How Much Is A Personal Trainer?

When it comes to personal trainer costs, it can be difficult to establish what’s acceptable and what’s too expensive.

Maybe you’ve seen fluctuating prices for a multitude of different qualifications. Or, perhaps you’ve been wondering - just how much does it cost for a personal trainer? 

OriGym’s exploration of personal trainer costs (per hour and per session) aims to clear up any confusion or misconceptions surrounding PT prices, and explain just how you can find a personal trainer that’s not only good for your goals, but good for your budget, too.

We’ll also explore what affects personal trainer prices, what you should be looking for when you’re seeking a personal trainer, and how to find the right PT for you.

Contents

• What Is A Personal Trainer? 
• What Does A Personal Trainer Do?
• Who Can Become A Personal Trainer?
• What Are The Benefits Of Having A Personal Trainer?
• How Much Does A Personal Trainer Cost?
• Why Are Personal Trainers So Expensive?
• What Affects The Price Of A Personal Trainer?
• How Can I Increase My Charges As A Personal Trainer?
• What Are The Most Desirable Personal Trainer Skills?
• What Should I Look For In A PT?
• How Do I Find A PT?
• Our Conclusions

If you're looking to take tour knowledge on fitness to the next level, then you’ve come to the right place. OriGym’s stellar personal training courses not only lead the industry in price and service, but they also guarantee an interview at a local gym once you graduate.  

Sound interesting? Download our FREE prospectus and read up on what we offer, or make an enquiry below to speak to one of our expert careers advisors! 

What Is A Personal Trainer?

Now, this may seem like a very basic question, especially as you’re likely wondering how much a personal trainer costs, rather than what one is. 

But, we feel as though it’s important to define exactly what we’ll be talking about in this article, so as to avoid any confusion with other fitness professionals (such as a gym instructor or a sports therapist).

A personal trainer is a qualified fitness professional who takes responsibility for their clients and their exercise needs or requirements. As a minimum, they’ll have completed a Level 4 personal trainer diploma, and potentially have certifications that go beyond that.

What we mean by that is that certain personal trainers will have completed CPD courses, and therefore have received industry recognition in other fitness fields, such as weight management, sports nutrition, or strength and conditioning. 

They’ll also have worked tirelessly to get personal training clients, and now be helping them along their fitness journey. But what do they actually do for these clients?

What Does A Personal Trainer Do?

Before we think about “what does a personal trainer cost?”, let’s first examine what they do.

As we’ve already established, a personal trainer has clients (people who want to get fit under the tutelage of an expert in their field) that they provide services and workouts for.

Generally, they’ll provide tailored training and workout plans to their clients, taking into account their goals, aspirations, fitness levels, and competency with exercises. All of these factors can affect what the personal trainer focuses on, whether that’s a specific muscle group (such as the quads and calves for those who want to build leg muscle), or overarching improvement of fitness.

They’ll also act as a mentor and guide when it comes to achieving your goals, whether that’s losing weight, building muscle, or just improving your overall fitness. 

OriGym's personal trainer job description article explores these daily duties, and how they form part of a busy schedule.

Who Can Become A Personal Trainer?

Everyone! While that may seem cliché, the fitness industry is one of very few where this sentiment rings true. 

When it comes to exercise, and careers in exercise, the most important thing you need to have is enthusiasm, passion, and drive to succeed. This is true of many career paths, but these core ideals form the foundation of any successful fitness profession.

OriGym’s belief is that personal fitness thrives on those who bring this energy to their sessions, genuinely love what they do, and pass that enjoyment onto their clients. 

Personal training also thrives on diversity. Whether that’s diversity in gender, age, training style, personality, or a million other traits, it’s important to provide potential clients and customers with something that they want, and someone they can relate to.

Having this enthusiasm is arguably one of the pillars of personal training, and forms a key part of the steps towards a successful fitness career.

What Are The Benefits Of Having A Personal Trainer?

#1 - Establishes a Routine

Perhaps one of the most understated benefits of having a personal trainer (regardless of how much a personal trainer costs) is that they help you to establish a routine, and build a healthy habit of attending the gym and completing a workout regime. 

For many people, the main reason they don’t attend a gym (or don’t attend as regularly as they’d like) is that they lack motivation or confidence, and therefore don’t feel inspired to attend.

