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How to start your own Personal Training Business - From Crunch to Life Time w/ Anna
Manage episode 518934372 series 3493005
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If you’ve ever passed a certification and still felt lost on the gym floor, this conversation will sound uncomfortably familiar—and surprisingly hopeful. We sit down with Anna, a Cincinnati trainer who went from textbook confidence to real-world clarity, trading fear-based assessments and complicated plans for simple, effective coaching that clients actually feel.
We start with her early days at Crunch, where 30-minute sessions exposed the limits of memorized protocols. Moving to Lifetime changed the trajectory: peer-led discovery sessions, floor observations, and direct feedback sharpened her coaching lens. Anna explains how learning by watching seasoned trainers, then being corrected, built a skill set no chapter could deliver. That shift is the throughline of the episode: master core movement patterns, keep programming competent and flexible, and use your freed-up attention to connect, listen, and guide.
From there, we dive into building a business without gimmicks. Anna breaks down a client-first model: start in a rented space, create clean discovery processes, charge with confidence, and build a referral network with physical therapists and chiropractors to keep clients safe. We also take aim at common industry traps—like misusing the overhead squat to scare people into buying—and outline a better standard: test only what you’ll retest, train what the goal requires, and treat psychology as part of the program. You’ll hear practical scripts, mindset shifts for pricing, and a clear plan for standing out in a crowded market by doing the quiet, expert things most skip.
If you’re a trainer wrestling with imposter thoughts, or you’re ready to go independent without getting overwhelmed, this episode gives you the blueprint: simplify, collaborate, and show up. Subscribe, share with a coach who needs it, and leave a review with one action you’re taking this week.
Want to ask us a question? Email email [email protected] with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show!
Our Instagram: Show Up Fitness CPT
TikTok: Show Up Fitness CPT
Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/
Become a Personal Trainer Book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Personal-Trainer-Successful/dp/B08WS992F8
NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com/collections/nasm
Chapters
1. Welcome And Mission (00:00:00)
2. Meet Anna And Her Path (00:00:30)
3. Certifications And Early Imposter Feelings (00:01:00)
4. Fear Of Failure And Mentorship (00:01:31)
5. Crunch Vs Lifetime: Cultures Compared (00:02:20)
6. From Textbook To Real Clients (00:03:10)
7. Learning On The Floor And Peer Feedback (00:05:00)
8. Building Career Capital And Going Independent (00:06:10)
9. Client-First Programming And Referrals (00:07:45)
10. Confidence, Communication, And Human Connection (00:09:10)
11. Vision For A Women-Centered Gym (00:10:40)
12. Advice To New Trainers: Keep It Simple (00:12:10)
13. Women’s Health Needs And Common Barriers (00:13:30)
14. Pricing Confidence And Value (00:14:55)
15. Overhead Squat Myths And Real Assessment (00:16:00)
16. Basics First, Then Personalization (00:17:30)
17. Differentiation Through Education And Network (00:18:40)
18. Managing Imposter Thoughts With Action (00:20:10)
19. Proactive Habits To Prevent Burnout (00:21:30)
20. Community, Normalizing Doubt, And Next Steps (00:23:10)
21. Where To Find Anna And Closing (00:30:37)
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