Do you work as a certified personal trainer or want to start your career in this field? Are you wondering what to expect in the financial area, or want to check if your current personal trainer salary isn’t too low?
You’ll find the answers to these questions in today’s article. Read on!
Key Takeaways
- Personal trainer salary depends on many factors: region, level of expertise, type of session they conduct or place they work for.
- Being a certified personal trainer entitles you to apply for a higher salary than that of fitness trainers who are just starting their career.
- You can make your work easier and have more hours of real work with members thanks to implementation of personal training software - this SaaS solution saves your time and money due to automatization of many processes in your PT career.
Who Is a Personal Trainer?
A personal trainer (also called a fitness trainer, fitness instructor, exercise trainer or gym trainer) is a fitness professional who helps people reach fitness goals through tailored personal training and fitness programs.
Personal trainers work in many settings:
- commercial gym/health club chains (Anytime Fitness, LA Fitness),
- boutique studios like F45 (check more in our other article: what a boutique gym is),
- community or civic and social organizations,
- educational services,
- corporate wellness,
- or as an independent personal trainer/private personal trainer running their own business.
Many are certified personal trainers with a personal training certification (NASM, ACE, NSCA, CSCS) and some hold a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, physical education, or sports medicine.
Others enter with a high school diploma and experience, then stack personal trainer certification courses to advance.
Personal Trainer as a Fitness Professional
The role blends coaching, programming, motivation, safety, and nutrition coaching.
It’s designed for fitness enthusiasts who enjoy socializing and conversation, as well as those interested in many areas of human anatomy and activity. A personal trainer is a polymath 🙂
Personal Trainer Salary in 2025
Official baseline (U.S. government / labor statistics)
Median annual salary, according to Bureau of Labor statistics, is $46,180 for fitness trainers and instructors (this is the median – half earn more, half less). The bottom 10% earned under ~$27,580; the top 10% earned more than ~$82,050. Use this as the median annual salary benchmark.
Interesting: Group Classes
Group exercise classes pay per hour but per-head revenue is lower; yet group classes scale earnings (e.g., 12 participants × $10 drop-in ≠ trainer take-home but indicate potential). Group fitness instructors can supplement income significantly. BLS shows different percentiles for group instructors vs 1:1 trainers.
Personal trainer salary job-site market averages
- According to Indeed (U.S.) an average personal trainer earns ~$29.56 per hour (Indeed aggregation, updated Nov 2025). That translates to a wide average yearly salary depending on billable hours.
- Anytime Fitness (Indeed employer page) reported personal trainer earns ≈ $22.70/hour (Indeed employer data). Other listings show variations; some regional entries show higher averages.
- LA Fitness (checked on Indeed) offers ≈ $28.29/hour (employer average).
- F45 (also by Indeed) pays ≈ $29–30/hour for trainers/coaches (which varies by market).
- Remote / online listings (again, according to Indeed) show that many online / virtual trainer roles advertise $20–$30/hr for remote coaching. Specialized virtual sessions sometimes pay higher (and some virtual roles quote per-session rates like $30–$40).
Personal trainer salary: typical market ranges
- Entry level for new trainers is reported to achieve $15–$25/hr when we talk about part-time jobs or new trainers working for a gym chain kind of company.
- An average personal trainer working in typical market conditions earns around $22–$35/hr which aligns with many job-site averages and BLS-derived median ranges.
- Experienced / certified / private / independent trainers earn the most: $50–$150+/hr for premium private training, specialty training, or high-end markets. Yet, note that: annual incomes vary massively due to client load and business model.
Salary Per Hour/ Day/ Month/ Year (2025 Examples)
Let’s have a look at average hourly rates:
And here, daily rates according to Indeed:
Weekly incomes that personal trainers make:
Monthly rate in training sessions fitness business:
Important note: many personal trainers are not fully 40-hour billable workers. Billable hours vs non training hours (admin, marketing, travel, programming) matter a lot. If you want to earn more as a personal trainer, consider implementing a personal training software that reduces administrative tasks to minimum and help you find time for what you like doing the most, and are specialist at – working with people!
Below are illustrative, concrete calculations using common hourly rates.
Assume (for yearly conversion) two different models:
- Full-time equivalent: 2,080 hours/year (40 hrs/wk × 52).
- Realistic busy private trainer: 1,200 – 1,500 billable hours/year (takes into account non-training hours, admin, holidays).
Example A: Entry-level Trainer (Chain Gym / New Trainer)
- Rate: $18/hr
- Per hour: $18
- Typical day (4 sessions/day): $72
- Month (160 hours): ~$2,880
- Year (2,080 h): ~$37,440
This mirrors many entry level personal trainers and gym trainer salaries when fully scheduled; many new trainers work fewer billable hours so actual annual income may be lower. (See BLS & job-site ranges.)
Example B: Average / Median Trainer
- Rate: $28/hr (close to Indeed / national averages)
- Per hour: $28
- Day (4 sessions): $112
- Month (160 h): $4,480
- Year (2,080 h): $58,240 (near the average yearly salary many job sites indicate).
