Whether you are considering a career as a personal trainer or searching for ways to increase revenue and gain new clients for your existing business, you'll find The Business of Personal Training to be an indispensable reference. Written by some of the most successful personal trainers in the country, this book provides the foundation for building your personal training business.

While many books address the subject of exercise training, few have been written about the business side of personal training. This book covers the topic more thoroughly than any other existing publication, discussing not only how to build a solid business but also how to be an effective trainer.

Part I defines personal training, outlines the history of the profession, and reviews the qualifications for being a personal trainer. You'll also find important information on the certifications offered by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, American College of Sports Medicine, American Council on Exercise, Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, and National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Many personal trainers have no formal business education and must learn the business aspects of their trade through trial and error. Part II helps you avoid common business mistakes, describing how to create, market, and manage a personal training enterprise. You'll learn how to

• develop a mission statement and business plan,
• set business policies,
• create strategic and creative marketing plans,
• establish prices for services,
• hire and train staff members, and
• much more.

This section also explains a personal trainer's legal and professional responsibilities, such as giving clients a health screening, obtaining informed consent, and inspecting facilities and equipment.

Part III offers techniques for becoming an effective personal trainer. Since there's more to helping your clients achieve their fitness goals than simply prescribing a program, Part III discusses

• how to maintain a professional relationship with clients,
• the psychology of personal training,
• teaching techniques and tips for improving client-trainer communication,
• how to motivate clients and help them set goals, and
• how to design appropriate, individualized exercise programs.

Nineteen sample forms in Parts II and III make it easy for you to put the ideas presented into practice.

Learn from veteran personal trainers what it takes to succeed. The practical advice provided in The Business of Personal Training is valuable for new and established trainers as well as for health and fitness administrators who supervise personal trainers.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Credits

Part I: Personal Training as a Profession
Chapter 1. Defining Personal Training

Mark A. Rieff

• What Is Personal Training?
• The Personal Side of Personal Training
• The Business Side of Personal Training
• Summary

Chapter 2. The Origin of Personal Training

Jack Jones

• The History of Personal Training
• Pioneers in Personal Training
• Personal Trainers Emerging in Health Clubs
• The Need to Certify Trainer Competence
• Summary

Chapter 3. Qualifications for Personal Training

Scott O. Roberts

• Survey of Personal Trainer Qualifications
• The Call for Certification
• Getting Certified
• Summary
• References

Part II: Personal Training as a Business
Chapter 4. Creating Your Own Personal Training Business

David B. Rusk

• Developing a Mission Statement and a Business Plan
• Choosing a Business Entity
• Setting Business Policies
• Introductory Documentation
• Summary
• References

Chapter 5. Marketing Your Personal Training Business, Amy T. Huggins

• Develop a Traditional Strategic Marketing Plan
• Offer a Product or Service
• Establish Pricing Practices
• Select a Place or Location
• Target a Group of People
• Position Your Business
• Plan Your Marketing Tools
• Practice Good Selling Skills
• Develop a Creative Marketing Plan
• Summary
• References

Chapter 6. Managing Your Personal Training Business

Gregory J. Florez

• Mission Statement
• Client Policies
• Hiring Staff Members
• Training the Trainer
• Managing for the Long Haul
• Summary

Chapter 7. Legal and Professional Responsibilities of Personal Training

David L. Herbert

• The Standard of Care for Personal Trainers
• Personal Trainers' Duties and Responsibilities
• Unauthorized Practice of Health Care
• Summary
• Bibliography

Part III: The Personal Part of Personal Training
Chapter 8. The Client-Trainer Relationship

Kathy Alexander and Irv Rubenstein

• Roles Played by the Personal Trainer
• Client Profiles
• The Nature of the Relationship
• Mechanics of the Business Relationship
• Summary
• Suggested Readings

Chapter 9. The Psychology of Personal Training

James Gavin and Nettie Gavin

• The SPIRIT Model
• Support
• Purpose
• Integrity
• Resolving Conflicts
• Inspiration
• Timing
• Summary
• Suggested Readings

Chapter 10. Working With Your Clients, Jack Jones

• Communication
• Listening
• Assessing Your Clients
• Setting Goals
• Motivating Clients
• Summary
• Bibliography

Chapter 11. Designing Individualized Exercise Programs

Douglas Brooks

• Pre-exercise Health Screening
• Physical Programming
• Individual Needs for Healthy Clients
• Clients With Special Needs
• Summary
• References

Appendix. Professional Organizations, Resources, and Certifications

Index

About the Authors

Audiences

Reference for new and established trainers as well as for health and fitness administrators who supervise personal trainers

Scott O. Roberts, PhD has worked as a personal trainer for special populations, including people with chronic disease and disabilities, since 1986. A member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE), he serves on the Committee on Personal Training for both organizations. He also helped to develop the first ACE certification for personal trainers.

Scott has spoken at many national personal training conferences and has written several books and articles on the topics of fitness and exercise science. President of Scott Roberts Enterprises, Ltd., a fitness and education consulting company, he also is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA and a certified exercise program director through the American College of Sports Medicine.

Scott received his PhD in exercise physiology in 1995 from the University of New Mexico. He lives in Lubbock, where he is an assistant professor of exercise and sport science at Texas Tech.

"A brilliant introduction to an exceptionally important and fast-growing component of the club business. Though it focuses on fundamentals, it deserves to be an essential component of every club's staff-learning library. The legal, psychological, and medical implications of personal training, as presented in this short, well-organized, and readable text, are exceptionally important and valuable. Scott Roberts is to be congratulated. He has grounded the 'business' of personal training on sure and solid footings."

John McCarthy

Executive Director, International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association

"Provides a broad overview for the beginning personal trainer and touches on aspects of the business that even experienced trainers will find valuable."

Richard T. Cotton, MA

Editor in Chief, American Council on Exercise