The Complete Guide to Personal Training From Home

You have three primary options when you become a certified personal trainer.

You can work for a gym that pays you as an employee.
You can start your own business as a fitness professional.
You can become an employee but also train clients on the side.

Many will find the excitement of becoming their own boss to be worth pursuing. Even if it is part time, making your own rules, creating your own schedule, and earning more money per hour sounds like a winning formula.

Once you’ve decided to become a part-time or full-time independent personal trainer, questions arise such as:

Should I rent space in a gym?
Is it a good idea to create a mobile training business?
Maybe I can just build a home gym personal training studio?

Each option requires differing investments of money and time. You need to consider these differences before you make your final decision.

Should You Train Clients From Home?

Choosing to train clients at home is a timesaving way to work with many clients. It also allows you to be the key decision maker in how to run your personal training business. However, not all spaces will be suitable for a home gym personal training business. You need to answer yes to the following questions before moving forward with your business strategy.

Am I Allowed to Train Out of My Home?

Starting your business without permission is a bad idea. The first step to your home gym personal training business is to attain the proper licenses from your city. In most cases, these costs will be minimal and the relationship you build with the city can be a valuable asset to your business.

If you rent your home, then you will also need to ask for approval from your landlord. In most cases, they will ask for documentation verifying your personal trainers insurance. Training clients without permission may be a lease violation and lead to potential eviction. Not a good way to keep your business running!

Is there enough space?

There needs to be adequate space for your clients to maneuver through the exercises. Both strength training and cardiovascular activities can be uncomfortable and dangerous if there is not adequate space for the client. If your business model is to hold a boot camp with ten people, a home gym personal training studio is not the best fit for your plan.

Is it Climate Controlled?

Clients who are just starting their fitness journey are going to have a tough time with the initial phase of exercise. A space that is hot and stuffy can cause the client to become unhappy, unproductive, and potentially unsafe during the workout. If you do not have adequate means to provide proper air flow and manageable temperatures, training from home may not be a good idea.

Will Noise be a Problem?

Let’s be honest, with noise, some people couldn’t care less what their neighbors think. However, as a professional, we should be considerate of those around us. Using music during a workout can help motivate a client to work harder and complete the workout. If your space does not allow you to play music at a moderate level, you may need to find another home for your business.

Creating Your Home Gym Personal Training Studio

Once you have decided that your home is the best place for your personal training business, it is time to figure out how the space will look. While many personal trainers simply throw some equipment in a room, level up your space and create a professional and motivating environment for your clients. Showing them that this is not a temporary means to earn money but a true business you are operating for the long term.

Create a Theme For Your Home Gym

You need to decide on the theme of your space before you can fill it with equipment. Creating a theme that visually helps the client align their goals can increase motivation. Before you create your theme, it is important to decide where the focus of your training will be. Do you plan to concentrate on?

General Fitness Training
Weight Loss Training
Bodybuilding Training
Athletic Training

If you plan to follow a specific Method of Fitness, then you may also need to incorporate that theme into your space. Do you plan to create a space that is for?

Crossfit™
H.I.I.T.
Pilates
Yoga

Your environment will draw people in. The design of your home gym fitness studio is a way to keep the client sold on your business. It is important to remember that clients don’t just choose a trainer because of their expertise; they are also choosing the environment as a place they enjoy to spend their time in.

How to Set Up Your Home Gym Personal Training Studio

1. Paint the Walls: Many will skip this step assuming that white walls are good enough. The truth is, paint colors elicit emotions that can bring us to the right place for a particular method of training. A high energy bootcamp studio and pilates studio will need different color schemes to match the exercise style.

2. Choose Proper Flooring: Having the correct flooring can increase the client’s comfort and protect your gym equipment. It can be expensive, so it may be a good idea to add elements of flooring that allow you to save money where you can.

3. Add Art Elements: Having inspirational art, imagery, and quotes can add an elemental experience to your space. While painting the walls will help prevent visual boredom, these art elements will bring your walls to life!

4. Setup sound system: Too many personal trainers and class instructors fumble around with their studio’s audio setup. Figuring out how to keep the music playing during a training session is an unnecessary distraction. Thanks to advances in technology, setting up high-quality sound is not all that expensive. We can purchase a monthly streaming service and bluetooth enabled speakers for less than most gym equipment.

5. Plan Your Amenities: There is no reason that a commercial gym should win. Setting up your home gym fitness studio with all the amenities can add more “value” to the workout. Having a water filtration machine, towel service, and post workout nutrition are just a few ideas that can make your home based fitness business stand out.

Choosing the Right Equipment

Having setup the correct theme reduces the need to fill your gym with expensive equipment. With that said, your gym floor is where all the action takes place. The perfect environment without the right equipment is a recipe for failure.

The type of workout your clients perform will help you decide on the equipment for your studio. A yoga studio may have minimal needs, whereas a bodybuilding coach may need a full garage gym setup. There are a few steps you should take before looking for fitness equipment.

Create Your Equipment List

It may seem more exciting to make purchases on the fly, but without proper planning you may end up forgetting the vital components of your gym. Take some time to create a detailed list of every piece of equipment that you will need to operate your business. Then organize that list in order of priority.

On a google sheets or excel document, list out each piece of equipment and the cost. Then keep a running total of what your investment will be for your fitness business.

Consolidate Your Equipment List

Thanks to the explosion of home gym fitness products, you can find attachments and combination products that can help both in saving space and money. With these products, it is crucial that you do your research. Some products offer light commercial quality which is what a trainer needs. Then there are those that are cheaply made and will fall apart due to frequent use.

A few examples of ways to consolidate your equipment:

Choose adjustable dumbbells and kettlebells rather than buying each weight individually.
Purchase high cable pulley and low cable pulley systems instead of a separate setup.
Use step attachments rather than having stand-alone steps for different heights.

Map Out Space For Your Gym Equipment

After you have decided on the equipment you will start with, it’s time to figure out if it will fit. It does not matter how great the equipment is, if we stack them on top of each other, they won’t be beneficial to your business. Crowding a gym space reduces the workout flow, which is frustrating for both you and the client.

With this last step in place, you can now purchase the equipment you need to start your business.

Time to Party

With the framework of your home gym now complete, and your business ready for operation, it’s time to send out the invitations. Your home gym fitness business is equally, if not more, exciting than any other business. While you may not have the Chamber of Commerce come out for your ribbon cutting, you can still celebrate with your community.

Keeping in line with your city’s regulations, showcase your new business to those who are potentially interested in your services. Doing so will have a resonating effect that will reach many more people than just those who attend the celebration.

Not Yet a Personal Trainer?

The ISSA’s self-paced Course can help you become a certified personal trainer in as little as 4-weeks.