Why You Should Consider Personal Training as a Side Hustle

It’s Never Too Late to Start a Career in Personal Training

Are you pursuing a personal training certification, such as the BCRPA or ACE? Or are you a full-time personal trainer now and wanting a change in lifestyle? There are many reasons that you might be considering a side hustle as a personal trainer. Countless fitness professionals prefer to pursue training as a side-gig and are able to build a fun, thriving, prosperous career just through part-time work.

Personal training is absolutely one of the best side-hustles out there. No matter where you are in your journey, it’s never too late to start a career in personal training.

The benefits are numerous, and include:

1. Flexibility. Personal training can happen anytime, anywhere! With the rise in popularity in online training (the benefits of which you can discover here), there are no limits to what you can do with a part-time hustle.
2. Risk management. This is a big one! I would absolutely recommend starting out as a part-time personal trainer. I began my career as a full-time trainer and it was stressful to say the least. Give yourself the time to learn the ropes without the added stress of depending on it as your sole source of income. Like with any other career, it will take time to become confident and comfortable, and you will attract and retain more clients if you feel relaxed and secure, and pursuing anything out of desperation and fear will likely result in exhaustion and burnout. Which leads into my next point…
3. Avoiding burnout. Even for the full-time personal trainers who absolutely love what they do, training can demand a lot of time and energy. This is especially relevant for people with introvert tendencies. Part-time training is a perfect fit for the introverted person who still wants to connect and engage with others in a meaningful way.
4. Make an impact and connect with others. This is another amazing benefit that cannot be overstated! If you feel like your full-time gig isn’t making much of a ‘real’ impact or if it’s not giving you many opportunities to socialize, this is absolutely the career for you. Personal training is exceptional because your clients become your friends and you walk away feeling like you’ve made a positive impact on someone’s day. And that is priceless!
5. Physical activity. Do you find yourself sitting all day? With personal training, you’re moving all the time–a sure-fire way to increase your NEAT and stay healthy, even if you’re only doing it part-time.
6. Extra money. Pretty self-explanatory, I think!
7. Maintain and increase your knowledge base. Each client presents an opportunity to learn and grow. Making specific programs and guiding people through workouts keeps your skillset fresh and always expanding. And trust me–if you don’t use it, you lose it!
8. Stay motivated and engaged in your own fitness. Once you’ve reached a level of consistency in your own workout regime, it’s easy to become complacent and to lose inspiration. Seeing others prioritizing exercise, working hard, trying new workouts, and reaching their own goals will definitely spark the fire again!
9. Meet other like-minded people. I’ve met many cool people through personal training. If you’re wanting to connect with other health-focused individuals and fitness enthusiasts, being a part of the industry–if only on a part-time basis–will certainly help you to find your own gym squad.

I would absolutely recommend that you first examine your own personality type to figure out which training style and level of commitment would work best for you. Personal training is awesome because it can work for multiple types of people, just as there are multiple types of clients and ways to work out. If you’re an extroverted person with boundless energy, a full-time schedule and group class instruction may work perfectly for you. But if you, like me, are quieter with a more ‘chill’ vibe, part-time work with a select number of clients may be the best fit. Ask yourself: when do you feel most engaged? Most comfortable? What gives you energy? Are you a morning or an evening person? Try to be realistic with yourself regarding your interests, energy level, and scheduling concerns.

There are a few paths that you can take to start your part-time personal training journey. Here’s how:

1. Get certified! In my opinion, this is an essential step. I would estimate that 99.9% of gyms require some kind of fitness professional certification from their personal trainers (and if they don’t require a fitness certification, you should run the other way). Besides lending you credibility in the eyes of future employers and clients, certifications help to establish a knowledge base, while giving you access to a community of other fitness professionals and continuing education courses (plus, you’ll save on personal training insurance). In Canada and B.C., appropriate certifications include ACE or BCRPA or CanFitPro; Infofit offers full-time, part-time, and online courses for all of them!
2. Shadow another personal trainer. In their personal training diploma courses, Infofit offers the opportunity for students to shadow experienced personal trainers. Students learn their way around gym equipment, create well-balanced programs, and engage with clients.
3. Become an employee at a gym. This is a low-risk way to ease into your new career. The gym will often already have a client base to give you and will do the work of organizing contracts and payments.
4. Become a fitness class instructor. Instructing exercise classes is awesome for many reasons: your schedule is usually set, you can choose your hours, and you don’t have to spend a lot of time programming, checking in with clients, or making meal plans.
5. Do it on your own. If you want to be independent in your work, going out on your own as a personal trainer is the way to go for you! This is a great option for if you already have your own gym set-up and a clientele (though you should still definitely get a certification). If you’re working for yourself, personal training insurance is essential. You can find out more here.
6. Creating online content. The internet is a big, beautiful world! There are many different types of content and platform options. From posting workout videos on social media to writing blog articles for fitness professionals (like me!), the possibilities are limitless! You can find out more about creating an online personal training career here.
7. Remember: it’s supposed to be fun! Personal training is awesome because it’s endlessly customizable and no matter your individual style or personality type, you can create an amazing career–part-time or full-time!

If you’re looking for more support and advice in starting your new career, do not hesitate to reach out to the wonderful Infofit team; we’re here for you and we have the tools and knowledge to help you succeed.

Wishing you all the best on your journey to optimum health–and your new career!

Written by Theresa Faulder, Master’s in English, Certified Personal Trainer, and Infofit fitness blog writer.

Personal Training Certification from Infofit uses creative and innovative teaching techniques. Our classes are hands-on providing you with a fun and interactive learning environment.