Example C: Experienced Private / Hybrid Trainer (Mix In-person & Online)
- Rate: $75/hr (private sessions or premium clients)
- Per hour: $75
- Day (4 sessions): $300
- Month (120 billable hours realistic due to admin): $9,000
- Year (1,200 billable hours realistic): $90,000
This is typical of experienced personal trainers who package services, add nutrition coaching, and run a personal training business or are self employed/business owners.
What Do PT Salaries Depend On?
Personal trainer salary outcomes hinge on many factors. Below are the major drivers – use them when planning your fitness career or negotiating your trainer salary.
Location & Market (Highest Paying Cities)
Highest paying cities or high cost-of-living areas pay more per session (these are the fittest cities in America, like NYC, San Francisco, LA, Seattle, Washington DC). Local demand & ability-to-pay of clients matter. Chain averages (Anytime Fitness, LA Fitness, F45) differ by market and reflect this.
Employer Type: Commercial Gym / Boutique / Independent
A commercial gym or health club often offers stable shifts and base hourly wages (and sometimes commission). Indeed employer pages show chain averages (Anytime Fitness ~$22.70/h; LA Fitness ~$28.29/h; F45 ~$29–30/h).
Small gym owners and boutique studios may pay differently or hire contractors.
Employment Model
An independent personal trainer or a self employed one has higher upside (set their own gym pricing strategy, running their own business) but bears admin, taxes, marketing and downtime.
Employees get steadier hours and maybe benefits but lower per-session take-home.
Certification & Education
Personal training certification and specialized certifications (for example NASM certification, CSCS certification, sports medicine, nutrition coaching) and a bachelor’s degree in exercise science or physical education justify higher pay.
Many employers and clients pay premiums for certified personal trainers with evidence of expertise.
Experience, Reputation & Specialization
According to Indeed portal, experienced trainers with proven results, strong client retention, or a fitness niche (athletic training, rehab, weight-loss, bodybuilding) command higher rates.
Experienced personal trainers with many own clients often transition into private personal trainer or business owner roles for more income.
Service Mix
Becoming online trainers and running online coaching let you scale beyond your local gym and add subscription revenue. However early-stage online roles often pay $20–$30/hr for coaching unless you package and brand your offering.
Combining in person training sessions with online programs yields hybrid, resilient revenue.
Hours and Non-training Work
Non training hours (sales, admin, programming, travel) are unpaid unless you price them in. Successful trainers price admin time into packages or hourly rates to achieve a decent income. How you account for non training hours directly affects effective hourly rate and average income.
Okay, but what if you want to remain competitive on price and not include additional costs in your salary? There’s a solution! Implement personal training software that will save you time on paperwork, collecting payments (convenient for clients), managing your calendar, and managing bookings.
Could this be possible? Check it out now! No upfront fees!
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Market Saturation / Competition / Potential Clients
In areas with many trainers or many group exercise classes, per-session prices fall; niche specialization or strong branding helps get premium clients.
Many personal trainers compete for attention – business skills and gym marketing ideas matter here.
Employer Pay Structures
Chains like LA Fitness and Anytime Fitness often show payroll averages on Indeed; some gyms pay base hourly plus commission on sales/retention, other gyms engage trainers as independent contractors who rent space or take a revenue share.
Know the model when comparing offers.
Earnings in various gym chains
(Representative Indeed employer pages; rates vary by location and time but these are live employer averages used as benchmarks)
- Anytime Fitness: ≈ $22.70/hr (Indeed employer average; many reports and regional variance exist). This is useful as a chain gym baseline for trainers in many markets.
- LA Fitness: ≈ $28.29/hr (Indeed employer page). LA Fitness entries often show higher per-hour averages in some listings, but this is the employer-reported average.
- F45: ≈ $29–30/hr for trainers/coaches (Indeed data; boutique functional-fitness market).
What this means in practice
Chain gyms provide stability and often a steady flow of potential clients, but top earnings usually come from private, boutique, or mixed online+in-person models where trainers can capture more value per client.
Use these chain numbers as comparators when negotiating or deciding to go independent.
Earnings As An Online Personal Trainer
Online training and online coaching have boomed in recent years. Let’s use the fact it’s “fashionable” and look at real numbers).
The coaching format can be:
- live remote 1:1 sessions (video coaching),
- asynchronous program delivery + messaging, for example through a gym membership app,
- hybrid subscriptions (program + check-ins),
- group online classes.
Typical online pay (market postings)
Many remote / online trainer job postings show $20–$30/hr for coaching work (entry/contract roles). Specialized virtual sessions and premium 1:1 coaching can charge $40/hr or more; packaged subscriptions (e.g., $50–$200/month per client) create recurring revenue.
Earning model differences vs in-person
- Lower overhead (no gym commute or facility rent – you can check more in our other article: How much does it cost to rent a gym) → higher margin per client.
- Scalability: you can serve more online clients via programs, recorded sessions, or group coaching, making it easier to increase average annual salary than with pure in-person, time-constrained models.
- Competition & differentiation: many online trainers means you must market aggressively; certifications, results, and business skills still determine whether you reach a decent income or outstanding average income.
