Consider this scenario: You roll out of bed early fired up to get to work, knowing deep down that you are getting paid (a LOT) of money to do what you love to do. The line between work- and what you simply enjoy doing- is totally blurred. You arrive at work bright and early fired up to start the day, excited to meet with your customers, many of which you also call friends. You make your own schedule, working as much or as little as you want. Every day can be different- or more structured... it's all up to you. You are sought out as an expert, and leave work feeling fulfilled, uplifted, and looking forward to doing it again the next day.

Sound like a parallel universe, or a fairytale???

Thousands of personal fitness trainers live this day ...not just sometimes but every day. The promise of high income and job satisfaction attract quite a few to the personal training business. Unfortunately, most see personal training as an easy way to make money. The reality is that achieving the pinnacle of success in this field, like any other, takes lots of hard work and dedication.

It's a fact that a larger majority of aspiring trainers are either barely making it as full time fitness professionals, or never even come close. It goes without saying that success in any endeavor requires a great amount of hard work and dedication, and without a proper "map" you will never get there. If you have read this far, you are serious becoming a personal trainer.... so read on. We have the "map"... follow our advice and you will be well on your way to a successful personal training career.

Benefits of being a personal trainer:

• Get paid to do what you love
• Autonomy: make your own hours and set your own schedule
• You will meet a lot of new, exciting people
• The opportunity to help people and make their lives better
• Use your creativity to design new and innovative training methods
• People will seek you out as an expert in your field

How to become a personal trainer???

Step One: Obtain a personal fitness training certification

In order to work in any major gym or fitness center you will need to become a certified personal fitness trainer. While many facilities have in-house training certifications, try to get certified by a nationally recognized certifying body. There are a handful of certifications that are ubiquitously recognized. This way if you start personal training at a different gym or fitness center, you will have valid certification... more times than not in-house personal training certifications are not recognized outside of the fitness center they are offered in.

Importantly, no personal training certification textbook can provide everything you need to know to get to the top of the personal training business. You will need to be as knowledgeable as the best in the business. Part of that comes from "paying your dues", which will come with time. The other part comes from doing your homework. Don't get blown away by those who took the time to educate themselves... see our recommended "homework" below to become a successful personal trainer.

Step Two: Do your Homework to Become a Personal Trainer

It's important to know, that in most states, a personal training certification is not technically required to be employed as a personal trainer. A trainer certification is necessary to work with any gym, however, because the gym or fitness center you work for will want to know that you demonstrate at least a minimal level of competence.

That being said, "competent" will not get you to the top. To be a "decent" personal trainer, you need to be well-schooled on fundamental knowledge in exercise science, practice and methods. To be a "good" trainer, you also need to be able to apply these fundamentals to effectively train your clients. To be a "great" trainer, you will also need to have the business and marketing skills to run a successful personal training business. All too many times we see people who are highly expert instructors in the gym, yet fail to be able to market themselves or run a successful business. We have listed some of the required reading to become a successful personal trainer below. Put yourself ahead of the pack... Buy these books. They will serve as go-to resources for use throughout your professional career as a personal trainer.

Summary: To succeed as a Personal Trainer, you will need...

• Fundamental knowledge in exercise science, practice and methods
• Apply the fundamentals to effectively train your clients
• Business and marketing skills for personal trainers

Fundamental knowledge in exercise science, practice and methods:

Essentials of strength training and conditioning: This should be on the "must-read" list for any personal trainer. Published by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, this book is an essential resource for the science behind strength training and conditioning including practical applications. Regardless of whether you will be focusing strength and conditioning with your clients, this important reference is fundamental to all types of exercise. A solid foundation in theory and application of the principles in this book are a stepping stone to becoming a true innovator in the fitness industry.

Science and Practice of Strength Training: If Essentials of strength training and conditioning is the current personal training "bible' then the Science and Practice of Strength Training, by Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, is the "old testament". You would be hard-pressed to find any top personal trainer or strength coach that has not been exposed to the principles in this book. Science and Practice of Strength Training gets deep into the principles of muscle and strength training from a very "nuts-and bolts" perspective on how and why muscles respond to different training techniques. This is an ESSENTIAL READ for ANY personal trainer who will be doing exercise program design and prescription (i.e all of them). Importantly, if you don't have an understanding of this book, you are not prepared to design exercise routines for your future clients.

Apply the fundamentals to effectively train your clients

ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer: While this book serves as the official text book for the American College of Sports Medicine personal training certification, it is an indispensible resource for any personal trainer, regardless of their certification. ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer provides all the tools that a trainer will need to create safe, effective, and dynamic exercise programs for their clients. ALL aspects of being a personal trainer are covered, from theoretical to practical, making this an essential reference for every fitness professional's library.

ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription: Exercise testing and prescription may be the most important function you will carry out as a personal trainer. As such, ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription is literally the most referenced text book on the subject in the world. Authored by an array of international experts in a number of different fields, this book is an essential read for exercise prescription in both healthy and diseased populations. You will get priceless info based in science and medicine to always make the right call when prescribing exercise programs for your clients.

Business and marketing skills for personal trainers:

How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business: Far too many times highly skilled personal trainers, who are able to help their clients get amazing results from their health and fitness programs, fail to generate enough revenue to succeed as a full-time personal trainer. Don't be one of them. How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business with accompanying CD ROM tells you everything you need to know to get a new personal training business up-and running quickly. Whether you are a staff-trainer for a gym or fitness club, Independent contractor, or fitness studio owner, this book and included CD provide a wealth of essential information including sample business forms, exercise facility plans and layouts, marketing strategies and more. Literally every aspect of the personal training business is covered, making How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Training Business one of the most comprehensive guides available to starting a profitable personal training business. A must read for any personal trainer.

The Personal Trainer Business Handbook: Another important reference for anybody with aspirations to build a successful personal training business, Author Ed Gaut provides simple strategies for becoming the premier personal trainer in your area. This book is the go-to resource for general strategies to compete with other personal trainers and to grow- and develop your personal training business. The Personal Trainer Business Handbookis one of the most comprehensive sources for literally ALL the business and legal forms you will ever require to run a personal training business including medical history forms, client liability waivers, contracts, expense reports, and more.

Follow our "map" to becoming a personal trainer and you will have a great competitive edge over your competition. It is important to go with a nationally recognized certification with a good reputation; however, as mentioned above, a trainer certification only demonstrates "minimal competence".

Potential personal training clients do not pay in upwards of $100.00 an hour for minimal competence... they want to work with the best/most knowledgeable personal trainers that they can afford, because these are the trainers that get results. So get an edge over the competition and build your professional reference library with the books suggested above. By doing so you will already be on your way joining the upper echelon of personal fitness trainers; those who have carved out a lucrative career doing what they truly love to do.