Are you a personal trainer looking to earn some extra cash on the side? You’re not alone! According to recent studies, the average personal trainer in the US earns around $25,000 – $40,000 per year; £31,000 in the UK (UK talent). While this is a decent living, sometimes it’s just not enough, especially if you’re looking to save up for a big purchase, pay off debt, or simply have more financial security.
That’s where side hustles come in. Side hustles are a great way to supplement your income while doing something you love. In this blog post, we’ll explore some fantastic side hustle ideas that personal trainers can start pursuing today.
Not only will these side hustles help you make more money, but they can also help you expand your skill set, gain more clients, and boost your reputation as a fitness expert. If you think about it, that means you may eventually make even more money as a PT.
This Article in a Nutshell
- Some of the best side hustles for personal trainers include online coaching, content creation, and running fitness seminars
- Maintaining a side hustle as a personal trainer isn’t easy. But with focus, determination and a little bit of planning, anyone can pull it off.
- Personal training itself can be a side hustle if you have the right combination of passion, perseverance, and certification.
5 Ideas for Side Hustles for Personal Trainers
1. Online Coaching or Consultation
Offering online coaching or consultation is a great side hustle for personal trainers who want to expand their reach beyond their local area.
To get started, you can build your PT brand online by building a website and social media profiles to showcase your expertise and services. Next, you can start reaching out to potential clients through online channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or even YouTube.
Depending on your level of expertise and experience, you can charge anywhere from $50 to $150 per hour for coaching or consultation services. Online coaching or consultation also allows you to offer customized plans, which can complement your main business by catering to the needs of clients who prefer to work out at home.
Offering online services is also a way to help your clients afford your services if they are looking for more affordable options.
2. Writing and Creating Content
If you have a passion for writing or creating content, this is for you. Do you ever watch a Joey Swole video and think, I can do something like that! Well, why don’t you?
Turn your suspicions into a lucrative side hustle. This side hustle involves creating blog posts, articles, e-books, or even videos about fitness, health, and wellness. Leverage your personal training, education, and authority by creating your blog or website and then sharing your content through social media platforms to build an audience.
Once you have built a solid following, monetize your content through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing.
Now, depending on your experience and reach, you can earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per month through writing and creating content.
Success in this obviously differs from PT to PT, but if you have a knack for creating content, it’s certainly a side hustle you can explore.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing involves promoting other companies’ products or services and earning a commission for every sale or lead generated. As a personal trainer, you can promote fitness equipment, supplements, or even online courses related to health and fitness.
You can start by joining affiliate programs such as Amazon Associates, ShareASale, or Commission Junction and then promoting the products through your blog, social media, or email list.
You can expect to earn anywhere from 5% to 50% commission on every sale or lead generated through your unique referral link. The good news is that this side hustle complements your main business by providing additional income streams and diversifying income sources.
4. Running Fitness Workshops and Seminars
If you haven’t already, consider running fitness workshops and seminars as a side hustle. This side hustle involves organizing and hosting in-person or online workshops and seminars to share your knowledge and expertise with a group of people.
You can start by identifying a specific topic or theme and then creating an outline and materials for the workshop or seminar. Next, promote the event through your website, social media, or local community events.
Depending on the size and duration of the event, you can earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. Now it’s important to realize that you might also lose money on a deal like this because fitness workshops have many moving pieces, and not all of them are free.
However, if you do get it right, these seminars can complement your main business by providing an opportunity to showcase your skills and expertise to a broader audience and potentially attract new clients.
5. Selling Personalized Training Programs
Personal trainers can also create and sell personalized training programs as a side hustle. This side hustle involves creating customized workout plans and nutrition plans for clients based on your fitness goals, preferences, and limitations.
Here’s how this would work. Start by identifying your target market and create packages that cater to your clients’ specific needs. Next, promote the packages through your website, social media, or email list.
You can earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per client, depending on the level of customization and the duration of the program.
Selling personalized training programs is also a great way to serve a client base that might not be interested in hiring a personal trainer.
How to Successfully Juggle Side Hustles
If you’ve been paying any attention, you’ll have noticed something: these all sound like they take time to put together. You can’t just roll out of bed and create great content, and neither can you launch an online coaching side hustle on the fly.
