Becoming a Personal Trainer For Dummies [Paperback]

Melyssa St. Michael (Author), Linda Formichelli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

Want to turn your passion for fitness into a lucrative career? Each year, more than 5 million Americans use personal trainers to take their workouts to the next level—and this plain-English guide shows you how to get in on the action. Whether you want a part-time job at the gym or a full-time personal training business, you’ll find the practical, proven advice you need in this indispensable resource.

Becoming a Personal Trainer For Dummies is for you if you want to become a certified personal trainer and start your own business—or if you’re a certified trainer looking to improve upon your existing practice. You get a thorough overview of what it takes to get certified and run a successful business, complete with expert tips that help you:

• Find your training niche
• Study for and pass certification exams

• Attract, keep, and motivate clients
• Interview, hire, and manage employees
• Update your training skills
• Expand your services

This user-friendly guide offers unique coverage of personal trainer certification programs, including tips on selecting the right program and meeting the requirements. You’ll see how to develop your training identity as well as practice invaluable skills that will make you a great personal trainer. You also receive savvy guidance in:

• Choosing the best fitness equipment
• Creating a business plan, a record-keeping system, and a marketing campaign
• Performing fitness assessments
• Developing individualized exercise programs
• Advancing your clients to the next fitness level

• Managing legal issues and tax planning

• Offering additional services such as massage and nutrition consultation
• Training clients with special needs

Complete with ten great starter exercises and a valuable list of professional organizations and resources, Becoming a Personal Trainer For Dummies gives you the tools you need to get the most out of this fun, fabulous career!

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…This non-nonsense book covers every conceivable aspect of the personal-training industry…straightforward, informative and easy to read…” (Muscle & Fitness, March 2005)

From the Back Cover

Find out what it takes to be certified

Find your training niche and make money

Want to be a personal trainer or improve your existing practice? This fun, practical guide gives you the tools to manage your business; design and conduct professional, effective workouts; and advance your client to the next level. You’ll find savvy tips on choosing the right certification for you, marketing your business, and obtaining the best equipment and support.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Study for certification exams
• Attract, keep, and motivate clients
• Manage legal issues and tax planning
• Interview, hire, and manage employees
• Expand your services

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764556843
• ISBN-13: 978-0764556845
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all prospective and current personal trainers, August 28, 2005

By 

Keith R. Kaminski (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Becoming a Personal Trainer For Dummies (Paperback)

I have been a personal trainer for nearly two years and I thought I had a handle on everything. I was given this book as a gift and I was blown away with the comprehensive information that it provides. I learned the most from the True Stories sections as they provided extra tips and really expanded upon the knowledge contained in this book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about becoming a personal trainer and encourage current personal trainers to read it as well. I only wish I would have read this book a lot sooner.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Book, worth reading, December 31, 2011

By 

Jackie Speciale - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Becoming a Personal Trainer For Dummies (Paperback)

This is a very fun and informative book to read if you're considering a career as a personal trainer. I've been in the industry for quite a while and still found it a worthwhile read. The actual experiences of different personal trainers portrayed in this book was probably my favorite part, but there was really not one chapter in this book that I didn't feel I benefited from reading. If you are new to the personal training industry or are considering fitness as a career, this is a great book to start with.

One aspect of training this book does not cover, which is fine because that's not what this book is for; is the selling side of personal training. That's right, your new personal training position has very much to do with sales. I still remember having to sell my first client personal training sessions, I had no idea what I was doing nor that I was doing sales when I signed up to be a trainer. It's not that bad once you get the hang of it, just remember that helping people is the name of the game. I would suggest looking into some type of book that teaches you how to sell, makes things much less stressful. Here are two good books on the subject:

1) The Personal Training Sales Education Textbook: A simple and effective sales system designed specifically for the personal trainer in the health club.

2) Selling Personal Training : How To Make the Most of Your Personal Training Business

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Title says it all., December 31, 2006

By 

Michelle D. Lee "Fitness Freak" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Becoming a Personal Trainer For Dummies (Paperback)

This is a very easy to read primer for those considering a career or hobby in personal fitness. It gives a nice overview of what the career is like and what it will take to gain a certificate and proceed to line up those all important clients. I also learned a few things that can be incorprated into my own liftness lifestyle.