By providing a scheduled reason to attend the gym, you’re more likely to feel motivated, and therefore be more likely to pursue your SMART fitness goals, and possibly even attend outside of your usual sessions.

Having a routine is a key part of achieving your fitness and exercise goals, and by having a PT, you can start to build a sustainable routine between you and your personal trainer.

#2 - Corrects Form and Posture

Arguably one of the worst mistakes we can make when it comes to fitness is completing your exercises improperly, or in a posture or form that can jeopardise your health or the integrity of your muscles and joints.

It can seriously impact not only on your physical health, but also have mental effects, too. If your form isn’t correct, you won’t see results in the areas you’re aiming to change, and that can be incredibly disheartening or demotivating. 

This is perhaps one of the more immediately obvious benefits of having a personal trainer - they’ll physically correct any improper and detrimental positioning in your exercises. 

As a qualified fitness professional, personal trainers are experts in how exercises should be completed, and are trained to recognise any movements that could cause physical discomfort, as well as move their client’s body to the position it should be in to ensure results. 

#3 - Provides Expert Advice

This may seem like an obvious point to make, but we felt it was one that warranted being mentioned. When we say “expert advice”, we refer to multiple different ways that your PT can give you advice.

For instance, they may provide advice on how to achieve a specific goal you already have in mind, such as weight loss or improving general fitness levels. In this scenario, they can then tailor workout programs to gear more towards that overall goal.

They might also give you guidance on where to go next with your workout plan, or how to progress further with a current goal, such as muscle gain or training for a specific event (a marathon, for example).

These tailored recommendations only come when you’ve built up a relationship with your chosen personal trainer, and can vary depending on the personal trainer’s experience levels, their qualifications, their personal trainer prices, and how specific your goals are. 

How Much Does A Personal Trainer Cost?

When it comes to personal trainer prices, there’s no definitive answer, unfortunately. 

There are a lot of variables when it comes to how much a personal trainer costs, so it’s important to consider your options and what’s right for both your fitness goals and your budget.

Fortunately, OriGym’s guide to personal trainer costs explores all of these factors in thorough detail, helping you decide what’s right for your personal finances. 

As a flat rate for personal trainer cost per hour (Ireland), you can expect to pay between €25 and €45. 

This is a generally accepted average cost of a personal trainer, but, as we’ll get onto in just a moment, these personal trainer prices can be affected by numerous different influences, including which types of professional development (such as specialist fitness course in sports nutrition or obesity management) they’ve completed.

Some PTs may charge as high as €65, but this is rare, and is only reserved for personal trainers who already have an established client base and have worked in the industry for a long time.

But how can there be such a difference when it comes to the average personal trainer cost? Let’s explore why there’s such a variation.

Why Are Personal Trainers So Expensive?

When it comes to personal trainer prices, it can be easy to think they’re incredibly expensive, especially if you decide that going multiple times per week is what you need to achieve your goals.

While we don’t necessarily agree with that sentiment, it’s understandable that you might have a negative opinion of personal trainer costs, especially if you’re working with a tight budget.

However, there are many factors that contribute towards that often high price tag, which include:

• Length of Training

Personal training courses can take as long as 12 weeks, and require intensive work and planning to complete, but are ultimately rewarding and lead to a career in an industry you’re passionate about.

• Price of Training

Courses to become a personal trainer can cost as high as €3000, meaning it can be costly to repay, and therefore the prices of personal training sessions reflect this. OriGym’s industry leading personal training diploma offers the best balance of cost and unprecedented quality in this regard.

• Tailored Approach

All PTs offer a bespoke service, and as such, their personal training prices reflect the hard work and dedication that goes into the workouts designed for each individual.

• Valuable Service

Personal training costs also need to be reflective of the quality and importance of the service they offer, and as exercise is a hugely important part of life, it’s important that personal training prices show that.

All of these factors, combined with some of the features we explored in the section above, all contribute towards personal fitness trainer costs. 

Many PTs will also utilize personal training software, which can be very expensive, but is necessary to facilitate the best possible experience for their clientele.

---

Liking what you've read so far? Check out these articles next:

• Should I Become a Personal Trainer?
• OriGym's Guide to Being your Own Personal Trainer
• How to Become an Online Personal Trainer

What Affects The Price Of A Personal Trainer?

