How to Become a Personal Trainer: A Guide for Gym Bros

Once you’ve been bitten by the lifting bug it’s hard to ever put down a bar. The gym becomes your life, it enthralls you, and every waking thought is about working out. You realize now is the time to ditch your sh*tty 9-5 and embark on a quest to become a personal trainer.

Because, after all, who doesn’t want to spend more hours inside the iron house?

Making the leap to personal trainer status is a natural progression for a bro. We’ve spent years stacking the secrets to swoleness knowledge in our brain and body, and now it’s time to share. We’re ready to take the next step in helping others taste the sweet goodness of gainz.

Fortunately for you bro, we’ve been there, done that, and got the custom-made t-shirts. So what we did was round up our top PT’s in the SpotMeBro complex to bestow their wisdom.

Here is the only guide you need to becoming a personal trainer written by bros, for bros.

How to Become a Personal Trainer – The Brodown:

F*ck your textbooks nerd. We got this. Here’s what you’re gonna learn:

• What even is a PT anyway?
• Pros & Cons
• Desirable qualities
• Getting qualified – Why you need to get educated (for real)

What even is a PT anyway?

A personal trainer is a person who specifically trains others. As a personal trainer, you are expected to cater directly to the needs of the client. PT’s are not expected to coach full teams or give everyone a cookie-cutter program. 

The best personal trainers are the ones that can connect with their clients. They know how to set achievable goals and help people successfully work towards them. For example, a beta yet potential bro might employ a trainer to set them on a course for swoleness. And we’re not talking about tren either pal.

As a personal trainer, it would be your job to take this weak ass p*ssy and realize his true tanked potential. Hence the word personal, bro. It’s all about meeting the client’s needs. This game ain’t just about how hard you can make someone sweat.

So as you can imagine, one of your jobs as a PT will be to write out workout plans. But the role far exceeds throwing a few random exercises together. Good personal trainers provide inspiration, motivation, and guidance every step of the way for their customers.

Just the tip: Personal trainers are people who guide others towards their physical fitness goals.

Pros & Cons – What to consider before changing career

Bro, we’re gonna level with you. There’s more to being a trainer than checking out hot chicks doing kickbacks all day. If sh*t were that simple everybody with a d*ck and T busting nuts would be handing in their notice right now.

Well, not everybody, there’d still be some white knight b*tchass librarians holding it down for the skinny boys. That sh*t’s inevitable, but they’d only clutter up the gym benches anyway. Bunch of p*ssies.

Anyways, back to the subject at hand. Understandably there are certain pros and cons that come with the job. But, because we’re the optimistic protein shaker half-full kind of guys, we’ll start with the pros.

Let’s talk positive

Here are some upsides to the personal trainer life:

• Flexible working hours often outside of your typical 9-5
• The possibility of a super high payday, some elite trainers even charge over $1000 dollars per hour
• You’ll have a chance to spend every day with your one true love – gainz brah
• You can surround yourself with like-minded muscled up people
• There’s plenty of room for entrepreneurship – AKA hustlin’
• Many personal trainers are their own boss
• Imagine how many hot chicks you’re gonna meet

All sounds good, right? We’re not going to lie, being a personal trainer can be pretty sweet.

You’re never really chained to an office desk or shop floor like many jobs. It’s the total opposite in actual fact. The gym floor is your work space and no two days are ever the same. Your coworkers gulp pre workout instead of coffee, and you ain’t got to wear a tie ever again.

Plus, there’s always the opportunity of being your own boss. You call the shots, and it’s up to you alone to hustle. For many bros, the prospect of running their own business just can’t be passed up.

It’s also worth a mention that PT’s can get paid, bro. Like, legit machine gunning dollar bills at strippers and making it rain every weekend balling. If you get yourself in with a bunch of celebs or high-class elite entrepreneurs you’re set for life.

But, come one, let’s not pretend you’ll have to work for it – more on this later.

Just the tip: Being a personal trainer has many benefits including flexible hours, a tonne of people interaction, and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals.

Okay, hit me with the cons, I’m ready…

Being Mr. Negative just doesn’t sit right with SpotMeBro. As we have already mentioned we’re optimistic as f*ck. Like, seriously, when we watched the original Alien movie for the first time we thought every mutha was making it out alive. We were totally bummed when that dude got his chest ripped out by a baby space mutant. It did look kinda cool, though.

So we’ll be brief with the cons and swiftly move on. But like a giant acid bile spitting serpent alien on a spaceship, this sh*t can’t be ignored.

Here is some not-so-fun stuff you might want to know:

• Although flexible, hours can be unsociable
• Competition can be fiercer. It’s bro eat bro out there.
• You’re going to have to study
• Finding clients can be harder than finding your balls after ten years of tren abuse
• Most trainers have to pay a rental fee to use a gym
• If you’re going self-employed you’ll have to learn some bookkeeping skills

Okay, cool. Glad we got that off our chest. It’s true, not every day as a personal trainer is easy. There’s no fairyland of pre workout rivers, protein bar trees, and tiddies just floating around the sky.

Sometimes it’s hard to find and/or keep clients. It’s a real jungle out there and competition is fierce. Just remember, there are only so many people out there who want a PT. You’ll have to fight your rival alpha-trainers every day to stand out from the pack.