They require effort, dedication, and, most of all, meticulous planning. Here are 4 tips to help you manage these side hustles without derailing your PT career.
Time Management
One of the most critical aspects of juggling side hustles successfully is time management. Personal trainers need to prioritize their tasks based on their importance and urgency. You can use free tools like Google’s calendar, to-do lists, and time-tracking apps to plan and manage your time effectively.
It’s critical to allocate enough time for your main business while still making time for your side hustle. It’s also important to set realistic deadlines and be flexible in case of unexpected interruptions or changes in your schedule.
Focus and Discipline
Another critical aspect of juggling side hustles successfully is focus and discipline. Hard as it may be to hear, you have to eliminate distractions and create a conducive work environment to maximize your productivity and efforts.
You could set aside a specific time of the day or week to work on your side hustle and focus on training clients during other periods. It’s also critical to set realistic goals and track your progress regularly to stay motivated and on track.
Collaboration and Delegation
If you’re tackling an ambitious project like content creation, it’s a good idea to get some help. Consider collaborating with other professionals or delegating some of your tasks to others to juggle your side hustles successfully.
You can partner with other trainers or fitness experts to share ideas and PT resources or outsource tasks such as content creation or administrative work to freelancers or virtual assistants. By collaborating and delegating, you can free up your time and focus on your core strengths and priorities.
Mindset and Self-Care
It’s all too easy to burn out as a personal trainer when you’re working at a gym or even in your own practice. But when you’re trying to launch a side hustle, the stress can double.
Try to cultivate a positive mindset and practice self-care to juggle these side hustles successfully. Approach your side hustle with a growth mindset and view it as an opportunity to learn and grow.
You should also pay enough attention to your physical and mental well-being by eating well, getting enough sleep, and taking breaks to recharge.
Can Personal Training Be a Side Job?
We’ve talked a lot about launching side hustles as a personal trainer. But for many people, it may seem like a good idea to be a personal trainer on the side while they work on another career. This option seems especially appealing to people who have a passion for working out or helping others achieve their fitness goals.
However, before embarking on a personal training side job, it’s essential to consider some factors that may affect your success and satisfaction. Here are some things to consider:
1. Can You Handle the Time Commitment
Personal training requires a significant time commitment, both for training and client communication. As a side job, personal training can be challenging to fit into a busy schedule, especially if you’re working another job or have other commitments. Can you juggle these factors effectively?
2. Can You Commit to Getting The Certifications and Qualifications
To be a successful personal trainer, you need to have proper certifications and qualifications that demonstrate your expertise and professionalism. Depending on your location, obtaining certification may require significant time and financial investment, which may not be feasible for everyone.
3. Is the Income Potential Worth it?
If you have a good job with decent growth prospects, it may be better to just commit all your attention to making it work so that you can scale up much faster. Splitting your time between your job and personal training may diminish your potential to scale any one properly.
Plus, the income potential for personal trainers can vary widely, depending on skills, experience, location, and client base. As a side job, personal training may not generate enough income to support a comfortable lifestyle or financial goals, especially if you’re just starting.
4. Consider the Risk and Liability
Personal training comes with inherent risks and liability, as trainers may be responsible for their clients’ health and safety during training. As a side job, you may not have adequate insurance coverage or legal protection, which can expose them to financial and legal risks. That’s one more thing to think about before becoming a personal trainer as a side hustle.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, personal trainers have a wide range of side hustle options that can help them earn extra income, expand their skills and network, and grow their business. From online coaching and affiliate marketing to creating fitness products and offering specialized services, you can leverage your expertise and creativity to monetize your passion and help more people achieve their fitness goals.
However, juggling side hustles requires discipline, focus, and effective time management. You should prioritize your tasks, set realistic goals, and collaborate or delegate when necessary to achieve your financial goals without compromising the quality of your services or your health.
We hope these side hustle ideas and tips have been useful to you and inspired you to explore new ways to monetize your skills and knowledge as a personal trainer. Here’s to your success and financial freedom!
Next, you should check out our post on how to set up a fitness YouTube channel if you’re serious about creating content as a side hustle.
