CAREERS & EDUCATION
From Issue #17
A Workout Can Work Out
A Career in Fitness Training
by Liane Beam Wansbrough
Julie Harder is going exactly where her passion
takes her. The personal fitness trainer and Shiatsu
therapist has a thing for transforming her clients
into healthier people. This year she will run a
marathon alongside one of her clients. First he has
to lose 65 pounds and build up his cardiovascular
fitness, but watching him advance toward his goal
will be the best part. “It’s amazing watching people
progress and feel better about themselves. You can
actually see their attitude change,” she says.
Julie’s career as a personal fitness trainer began
eight years ago when she was in her last year of
university. A health science major at the University
of Waterloo, Julie says she has always been
interested in the body. After graduation, she passed
the American Council on Exercise (ACE) certification
exam, an internationally recognized test for health
and fitness professionals. From there, she decided to
expand her business by training in Shiatsu therapy, a
Japanese form of massage. She has also traveled to
Thailand where she learned to do Thai massage, a
form of bodywork using yoga postures.
By offering a combination of fitness training and
massage, Julie has managed to build her business to
about 60 clients. Her business also works because
she can take her skills on the road. Literally.
Everyday Julie packs a massage table into her car
and spends the day visiting clients in their homes to
help them with a workout or a massage. Most days
start at 7am with an early morning fitness client.
The day winds down in the evening, sometimes not
until 9pm, with massage treatments. It’s a long and
tiring day, but Julie says it’s worth it. “I’m my own
boss. I could never go to work for anybody else now.”
She also has breaks during the day that she can use
for her own free time. She will often squeeze in a
workout, run errands or do her grocery shopping.
There are downsides, however. Zipping around from
client to client means she has to deal with city traffic
every day. Going to people’s homes poses a potential
safety issue, although Julie says she hasn’t had any
problems. “I build my business through referrals, but
it’s always in the back of your mind that you have to
go to a stranger’s house.” There’s also the possibility
that she could get injured and not be able to work.
The wear and tear of massage work means she often
has sore wrists and problems with tendonitis.
“They say in this industry that a therapist has about seven
years of work so you have to take that into account and be
willing to learn other modalities such as nutrition or fitness
training. That’s what saves me, I can bounce between the two,”
she says.
Julie’s line of work means she also misses out on corporate
perks such as health coverage and vacation pay. She also has
the constant worry of keeping enough clients to pay the rent.
“That’s a big fear always. But that pushes you and makes you
active in getting referrals and getting people to make their
appointments.” Despite the downside to the business, Julie
doesn’t see these risks in a negative light but rather as a
challenge. “I love being my own business person. Yes, there is
risk, but it opens me up to other possibilities.”
She also loves the social aspect of training. “I love meeting
people and building relationships because everybody has a
great story. People really open up to me because I deal with
issues of the body and there’s touch involved, people trust me.
It’s very fulfilling to build relationships like that.”
The typical route into the personal fitness training industry is
through academic training and certification. It is possible to do
the certification on its own, but most employers require
academic training in the form of a related university degree
or college diploma. Courses related to fitness training such as
science, physiology, kinesiology, fitness and lifestyle
management or physical education would all provide a good
background. There are different certification levels so you will
have to decide which is most recognized in your area and
among the clientele that you want to work with. The best way
to determine this is to ask local community and fitness centres
for recognized programs in your city or province.
Julie’s shiatsu training through the Shiatsu School of Canada
in Toronto was a two-year diploma program that she estimates
cost about $20,000. While she was at school Julie continued
her work as a personal trainer on the side and put in about
25 hours a week with clients.
Once you’ve graduated from a fitness program and have your
certification you can begin training at a fitness club. Rates are
dependent on expertise, location and target market. If you’re
just starting out, you can expect to make about $25 a session.
The gym will usually take a cut of about 50 per cent. As you
increase your training and get more clients, you can raise your
rates. You can also start training people in their homes so you
don’t have to pay the gym a percentage.
“You have to be very motivated to get clients. The gyms don’t
help you with this,” Julie says. Usually people who also have
training in massage can get clients from their fitness training
pool. It’s also possible to take your work to the corporate
sector as large companies employ massage and fitness
professionals for employee health programs.
The most important ingredient for success in the industry is
caring about people. “If you’re not willing to give something of
yourself, you won’t succeed. You really have to pour yourself
into helping people. You also have to be interested in the body
and how it works and have a passion for learning and wanting
to change,” Julie says.