This is perhaps one of the most important questions, as this not only affects how much a personal trainer can cost per hour, but also how many different aspects of fitness they can help you with, and whether or not you can achieve all of your goals with them.

Allow us to outline some of the main factors that can have an impact on personal trainer cost in Ireland:

Location

Arguably, this is one of the most important points when it comes to what a personal trainer costs in Ireland, but sadly, this is one of the ones we might have the least amount of control over. 

From our research, we found that personal trainers in smaller cities and towns will, overall, charge less per session than those in larger cities, and in particular Dublin. 

Just to highlight what we mean, personal trainer cost per hour in Dublin can be as high as €60 at some gyms, and €100 at others, whereas areas outside of the capital would be towards the lower end of the average personal trainer cost scale (between €20 and €40).

According to Bark, the prices for larger cities (such as Limerick or Cork) remain the same, with prices averaging within this range. 

Experience

The biggest decider when it comes to how much a personal trainer costs is how much experience and expertise they have. This wisdom is ultimately what they pass on to their clients, and so can therefore charge more based on what they know, and the amount of time they’ve been part of the fitness industry. 

As a baseline, all personal trainers will have (at the very least) completed a Level 4 personal training diploma, as this is the bare minimum needed to be able work on a 1-to-1 basis with their clients.

The more years experience a PT has, the more likely they will charge a premium for their services, but this also further cements how reputable they are, and how good a service they provide to their clientele.

Some PTs even seek out supplementary qualifications and certifications which allow them to elevate their prices above the average personal trainer cost. Read on to learn more about these additional skills.

Certifications

This is another big one when it comes to the cost of a personal trainer (Ireland) - their additional or vocation qualifications outside of the necessary Level 4 PT qualification.

Many training providers (such as OriGym) will offer additional courses outside of the base level course, and while these will of course incur an extra cost, it ensures that a personal trainer can provide a more comprehensive service to their clients, and thus increase their personal training prices.

These programmes of study, alongside PT-specific CPD (Continued Professional Development) sessions, mean that personal trainer prices can incrementally increase, as they can now provide services outside of what they will have learned as part of their initial training.

Just a few examples of these additional courses include:

• Level 4 Exercise Referral Course
• Level 4 qualification in Sports Massage Therapy 
• Level 5 Courses (such as Sports Nutrition, or Lower Back Pain Management)

These can also be a factor (alongside your budget) when choosing the right personal trainer for you, which we’ll explore in more detail later in this article.

Bulk Booking

Now, while this is not something offered by all personal trainers, this is definitely an area to be aware of when choosing your PT, especially as it can be a big saving when it comes to personal trainer costs.

Our research suggests that most personal trainers will offer up to a 10% discount off their normal personal training prices if you book multiple sessions in advance (usually around 8 - 10 sessions). Of course, this isn’t true of all PTs - some won’t offer this discount, and some won’t do block booking at all. 

Our recommendation would be, once you’ve found the personal trainer right for you, to ask whether they offer a discount on their personal training cost when block booking, or booking multiple sessions in advance.

How often you see a personal trainer can certainly affect the cost of their services, so seeing them more often for less money is a big win. 

How Can I Increase My Charges As A Personal Trainer?

Now that we’ve established what factors into decisions made about personal trainer costs, we’ll move on to looking at more practical advice about putting these steps into place if you’re a qualified professional already.

It bears repeating that these ideas are only applicable if you’ve already completed a PT diploma. OriGym’s personal training courses are the industry leader in all aspects, including price, service, resources, and post-course career support.

But once you’ve completed your course, and established just how you’ll achieve your client base, it’s important to think of practical and attainable ways that you can build on your portfolio of qualifications. 

Not only will that allow you to provide better service for your clients, but it’ll also mean you can adjust your personal trainer prices accordingly.

This can entirely depend on your current clients, but also on who you intend to market your personal training services to. 

If you’re more focused on athletes and those looking to train at a higher level, then it could be a good idea to delve into a strength & conditioning CPD course. 

Or if your aim is to encompass massage therapy, and add that as an extra incentive included in your personal training costs, OriGym also offer an industry-leading sports massage therapy course that can encourage clients that may be looking for a more all-encompassing package.

The main theme here, though, is that, adding additional skills or specialisms to your CV can be hugely beneficial, both in terms of your personal trainer costs and for your client experience. 