Have Strong Arguments For Negotiating Your Rate
When asking for higher pay (with a gym owner /health club /as an independent trainer negotiating package prices), present measurable value. Here’s a structured approach with sample talking points – include the gym management software ROI argument:
A. Bring proof (certifications, education, results)
- Show personal training certification(s) (NASM/ACE/NSCA/CSCS) and any bachelor’s degree in exercise science, physical education, or sports medicine.
- Present client outcomes: retention %, before/after metrics, testimonials from personal training clients. This supports “certified personal trainer salary” asks.
B. Show revenue impact and KPIs
- Present numbers: average sessions/week, session price, monthly revenue. Show how a small rate increase (e.g., $5/session) would increase monthly revenue by $X with existing clients.
- Track non training hours and show how you price them into packages.
C. Offer to introduce improving Saas system
WodGuru (gym management & booking) reduces admin and no-shows, simplifies payments, and improves client experience. WodGuru advertises time saved per member and easy online booking/features that improve retention. Using WodGuru can:
- Reduce no-shows (fewer lost session revenues).
- Accelerate payments (faster cashflow, fewer late payments).
- Reduce time spent on booking & invoicing (convert non-training hours into billable time).
Negotiation pitch (example): “If the gym invests in WodGuru (or allows me to use it), we estimate X% fewer no-shows and Y more booked sessions per month. I propose a $Z/hr increase or a revenue-share pilot where I keep 70% of new revenue generated from rebooked/captured sessions for 3 months.” This ties your raise to measurable increases in average income for both the gym and your trainer salary.
D. Package & upsell strategy (argue for more money)
- Offer tiered personal training sessions: basic in-gym, premium 1:1 with programming & nutrition coaching, and online subscription. Sell packages (8/12/24 sessions) to improve cashflow and retention. Packages let you justify higher per-session prices because of included programming and monitoring.
- Offer group exercise classes or group training sessions (higher per-hour scale) as part of your role to increase total take-home pay.
E. Propose measurable trial & KPI targets
- Suggest a 3-month pilot: implement booking software (WodGuru), commit to X new client signups, track retention and revenue. If targets are met, implement an agreed rate increase. This reduces risk for the employer and gives you evidence to support a permanent raise.
Negotiation Script & Bargaining Chips (Copy/Paste)
- “I’m a certified personal trainer with [certs], and I’ve kept an average retention of X% and increased client performance metrics by Y%. Market data (Indeed/BLS) shows the average personal trainer salary and certified personal trainer salary benchmarks. Given my value, I’m asking for $Z/hr (or X% increase).”
- “If we implement WodGuru for bookings/payments and reduce no-shows by X%, we can increase revenue per trainer by $Y/month – I propose a 3-month pilot and to share X% of the incremental revenue.”
- “I’ll run group exercise classes and a hybrid online coaching product to increase the gym’s service offering – this will add recurring revenue from online clients and group fitness instructors hours.”
Final practical checklist to increase your personal trainer salary or build a personal training business
- Get (or highlight) a personal training certification and at least one specialty (nutrition coaching, athletic training, rehab). Certified personal credentials + exercise science study increase leverage.
- Track client metrics and retention – use data in negotiations.
- Price non-training time into packages to capture non training hours value.
- Add online training / online coaching to scale beyond local clientele. Start with subscription packages.
- Use management software (WodGuru or similar) to automate booking/payments and reduce admin time – tie ROI to your pay raise ask.
- Offer group classes and corporate or community (social) partnerships – civic and social organizations can be steady revenue.
- Consider moving from employee → independent contractor → business owner when you have stable own clients and business skills.
Short summary cheat-sheet (2025 numbers)
- BLS median annual (May 2024): $46,180 (official median annual salary).
- Indeed U.S. average personal trainer: ~$29.56/hr (Indeed aggregate).
- Anytime Fitness (Indeed employer avg): ~$22.70/hr.
- LA Fitness (Indeed employer avg): ~$28.29/hr.
- F45 (Indeed): ~$29–30/hr.
- Online trainer / remote postings: ~$20–$30/hr typical for remote roles — but packaged online coaching/subscriptions scale to much higher average yearly salary.
Closing Note: Average Salary for PT Fitness Professionals
The personal training industry is wide: many personal trainers work in gyms, boutiques, communities, or online. Average salary figures are helpful anchors, but your trainer salary will be determined by your certification, niche, business skills, ability to attract personal training clients, and how you price time (including non training hours).
Use employer benchmarks (Anytime Fitness, LA Fitness, F45 from Indeed) and government labor statistics (BLS) when negotiating, and present operational improvements (like WodGuru) as concrete ways to increase revenue and justify a raise – because if you make it easier for your clients, you can earn more.
FAQ
Personal trainers make an average annual salary of about $45,000–$65,000, depending on location, experience, and whether they work in fitness centers or are self employed.
Yes. A private personal trainer who is self employed or an independent contractor, with strong marketing and a solid personal trainer certification, can earn $100k+.
No. For personal trainers, $300/month is relatively low and usually reflects limited sessions or group training, not premium 1-on-1 coaching.
PT in the US vary widely: trainers at fitness centers earn less, while self employed or independent contractor personal trainers make significantly more based on clients and rates.
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