How to Become a Master Personal Trainer: Definitive Guide

Wondering how to become a master personal trainer? Look no further! This article will cover all you need to know about starting this career, including:

• What Is a Master Personal Trainer?
• How to Become a Master Personal Trainer: 3 Simple Steps
• Why You Should Become a Master Personal Trainer

Start your journey to becoming a Master Personal Trainer today by taking a Personal Trainer Diploma. Enquire today, or download our free course prospectus to check out the full range of fitness qualifications we offer!

What Is a Master Personal Trainer?

In short, a ‘Master Personal Trainer’ is simply another name for a Personal Trainer who holds a Level 5 qualification.

You will also often see the term ‘master personal trainer’ used by fitness course providers in the context of advertising PT qualifications or packages that include a Level 5 course. 

As well as ‘Master Personal Trainer’, you may also see the following terms used to describe packages that include Level 5 courses:

• Elite personal trainer
• Expert personal trainer
• Platinum personal trainer
• Deluxe personal trainer
• Gold package
• Black label
• Ultimate packages

For reference, any package that includes a Level 5 course will qualify you as a 'Master Personal Trainer' regardless of what the package is actually called:

As you can see, packages allow you to ‘become a master personal trainer’ for a significantly cheaper price than purchasing each course separately. 

This is not to say every provider who uses a variation of the term ‘Master Personal Trainer’ will offer the same package. The content of the package you decide to purchase can differ from one provider to another, so be sure to read diligently.

How to Become a Master Personal Trainer: 3 Simple Steps

Now that we’ve covered the definition of the term, here are 3 simple steps you can take to becoming a Master Personal Trainer! 

Step #1- Get Qualified As A Level 4 Personal Trainer

Already a qualified Level 4 PT? Then you can skip straight ahead to the next section and learn how you can advance your career by choosing a Master Personal Trainer course! 

But if you’re not already qualified, and are looking to launch a career within the fitness industry we have a whole guide here on how to become a personal trainer. 

First and foremost, you will need to earn a Level 4 Personal Training qualification. As well as being a prerequisite for becoming a Master Personal Trainer, a Level 4 qualification is also the minimum requirement to work in most roles within the fitness industry. 

The best part, you can qualify as a PT in as little as 4 weeks through the completion of a Personal Training Diploma. This qualification combines both the Level 3 Fitness Instructor and Level 4 Personal Training course, meaning the prerequisite is built in!

Upon completion of the diploma, you will be a fully qualified Level 4 Personal Trainer. You can then enrol on a Level 5 or ‘master’ fitness course in order to advance your career. 

However, if you’re wondering how to become a master personal trainer in the fastest possible way we’d always recommend purchasing a package that contains the Level 3 and 4 qualifications respectively. 

Not only is this faster, but purchasing a package is also cheaper than buying each course separately, making it more convenient for students. 

Step #2- Choose the Right Master Personal Trainer Course 

Whether you choose to enrol in an individual Level 5 Fitness Course or do so as part of a Master Personal Trainer package, it is important to consider the different types of Level 4 or ‘master’ courses out there. 

A Level 5 or ‘master’ personal training course is a qualification that focuses on a particular niche or area of fitness. When it comes to getting qualified, it’s important to understand that there is no general ‘Level 5 master certificate’. 

Instead, you will have to choose a specific area of fitness to specialise in. For example, here at OriGym, we offer several Level 5 courses:

• Advanced Sports Nutrition
• Lower Back Pain Management
• Obesity and Weight Management
• Diabetes Control and Weight Management

When choosing your Level 5 specialism, you should consider what qualification is best suited to your existing skill set and what you’re most passionate about. 

It is also a good idea to consider the demand for that type of training, as this will help to ensure that you will get enough clients to make a living.

To gain a better understanding of what each qualification entails and how it can help shape your future career, we’re going to look at each OriGym level 5 course in depth.

Advanced Sports Nutrition Master Personal Trainer Course

If you’re interested in the relationship between nutrition, exercise and wellbeing, then a Level 5 in Advanced Sports Nutrition is the course for you! 

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to begin advertising yourself as a qualified Master Personal Trainer with a specialism in nutrition!

This means that you will be able to offer diet and nutrition advice to your clients that work alongside their bespoke exercise programmes. This includes writing specialist nutrition plans for a variety of goals, demographics and dietary requirements.

As you can see below, John Clarke is one such PT: 

Since nutrition is a huge part of health and well-being, getting qualified in this area opens you up to a huge number of clients who are looking for both exercise and nutrition advice. 

- - - -

Enjoying this article so far? Here’s 3 more to help you succeed in the industry:

• Personal Trainer Marketing Strategies  
• What Makes A Good Personal Trainer?
• Types of Professional Development for Personal Trainers

Lower Back Pain Management Master Personal Trainer Course

With up to 60% of the adult population experiencing lower back pain at some point in their lives, it is likely that you will encounter clients with these issues. 