By maintaining and building upon the solid foundation provided by a CIMSPA accredited PT course, you can not only maintain or increase your personal training costs, but you’ll also be able to improve your client retention strategy, and offer those who have continued to use your services a better or more comprehensive experience.

What Are The Most Desirable Personal Trainer Skills?

Building on what we’ve just explored about increasing your personal trainer cost in Ireland, we’ve done the research for you, and established just what your clients (and future clients) are looking for in their personal trainer.

Not only will this allow you to be more appealing to potential new customers, but it’ll mean you can set a new price point for your personal training cost, and start to earn more for your services.

We’ve organised and set out what we’d recommend including as part of your PT skillset, as well as what you’ll need to do to achieve accreditation, and practical advice on how to implement this as a way of adjusting or increasing the cost of your personal trainer services.

Weight Loss & Management

One of the main areas that potential clients are looking for help with is weight loss, and maintaining healthy nutrition and diet habits. This is arguably the number one reason people attend the gym, but it’s also one of the main reasons they might leave, too, especially if they aren’t finding the results they want.

This is where you come in, as a personal trainer with expertise in weight management.

It’s a certification that allows you to dispense practical, realistic advice to your clients, that they can then use to improve their overall fitness levels, as well as implement into their day-to-day lives.

You’ll be able to create and tailor diet plans to suit individual clients’ needs, and ensure that they’re able to achieve their goals in relation to losing weight and getting the body shape they want.

Weight management is what’s referred to as a Level 4 (or “master”) qualification, and will often mean that the cost of a personal trainer is higher to reflect that level of proficiency.

You’ll have to undertake the course through a registered provider (OriGym’s Level 5 Obesity Control and Weight Management Course is the current industry leader for price, as well as offering unlimited support and resources), and it takes an average of around 10 weeks to fully complete and earn your certification.

Sports Nutrition

While this may seem as though it’s only targeted towards personal trainers who deal exclusively with athletes or sportspeople, it’s actually one of the more sought after traits in a personal trainer.

This is another master personal trainer qualification, meaning you’ll be recognised as an industry expert, and therefore can increase your personal trainer cost per hour or per session.

With this certification, you’ll learn about macronutrients and how they affect the body, as well as how to implement these key nutrients into a balanced diet that’s not only beneficial for those at the peak of their physical fitness, but also those who are just beginning.

When it comes to providers, OriGym’s Advanced Sports Nutrition course stands head and shoulders above their closest competitors in all aspects. However, where OriGym really shines is its price point, as this can allow you to balance the cost of your personal trainer services against the initial outlay for the course, and continue to thrive in your career. 

Sports Massage Therapy

Our next suggestion is less focused on nutritional and dietary advice, but more on practical solutions for alleviating client issues, and providing a more rounded approach to personal training. 

Sports massages target problem areas when it comes to intensive exercise, and eases painful joints, sore muscles, and provides an opportunity to relax and destress. 

In conjunction with weight management and nutritional advice, this is arguably the area of expertise that clients will value the highest, as it “completes” the exercise experience, and provides relief from the pain we’d normally associate with an intense workout or PT session.

As this can be an expensive venture, it may be difficult to find the money to outlay at first, especially if your personal training cost (Ireland) is on the lower end of the scale we explored earlier. 

However, because of the in-demand nature of sports massage therapy, earning your certification will mean the cost of a personal trainer session can be higher, and you’ll be able to pay for the qualification.

If all that sounds appealing, then it’s vital you find the right course provider, as it ultimately determines how confident in giving massages and providing quality service to your clients. 

OriGym’s overwhelmingly positive reputation and reviews, coupled with their low price point and flexible payment plans, ensures they remain the industry leader in sports massage courses and accreditations.

Strength and Conditioning

This is an ideal option if you’re seeking to boost the cost of your personal trainer sessions, but don’t have the funds or the time to spend on more expensive, longer courses.

With prices beginning at as little as €129, this is easily the most budget-friendly option on our list of courses that can help you increase the cost of your personal trainer (Ireland) services.

While strength and conditioning may primarily be associated with those who rely heavily on their muscles (such as weightlifters or bodybuilders), it’s actually beneficial for everyone, and is often an integral part of the exercises we do regularly.

Undertaking a CPD session in strength and conditioning will not only give you vital information and ideas that you can pass onto your clients through your workout plans, but it will also help you understand some of the more complicated fundamentals of fitness.

