One of the first questions out of everyone’s mouth is, ‘how much does personal training cost”? We’ll answer that as well as factors that will affect the price.
What do most personal trainers charge an hour?
You can expect that most personal training in Salt Lake city and surrounding municipalities to be anywhere from $40-120/hr. There will be cheaper and more expensive options, but this is where most personal trainers will land on their hourly price.
How much should you spend on a personal trainer?
You may think that this is the same question as above, but it’s different.
Without question, you should invest in your proactive, preventative health and fitness. That investment will look different depending on several factors.
Factors determining the cost you should pay:
- Knowledge of proper form
- Ability to perform said form without supervision
- Prior injury/medical history/pre-existing conditions
- Level of fitness
- Discretionary income
Each of these primary factors will affect the price of the professional you choose to hire.
Example 1:
You are an athlete in college (sophomore year) who’s been exercising and lifting weights with a strength coach for several years, you may need a certified strength & conditioning coach (CSCS) to help you with your athletism but may only need a monthly check-in. Because of your higher competency and higher fitness level your biggest cost will be finding a more qualified professional with a college degree and experience with college athletes.
Example 2:
You are a 65-year-old with spinal stenosis, a hip replacement, a knee replacement, torn rotator cuff, looking to lose 20+ pounds while not getting hurt because you’ve got a trip coming up, and you’ve never lifted weights before.
In this case, you should definitely seek out a higher credentialed personal trainer with more experience with all your ailments and goals. So you should expect to pay more because of your lower fitness level (you’ll need to go more frequently with their supervision), complicated medical history, lower experience with lifting weights.
Similar to investments, which many financial experts and planners recommend investing roughly 10% of your income to investing, I recommend planning on investing 10% towards your health and fitness. As you determine your needs and the levels of help/expertise you’ll need also keep this recommendation in mind.
Are expensive personal trainers worth it?
Not all cheap personal trainers are crappy, and not all personal trainers that are expensive are worth it. Some trainers believe that charging more automatically makes them better and more qualified. This isn’t the case.
Check their qualifications, and their experience with what you need.
Don’t forget to check what’s included in the fee. Many include home workouts/exercise plans or nutrition coaching, while others do not.
About the Author
Ryan Carver was a finalist for international personal trainer of the year by PFP magazine in 2020, and national winner of the 2023 fitness professional of the year by the MedFit Network. He’s been personal training for 18 years, and owns his own personal training studio in the heart of Salt Lake county.