Taking a Level 5 Lower Back Pain Management Course will qualify you to work with these types of clients, and allow you to capitalise on this high demand. 

Having this qualification will allow you to design and coach clients through training programmes that will help them to exercise safely and effectively whilst recovering from this pain.

This could help you retain existing clients who incur lower back pain or attract new clients who are looking for a PT to help them overcome this specific issue. 

If you are wondering how to become a master personal trainer, specialising in training clients with lower back pain is a great career path to consider! 

Obesity and Weight Management Master Personal Trainer Course

According to the Health Survey for England, the proportion of adults in England who are overweight or obese has risen from 52.9% to 64.3% since 1993. 

This is therefore a huge proportion of the population that you could be targeting as a personal trainer! 

Master Personal Trainers with a specialism in weight management will therefore have a much larger target client base than those who are only Level 3 qualified. 

Taking OriGym’s Level 5 course in Obesity and Weight Management will equip you with the essential knowledge required to assist clients with long-term weight loss and management. 

This will therefore open you up to a wider variety of employment opportunities. 

For example, as a Master PT with a specialism in weight management, you would stand out as an applicant for the job advert below, which is looking for a personal trainer to help clients achieve their weight loss goals:

Diabetes Control and Weight Management Master Personal Trainer Course

With more than 4.9 million people in the UK suffering from diabetes, this is another master personal trainer course that will qualify you to provide an in-demand service to clients.

OriGym’s Level 5 Diabetes Control course will provide you with an understanding of the causes of diabetes and the nutritional needs of those with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

This means that you’ll be able to programme specific training routines for this demographic and understand what precautions you need to take with diabetic clients.

You will therefore be able to attract more clients who are looking for this kind of specialist service, such as Gary Phelps below:

As a Master PT, Phelps Training is able to state that he is qualified to help those with diabetes. This therefore gives him authority as a fitness professional, making him more trustworthy to prospective clients!

Step #3- Get Insured To Become A Master Personal Trainer

Once you are qualified, the final step in how to become a master personal trainer is to get the right insurance.

Not only does this protect both you and your clients in the event of an accident whilst training, but having your own insurance is also often a requirement from most employers. 

We have a whole article here on the different types of personal trainer insurance you need.

In summary, the main types of insurance you will need as a Master Personal Trainer are:

• Public Liability insurance. This protects you if a claim is made against you for injury to another person or damage to property during a PT session.
• Professional Indemnity insurance. This covers you if a client claims that you’ve offered poor advice, made a mistake, or been negligent.
• Equipment insurance. This covers you in the case of loss, theft or damage to any equipment you use as part of being a PT.

Why You Should Become a Master Personal Trainer

Now that we’ve covered how to become a master personal trainer, you may now be wondering: why should I take this professional stepping stone?

In summary, taking a Master Personal Trainer course will give you an advantage over a standard Level 4 qualified personal trainer for 2 key reasons:

1. You will have more knowledge, skills and experience 
2. You will be qualified to offer a wider range of services to your clients 

This all makes you more attractive to employers in the fitness industry since you have more knowledge, skills and experience to offer, helping you stand out from other applicants! 

As well as employers, self-employed Master Personal Trainers will also attract more clients compared to regular Level 4 PTs. 

By using the term ‘Master Personal Trainer’ in your personal trainer marketing schemes, you immediately give an impression of authority, knowledge and experience. This makes potential clients more likely to trust you and ultimately enquire! 

Being able to offer a higher level of service to your clients also means that you can charge more for your sessions- which we will discuss next.

Master Personal Trainer Salary

When considering the career, it is likely you will be wondering, ‘What is the average Master Personal Trainer salary’?

According to Salary Expert, the average annual personal trainer salary in the UK is €36,481. 

However, this depends on factors such as location, level of experience, and qualifications achieved, with the potential to reach up to €44,000 a year! 

With this in mind, since they have more skills, knowledge and experience, you can certainly expect a Master Personal Trainer's salary to be on the higher end of this scale. 

When considering the salary of a Level 4 versus a Personal Trainer with a Level 5 qualification, the main difference here is amongst self-employed individuals.

This is because if you work on a contracted basis for a gym, your salary is likely to be set by your employer. 

However, as a self-employed Master Personal Trainer, you can set your own rates, meaning that your earnings are technically uncapped! 

Since you are more qualified, you can justify charging more for your sessions as a Master PT. 

Clients will be more willing to pay a higher rate for a higher level of service, as it is likely that they are looking for a more specific service- for example, help with their lower back pain, that a Level 4 Specialist Trainer cannot offer them.  

This gives you a competitive edge, making you in demand as an expert in a specific niche. 

Check out our guide to personal trainer salary for more information about the factors that can affect how much you earn! 

Ready to Start a Career As a Master Personal Trainer?

As one of the UK’s most trusted education providers in the health and fitness industry, OriGym specialises in assisting aspiring and experienced personal trainers in reaching their career goals.

Download our course prospectus for more information on the range of health and fitness courses we offer or enquire about our Personal Training Diploma here.