TL;DR: Personal trainers in the UK typically charge between £40 and £60 per session. This number can vary greatly depending on a number of factors including their formal education and qualification levels, years of experience, supplementary services offered, and more.
Working out with a skilled personal trainer is an amazing experience. They help you set realistic goals and create effective and realistic strategies for achieving them; they introduce fitness newbies and experienced athletes alike to fun and interesting exercises; and most importantly, they keep us motivated when the going gets tough.
With so many clear and obvious benefits to working out with a personal trainer, it begs the question: How much do personal trainers cost?
The short answer is that you could typically expect a one-on-one session with a personal trainer to cost roughly £40 to £60; however, this number could easily dip down to as low as £15 per session and, just as easily, shoot up to £200+ per session. If you’re on the lookout for a personal trainer to help get you in shape or reach a specific goal, understanding the factors that go into their pricing can help you choose one that suits your needs and budget alike.
Please note that this article looks at the factors that affect the per-session costs that personal trainers charge. The total cost of a personal trainer over a period of time will largely depend on the number of sessions per week. Check out this blog post for more information on how often you should use a personal trainer.
Factors that determine personal trainer costs
Formal education level
In the UK, the title of ‘personal trainer’ is not protected. This means that there is no overseeing body or organisation that guarantees that all personal trainers have met certain standards, or, in other words, there is absolutely nothing stopping anyone from branding themselves as a personal trainer and picking up clients. While you might get lucky and find a self-identified personal trainer who actually knows what they’re doing, ensuring that your trainer has received formal training in their profession can help you rest easy knowing that they have a solid understanding of fitness, biomechanics, movement, growth, and recovery.
While there are many routes to becoming a personal trainer, courses that result in REP (Register of Exercise Professionals) and CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) accreditation can help personal trainers land lucrative jobs at well-known and respected gyms. Both of these bodies are internationally recognised and aim to regulate the fitness sector, guaranteeing that certain professional and assessment standards are met. For REP and CIMSPA-accredited personal trainer clients, it means peace of mind knowing their trainer is an internationally recognised professional in their field, as well as an increased session rate.
In the same breath, it’s also worthwhile discussing other relevant qualifications. It’s sometimes the case that physiotherapists, nutritionists, biokineticists, or even medical doctors turn to personal training. These university graduates-turned-personal-trainers charge a premium for their services, often £100+ per session.
Trainer experience
Just like in any other industry, experience matters. A young or recently graduated personal trainer will likely give you a better rate than one who’s been honing their skills for 20+ years. More expertise and knowledge, a proven track record with verifiable results, a good reputation or recognisable brand, a robust professional network, and applicable specialisation are all products of experience gained over time. All things being equal, an inexperienced personal trainer could charge around £30 per session, while a highly experienced one would most likely charge in the region of £60 or more.
Supplementary services offered
The road to fitness is paved with more than simply the number of hours spent working out with a personal trainer. Your diet, sleep patterns, and lifestyle all play a significant role in how fast you achieve your goals. If you expect your personal trainer to provide you with a custom meal plan, sleep tracker analysis, and regular inspirational quotes, these supplementary services will more than likely increase the cost of the trainer, especially when they are bespoke or tailored to your exact needs. Depending on the trainer, these supplementary services could be included in the price, or be offered as optional extras.
Online vs. in-person sessions
Recent years have seen an explosion in the number of people who work out at home. While COVID-19 obviously played a role in this, there are other factors that contributed to more and more people making use of a personal trainer’s service via an online portal such as Zoom. While this isn’t set in stone, you could reasonably expect to pay more for in-person sessions as the trainer has to spend time and effort getting to wherever you are meeting. While researching this article, we found that one-on-one online sessions with a personal trainer work out to about £15 per session less than meeting them in person.
While this topic isn’t the focus of this article, Studio Society would just like to mention that the benefits seen from workouts with a personal trainer in real life take a sharp drop-off when compared to online sessions. Aerobics sessions work well in an online or video format; however, exercises that require good form or motion, such as callisthenics or strength training, are better done in person where the trainer can accurately and easily see and correct your form.
One-on-one vs. group sessions
If you’re looking for a personal trainer but are really price-sensitive, one way to bring the per-session costs down is to consider joining a group class. This does mean that the ‘personal’ in personal trainer gets a bit muddy; however, good gyms or studios typically offer group training sessions in a wide variety of disciplines. It might not be your first choice, but if a full-on personal trainer is beyond your financial reach or you can only swing one or two sessions per month, consider joining a group class that focuses on your goal. There are classes available that focus on strength development, flexibility, coordination, holistic fitness, meditation, and so much more.
While each gym or studio is free to set its own prices, group sessions in the UK typically range between £15 and £35 per session, per participant.
The location
Personal trainer services in major metropolitan areas tend to be more expensive than in small towns or more rural areas. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise as almost all aspects of modern living are more expensive in cities, with professional personal training services being no exception. You can reasonably expect to pay 20 to 30% more per session in cities.
One final factor to take into consideration is the location where the personal training is to take place. Travelling to and from the location takes time, and time is money. If you meet your trainer at the gym where they’re employed full time, this won’t be much of a consideration for you; however, expecting your trainer to meet you 10 miles out of the city for a one-on-one session next to your favourite lake will obviously up the price.
Final thoughts
As you can see, getting to an accurate answer to the question of ‘How much do personal trainers cost?’ requires taking a number of factors into consideration. While you can absolutely determine an average, the best way to answer this question is to reach out to a personal trainer and discuss your needs with them. While we don’t encourage endless haggling with professional service providers, personal trainers tend to be personable people capable of understanding their clients’ unique situations. If you are genuinely motivated to get in shape and feel that a personal trainer is your best chance of achieving your goals, reach out to a qualified trainer and come to an understanding regarding the price per session.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
Personal trainers at Studio Society
Studio Society employs a host of highly experienced and skilled personal trainers. Our multination team includes former professional coaches, national wellness champions, qualified massage therapists, and international track & field and triathlon athletes. With a roster of personal trainers this strong, we are 100% sure that we have someone on our staff who can help you set and achieve realistic goals and jaw-dropping results way beyond what you would expect.
For more information on our personal trainers or to book an obligation-free consultation, please visit our Personal Trainers page. You’re also welcome to take a look at our group classes to join a growing and dedicated community of fitness enthusiasts.