, including Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Metro, Cosmopolitan, The Mirror, The Sun, The Standard and more.

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