And perhaps the most understated positive about this course is that it’s just a one day CPD session, meaning it can be completed quickly, and the effects on your personal trainer cost per hour (Ireland) will be immediately apparent!

The only (slight) caveat to be aware of is that you’ll need to have completed a Level 3 gym instructing qualification.

What Should I Look For In A PT?

This is a question that is quite difficult to answer, especially as there are so many different things that your answer can depend upon, such as your personal fitness goals, the time available in your schedule, and whether you need more specialised training (sports massage, for instance).

However, we’ve outlined a few of the more overarching traits and certifications you’ll need to look for in your personal trainer.

Baseline Qualifications

This is arguably the most crucial thing you’ll need to look for when browsing for your new personal trainer. 

To break it down, there are two main governing bodies when it comes to personal training - REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) and CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity), which all personal trainers need to comply with.

These two accreditations form part of all thorough Level 3 & 4 personal training courses, and are the first indicator that a personal trainer is completely qualified and certified to be working on a 1-to-1 basis with their clients. 

All personal trainers will usually display this as part of their profile, whether that’s through using a search engine, or on their gym personal trainer cost page (we’ll talk more about being a gym personal trainer and their costs in our next section).

Price

As you might expect, personal trainer prices are another of the most important aspects to consider when finding the right PT for you. 

Finding the right balance between a quality, well-qualified personal fitness trainer and their costs is a difficult balance to find, but it's arguably one of the most important areas to invest your time in. 

While the average cost of a personal trainer can fluctuate, it’s crucial to opt for a trainer who fits your budget and your goals. We’ll explore your options for how to find a personal trainer in our next section.

Additional Qualifications

This is more specific to those who are looking for a more comprehensive experience, or one that caters to a specific fitness or goal-oriented requirement.

As we’ve already touched upon, personal trainers can complete other, additional courses to gain accreditation in further areas of fitness, such as strength and conditioning, or sports massage therapy.

While this can increase their personal trainer prices as we’ve previously mentioned, it also ensures that they’re invested in fitness as a career, and that they can provide a complete training package to their clients.

Being aware of your fitness aims, and what your short and long term goals are, is key here, as it will allow you to pick a trainer who has all the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to meet your requirements.

Reviews

Once you’ve found a personal trainer whose prices fit in with your budget, and that offers all of the additional services you need to meet your goals, then our final recommendation would be to look at reviews and client testimonials.

These are readily available on social media, and Google’s review page is ideal if you’re looking at an independent personal trainer. 

Many larger gyms and fitness centres will have a separate page that details their resident personal trainers, and often has reviews and comments from satisfied customers. 

While these are the core criteria we’d recommend looking for when first finding your personal trainer, there’s a wide variety of other traits we haven’t mentioned that could be worth considering. OriGym’s thorough report outlines the top traits to look for in your PT.

How Do I Find A PT?

The final step is to find the right personal trainer for you. Taking into consideration everything we’ve looked at (from personal trainer costs to additional qualifications), it’s important to use a comprehensive search.

Our first suggestion would be to use an independent search tool. Through our research, we found a service called Bark, which allows you to input a little bit of information, resulting in personalised results for personal trainers in your area.

Not only will this give you a rough estimate of personal trainer cost per hour (Ireland), but it’ll also give you a good idea of what you can get for your budget, and whether that will be enough for you to achieve your goals.

We’d also suggest looking at your local gym’s website (especially as most larger gyms will have personal trainers that work onsite), and gaining an idea of what’s available to you as part of your membership, and what a gym personal trainer will cost.

These can often be slightly cheaper than independent personal trainers when it comes to personal trainer cost per hour, as they use the gym’s apparatus for their sessions, and therefore don’t necessarily need their own equipment.

Before You Go!

Personal trainer prices are often a difficult topic to pin down, especially as they vary hugely depending on lots of different factors, ranging from location to experience levels. 

We hope that our exploration of personal trainer costs has gone some way towards helping you decide what’s best for you and for your budget, too. 

Or, perhaps this article has made you decide that a career in fitness is the next step for you. If that’s the case, then OriGym’s formally accredited personal training courses are the industry leaders across the board, with low costs, guaranteed post-course interviews, and constant support pre-, during, and post-course. 

Download our prospectus here to learn more, or make an enquiry below!