Personal training can be a fun career but for some trainers, it doesn't always have the best benefits.
The average salary for personal trainers in the US is around $60,000, which isn't bad, but when you compare it to other professions, it certainly could be stronger.
In this post, I'll explore some of the best fitness side hustles to make money and much more. Let's get started!
Top Fitness Side Hustles for Personal Trainers
Below are some of the best fitness side hustle ideas to help you increase your earnings. While not every side hustle will be the perfect fit, you're sure to find something that suits your interests.
Create a Fitness Blog
If you have a passion for the fitness industry and love to explore topics around fitness and training, starting a blog can be an excellent way to make additional income.
Starting a blog costs little, and you can often get your site up and running within a day or two with this digital side hustle.
To get started, you'll need to purchase a domain name and hosting for your blog. These will cost less than $100 per year. I recommend using Namecheap for your domain name and SiteGround for your hosting.
Once you've secured your domain and hosting, it's time to install WordPress on your blog. WordPress is completely free and your host should be able to install it with one click through their dashboard.
Next, it's time to start creating content and promoting it to the world.
Starting a profitable blog is not as easy as it sounds, thought. You'll need to put in some serious work promoting your blog in order to grow your readership so you can start making money from your efforts.
To make money from your blog, you can use display ads, affiliate marketing, or sell sponsored posts. Some bloggers make thousands per month from their side hustles so it'd definitely a great way to make money outside of the gym.
Offer Online Personal Training
Online personal training has become much more popular since the COVID-19 pandemic. By offering this service, you can train clients from anywhere in the world.
This is an excellent way to reach a larger audience and generate more income as a personal trainer.
Instead of being confined to clients in your local area, you'll gain access to millions of additional people to see your services.
To start this side hustle, you'll need to define how your services will work. Will you conduct video calls and walk your client through each session? Will you offer a weekly catch up?
Training clients online poses unique challenges that you'll want to be aware of before getting started.
If you have a day job, you can offer personal training sessions in your afternoons to make some additional cash.
While some people may not prefer this service, it's a great way to get more clients with very little effort.
The amount of money you can make with this side hustle will depend on your experience and how many clients your have but some fitness trainers are capable of making over $100 per hour for their time.
Check out the video below for more help starting your online training business.
Start an Ecommerce Business
Opening an online store can be a superb way to make money on the side in addition to your personal training job.
For example, you could sell motivational coffee mugs, preworkout and protein powders, or even start a clothing line.
Creating an online store can require a significant amount of time and money to get started, but it can be a fun and rewarding experience.
To open your store, you'll need to choose which platform you want to use. Shopify is a great option as it offers everything you need to get started, including a customizable platform, payment processing, shipping labels, and more.
You'll also need to create some content for your store. This means you'll need to think about product descriptions, titles, and more.
You'll also want to consider the logistics of your business. How will you ship items once they're sold? How will you handle returns?
Marketing your store should also be a priority when getting started otherwise all of your effort could go down the drain.
These are just a few of the things you'll need to consider before opening your store.
Online stores are capable of making millions of dollars when executed correctly so it's certainly worth investing in if you have a passion for it.
Start a Personal Training YouTube Channel
If you have expansive fitness knowledge and you love teaching others, starting a YouTube channel can be a simple side hustle that makes good money.
With this fitness side hustle, you can create videos on just about any topic related to personal training, fitness, or general wellness.
You might think you need a high end video camera to get started, but usually a smartphone, microphone, and video editing software will do the trick.
To make money through your videos, you can promote affiliate offers and utilize display advertising once your channel reaches a certain threshold. Many people would consider this a passive side hustle because you can make money while you sleep with this gig.
The amount of money you can make with a YouTube channel will depend on a variety of factors, including the size of your audience and the type of content you produce.
However, many YouTubers are capable of making a full-time income from their channels, so it's definitely worth considering.
Podcast About Fitness
If you have some spare time, consider starting a podcast to make money on the side.
With this fitness side hustle, you can share your fitness knowledge with the world and help people learn about training and nutrition.
You could interview fitness influencers, athletes, and others in the industry.
The cost to start a podcast is relatively low. While the top podcasts will have extreme quality microphones and software, you can get away with spending a couple hundred dollars to get your podcast off the ground.
To make money through your podcast you can offer show sponsors and promote affiliate offers.
Some podcasts make good money from their shows. In fact, Joe Rogan sold the rights to his podcast for millions. Talk about a lucrative side hustle!
Sell Online Courses
If you're a personal trainer looking for passive income, selling online courses is a great way to grow your income and make more money.
With this side hustle, instead of training people individually, you can sell workout programs that are tailored to a specific body type.
Similar to online personal training, selling a digital fitness course will allow you to scale your business and make more money without having to put in extra hours.
You can promote your courses through social media or you could create your own website and social media accounts at no extra cost.
The amount of money you can make selling online courses can vary widely depending on how extensive your marketing efforts are. Some course creators can make hundreds of thousands each year.
