How to increase your personal training rates in 2026 w/ SUF

Charging more isn’t about swagger, it’s about proof. We break down exactly how to move from low-fee burnout to a premium, sustainable training business by pairing market research with real value: a sharp assessment process, a professional environment, and a team that supports client outcomes. From calling competitors and mapping local price anchors to choosing the right setting—boutique studio, in-home, or park—we show how place and positioning shape what clients expect to pay.

We get tactical with scripts and packaging that cut friction. Instead of a messy menu, present two options and ask, “How would you like to pay?” Learn how to communicate price increases without drama by sharing your current income, your education plan, and the date your new rate starts. We talk sponsorships, one-time stock-up offers, and how to tie raises to skills that matter—soft tissue work, pain navigation, and assessment-driven programming that clients can feel on day one.

Mentorship and community change your ceiling. You’ll hear how a mentor forced a 300 dollar quote that reset confidence, how high-end venues amplify perceived value, and why partnerships with physical therapists and dietitians lead to premium referrals. We also cover charity events that build goodwill and pipeline, plus simple six-month price ladders that keep your rates aligned with your growth. The result is a clear, repeatable system: research, deliver proof, package cleanly, ask confidently, and raise steadily.

Ready to stop guessing and start charging what your work deserves? Follow the show, share this episode with a trainer who needs the nudge, and leave a quick review telling us your next price milestone.

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Want to ask us a question? Email info@showupfitness.com with the subject line PODCAST QUESTION to get your question answered live on the show!

Website: https://www.showupfitness.com/
Become a Successful Personal Trainer Book Vol. 2 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/1aoRnqA
NASM / ACE / ISSA study guide: https://www.showupfitness.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Why Most Trainers Undercharge
• 2:45 Reading The Market And Setting Rates
• 6:45 Environment, Positioning, And The Four Ps
• 10:20 Sales Posture And Professional Delivery
• 14:25 Mentorship And Breaking Your Price Ceiling
• 19:00 Social Proof At The Bar: Value Perception
• 23:10 Communicating Price Increases With Clarity