Another point worth noting is that you might have to work unsociable hours. Think about it, people can’t be trained whilst they’re at work. So you’ll probably have to adjust your schedule to see clients when they are available. Hello, 5 am HIIT sessions and 10 pm PPL splits.

Just the tip: Sometimes being a personal trainer can be tough. Competition is often fierce, the hours can be long, and there isn’t always a guarantee of income.

Desirable qualities and client satisfaction

You’re a charismatic outgoing guy with some serious charm and a sick set of swans to match. Some might say you’re a real peoples person – especially if there are any thicc honies in the immediate area.

Being able to get along with folk well is a great start. So is being punctual, having a handle on hygiene, and knowing when to shut the f*ck up.

This sort of thing is essential for client satisfaction. And seems as these guys will be paying your bills, it’s good to keep them sweet.

If you can stick a swoosh next to each of these, you’re in bro. Welcome to the “I’m officially not a douchebag” club.

Check out the criteria:

• Punctuality – Clients expect their trainers to be on time, prepped, and ready to go
• Politeness – For real bro, not everyone likes to cuss as much as we do
• Timeliness – Time is f*cking money dude, manage it well
• Charisma – Ever tried to spend more than five minutes a boring ass bro? Imagine paying one for the privilege too
• Personal hygiene – Nobody wants to train with the dude who smells like he followed Limmywinks out of Cartman’s asshole
• Discretion – Seriously, not everybody wants the whole gym to know their body fat percentage. It’s just us Adonis looking d*ckskin shredded freaks who brag about that sh*t. Know when to keep your mouth shut. Capiche?

Just the tip: A PT should be a real peoples person. They should also be reliable, punctual, and assertive.

Getting qualified

Guessing you passed? Sick brah. Let’s get you certed-up and make it official.

What you need to do now is find a registered personal training course provider. Common ones in the U.S. include:

• ACE – American Council on Exercise
• NSCA – National Strength and Conditioning Association
• NASM – National Academy of Sports Medicine
• ACSM – American College of Sports Medicine
• NFPT – National Federation of Personal Trainers

Each course will have its upsides and downsides. So, don’t shoot straight for the first one you see. Do a little research and weigh them up against each other.

Take a look at how much you’ll be expected to study, what you will learn, and reviews from past students. Continuing education is never cheap brah, so make choices wisely.

If in doubt ask for a second opinion or maybe get in touch with the provider beforehand.

Why you need to get educated (for real)

Now, you might be wondering why you need to do this sh*t. After all, you’re stacked higher than Floyd Mayweather’s weekly allowance, you know how to train. You’re damn good at it too. Those monstrous traps even make wild buffalo feel insecure.

“But, getting qualified isn’t just about training? What else have I got to know, bro?”

Yeah, you’ll probably learn a thing or two about effective methodologies for getting Judy Dench AF. There’s always more to be learned around the science of swoleness.

As a personal trainer, it’s important to know how to achieve different results. One guy might call you up wanting to boost his biceps to beach ready. Another client might be an elderly woman preparing her tenth Spartan Race. Who knows?

Of course, you can specialize. In actual fact, it’s a really good marketing method to get noticed. But still, a solid foundation of broad knowledge will always play to your advantage.

What else will you learn?

Aside from ideal sets and reps, you’ll also learn about the human anatomy. Something that’s vitally important in helping understand client goals. Well, and for sounding smart in front of the ladies too.

Plus you’ll undoubtedly pick up a few business and admin skills along the way. Trust us, being a self-employed personal trainer is just as much a business as running a store or an illegal online robot fighting league. Which, by the way, we definitely don’t do…

You don’t want to be getting a nice knock on the door from Uncle Sam, do you? Apparently keeping company records and paying tax is a pretty big deal in America.

Lastly, you’ll need to be qualified to get insured. Yep, if you f*ck up, or some crazy sh*t happens, your client might sue.

Little Mr. Friendly as F*ck suddenly turns into Monsieur Fifty-Thousand-Lawyers-and-a-Pact-With-Satan once he experiences DOMS for the first time. So grab some knowledge, make things official, then get god damn insured. Especially when dishing out squat-based supersets.

Just the tip: In order to be registered as a qualified personal trainer, prospective PTs have to take a course and sit an exam. This will teach them the knowledge they need and will also allow them to get insured.

Summary: The Roundup

Being a personal trainer can be an extremely rewarding profession. You help people smash their goals and enable them every step of the way.

There is also an opportunity to become your own boss. The gym floor is your office, and your knowledge is your product. As some trainers have shown the sky is the limit.

With the right dedication, passion, and savvy marketing you can go far. Fitness is a lucrative business that is growing bigger every day. Thank you social media, we all owe you one.

However, there are undeniably some downsides to being a PT at times. These include unsociable working hours, fierce competition, and sometimes insane admin days.

Take a thorough look at the qualifications on offer in your area. Alternatively, look online to see what you can find there. Just make sure you’re ready for a little bit of studying, bro.

Why wait to get the brain reps in, bro? Lift a bunch of training knowledge right now: 

• Face Melting Delts: Ultimate Shoulder Workout Guide
• Creatine for Strength and Muscle Growth: Pros and Cons
• PPL Split Using Push Pull Legs to Achieve Hypertrophy