the Cost of Personal Trainers by the Hour

Personal training services for one hour by a certified trainer employed by the fitness club to which I belong. The fee of $60 was paid directly to the fitness club, and a gratuity of $15 was given directly to the trainer. This was an introductory / first time price.

This was an introductory session, so the first half hour was spent answering questions about my current and past health condition(s), discussing my goals and expectations, and assessing my overall fitness (or measuring, weighing, pinching, and humiliating). This was done semi-privately, and seemed more of a ploy to convince or "remind" you why you so desperately needed these services. The sweating took place in the second half hour and consisted of work with free weights, a couple of leg machines, a medicine ball, and an elliptical machine. All the while, the trainer was "evaluating" my general fitness / stamina level. While I definitely felt him "selling" the club's (i.e. his) future services, he was competent and knowledgeable. Being held accountable for every squat and curl, I pushed myself harder and resisted the urge to cheat. I initially thought the session was more sales than results, but after awaking stiff and sore the next morning, I realized that I/he had worked some muscles that had been long forgotten. Possibly not worth more than three hundred bucks a month.

After talking to a co-worker who is a former fitness club trainer, I found out that trainers only make about $25 a session. The club takes the rest. If you like having a personal trainer, but can't pay $300 - $400 a month for one, you can often find one who doesn't work for the club who charges less than half of the club's fee.