Offer Group Fitness Classes
If you want to increase your hourly rate as a personal trainer, working as a group fitness instructor can be an easy way to do so.
When working as a group fitness instructor, you'll lead a group of people through a workout routine. This can be slightly more challenging than your traditional one-on-one services because you'll need to keep up with the entire group but the pay can be well worth it.
If you traditionally make $50 per training session, it's possible to make a few hundred dollars per session as a group fitness instructor.
Sell Digital Products
Just like online courses, digital products can be another great way to earn passive income as a personal trainer.
There are many different digital products you can create and sell within the fitness industry.
For example, you could create calorie tracker, water intake tracker, or make other printables and digital products.
The possibilities are endless and the amount of money you can make is entirely up to you.
Start a Meal Prep Side Hustle
Nutrition is a huge part of anyone's fitness journey. With this personal training side hustle you'll get paid to help people plan their meals according to their nutritional needs.
When training people, you'll likely have a good idea of how nutrition works and the role in plays in transforming your body – so why not offer this service to make extra money as a personal trainer?
With this fitness side hustle you can make additional money for each client you train. Depending on how many clients you have, this can be a significant income.
Deliver Food with Doordash
Delivering food is an easy side hustle that can make you a few hundred dollars per week.
You can deliver food with companies like Doordash to make money on your own schedule. Making your first delivery is simple and a good way to start earning money in your spare time.
Delivering during peak times with Doordash can help you make over $20 per hour. Not bad!
Sign up below to get started!
Deliver Groceries with Instacart
Just like delivering food, delivering groceries is another easy way to make money if you have a car or truck.
By using a delivery app like Instacart you can earn over $20 per hour in your free time.
My favorite thing about this side hustle is that you can set your own schedule. That's right, work whenever you want to.
Sign up below to get started!
Pet Sit with Rover
Pet sitting is a simple side hustle for personal trainers to increase their income whenever they have free time.
With this side hustle, you can watch people's pets while they're out of town or at work.
It's possible to make an extra few hundred dollars each week with this side gig so sign up below to get started!
Do Yard Work
Completing yard work is a good way to make money while getting a workout in.
While the work isn't the most attractive, it tends to pay well and is an excellent way to grow your income.
With yard work you can make over $30 per hour in many cases. To find work, try posting your services on social media or asking friends or family if they need any help.
Work at Your Local Gym
If you don't already have a job at your local gym, consider finding a job as a trainer or other gig.
This is a great way to get started in the fitness industry and make some extra money on the side.
Most gyms are always looking for new trainers so don't be afraid to ask around.
Take Online Surveys
While this side hustle isn't strictly for those in fitness, it's an easy way to make money online without much effort.
By signing up for sites like Opinion Outpost, Swagbucks, and InboxDollars you can make easy money with just a few minutes.
In addition, most survey sites will offer you free money when you create a new account. How could you pass that up?
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👉 OpinionOutpost - Earn up to $25 per survey!
👉 Survey Junkie - Make $150 for select focus groups you complete!
👉 Swagbucks - Get a $5 bonus instantly!
👉 InboxDollars - Get a $5 bonus when you register today!
👉 Pinecone Research - Earn fast money taking surveys
👉 Survey Voices - Make money taking online surveys
Start a Moving Service
Nobody likes to move homes. It comes with stress, anxiety, and a lot of work.
This is where you come in.
As a personal trainer, you likely have some upper body strength and the ability to move heavy items.
Why not start a moving service on the side? This can be a great way to make extra money each week with a truck.
To get started, find some friends who are also looking for side hustles and start advertising your services. You can make a few hundred dollars each time you help someone move.
Drive for Uber or Lyft
This side hustle is perfect for those who have a car and some spare time. With Uber or Lyft, you can make money just by driving people around your city.
It's a great way to make money on your own schedule and is perfect for those in fitness who don't have a lot of free time.
The amount of money you can make will depend on the city you live in and your level of service. Drivers who offer superior service can make over $25 per hour with these apps that pay you to drive so it's worth a try!
Work as a Freelance Writer
If you want to boost your income, why not use your knowledge of fitness and health to write freelance articles for websites and blogs.
The amount of money you can make will depend on your experience and the type of writing you complete.
For experienced writers, it's possible to make over $1 per word written. This means a 750-word article could pay you $750!
For beginner writers, you can expect to earn anywhere from $.10 to $.25 per word.
To get started, you can use freelance sites like Upwork or Fiverr.
Final Thoughts on Side Hustles for Personal Trainers
There are plenty of side hustle ideas for personal trainers to make extra money. Between starting a blog, podcast, or offering online personal training – making extra income can be easier than you think.
While many people use personal training as a side hustle itself, there are plenty of other ways to make money in the fitness industry.
Don't be afraid to think outside the box and explore opportunities that you may not have considered before. The sky is the limit when it comes to making money as a personal trainer.
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