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Add a y'all, welcome back to the Show Up Finish Podcast. 2026 Belt Buckle Trainer is gonna help you increase your pricing. When I first started training 20 years ago, I was at a very high-end gym charging 60 bucks an hour. I was making 30. Minimum wage was significantly less than 15. In California, it's right around 18 right now. So how did I go from 60 to 350 like I charge now? Didn't happen overnight. Yeah, I could do a YouTube post, how to make 350 bucks per hour. It's sexy, but the hard work and the 20 years is how I got there. I'm extremely confident because of my team, because I teach personal trainers. I'm the 0.01% of fitness professionals out there because I'm in front of thousands of trainers on an annual basis. We go to Equinox, we go to Lifetime, we teach these trainers. And a very common question that we get how do I increase my pricing? It's important to look at where you're at. And so if you're at an Equinox or Lifetime, you may have a structure you have to go off of. Lifetime, you don't. You can charge whatever the hell you want to. But if you're independent, where do you start? Most trainers will read that textbook and they're like, what the hell do I do? I'll train people for free. I'll do it for 15, 20 bucks. And the slippery slope there is you start getting more referrals, but they're giving those referrals at that 20 to 30 bucks. And so now you're doing 30, 40 sessions a week and you're burning the candle at both ends. So what you need to do is first do your market research. Find out where you're at. All of our gyms at Show Up Fitness are within a one to three mile radius of Equinox. That tells us that we can charge between 150 and 200 plus. That's a really important thing to look at your marketplace. Where are you training? Are you training in the park? Are you going to someone's house? Because if you are, you should charge double. You can't train back to back when you're going and traveling all around. So here in Santa Monica, our place is small. It's a boutique gym. That's to our advantage. We have a private entrance. Are you charging for your assessment? These are all things that go into working up to that higher rate. It's not about who charges the most. I charge 400, so I'm better than you. No, but you want to be able to turn this into a career. And if you have 30 or 40 sessions a week at 20 or 30 bucks, that's not sustainable long term. So the first thing, find out what you can potentially charge. Put a little drop in Google. Find out 10 trainers in your area and call them. Go to their website. Most trainers, if they're smart, they won't put their pricing on there. So you need to call them. Pretend like you're a client. Hey, how's it going? My name's Franklin. Looking to get a trainer. How much do you charge? Oh, you know, if they're good, they'll be like, yeah, it depends on the individual. We're going to do an assessment. Let's get you in here. They're going to play back and forth. It's like a game of tennis. So just keep on asking. And then what you need to do at the end, just say, you know what? I don't want to waste your time. What is the hourly rate? It's about 70 bucks a session. Great. Write that down. Call the next person. Hang up. Keep on going. And then you're going to get a really good idea of what the marketplace is for your area. And if you're a great trainer, if you have your SUF CPT, put yourself at the top of that. Charge more than what everyone else is. If you're brand new and you don't have that confidence, don't go to the bottom, go right in the middle. But learn to love the negotiationslash sales aspect. It's not nearly as fearful as you make it out to be. My challenge for you to help build your confidence. Go to a high-end restaurant. Here in Santa Monica, I see Arnold on a regular basis. I was introduced to Arnold as the professor because his good friend Rolf, his daughter took the class. So when I met him, that was one of the highlights of my career. Shook his hand. Ralph was like, meet the professor. I was like, I'm the professor today. Nice to meet you, Arnold. We go to the Fairmont. It's a very high-end hotel and restaurant. Try going in there and saying, you know what? This$48 Manhattan, I don't want to pay for that. Can I do it for$20? Get the hell out of here. The environment allows for them to charge that amount. The place is spectacular. Hear about the four Ps of marketing, the product, the place, the price, promotion, how long you've been doing this for. If you're keeping your rate at the same and you're not increasing the prices annually, that's an issue because you deserve to work less and get paid more. And ultimately having streams of revenue will help with that, but charging more per hour. So get a really good idea of what the marketplace says. Put yourself in there and then start being comfortable asking for money. When I do my delivery, I don't change my pricing. This is the cost. How would you like to pay for it? I don't negotiate. I had that luxury because I have a team of trainers. So if my client were to say, which they don't, oh my God, that's too expensive. It's okay, what were you thinking about when you came into a private studio here in Santa Monica? And I smile. What are you thinking about? What do you even know? You smile. What were you thinking about when you came in here? Notice the change of my voice. That's really important. You're posturing. I have a nice Lulu shirt on. I got some nice nobles. I look the part of a trainer. When my client comes in, I'm not just finishing a bunch of push-ups and sweating, have terrible breath. Hi, how are you doing? I shake their hand weekly. No. The professionalism is really important in setting those clear expectations. And if you get pushback, that's all right. That's part of the fun. Learn the negotiations. And we have other videos. We have weekly sales calls. We will do role playing. I will watch you pitch to me a price that you're uncomfortable with. Which leads me into part two. Get a mentor. I'm not talking about some$5,000 coach who's in front of a Ferrari that's not even his. I'm talking about a mentor who can level you up and challenge you. The first time I got a mentor, I went from the 60, started training independently, got my first$100 client here in Santa Monica. This was 10 years ago. That's how old this gym is. 81% of gyms fail within the first year. Less than three make it 10. We've done that. So as I move up every year, I got to the 150 and I was really excited. But my mentor said, why not charge more? And my mind went, well, that's that's too expensive. I, you know, they can't afford it. He said, You're thinking about your bank account right now. Do you have debt? I'm like, I got a$2,500 apartment here in Santa Monica. Yeah, I have debt. I got bills. I said, don't think about that. Your clients can't afford this if you're in the right market. You're in Santa Monica, you're right downtown. People will pay for quality. That goes into the professional part. That goes into looking the part, talking the part, having a team. So when I would speak with my mentor, he wasn't just giving me templates and scripts to read off of. He would give me homework. He said to me, What's a number that's uncomfortable? Like 150, maybe 175. He said, No, 300. That's your new price. And here's your homework. I want you to go to the lobsters, a fancy restaurant here in Santa Monica, and talk to some of the Patreons, but don't tell them how much you charge. And I want you to get some market research. So I'm big into training bartenders because I like to go out there and socialize. And I don't want to pay for that$40 drink. So I get them for free by training the bartenders. So when I go in there, I'm like the mayor. I get a little reserve sign at the bar. Chris is coming in today. He gives me a little status. So I went to the lobster, was talking to the bartender. It's so easy to have a conversation if you're a trainer. Literally, show up. If you don't drink, it's better for you. Your liver likes you a whole lot more than mine does. Get some water, get a daiquiri, whatever, and just have a conversation. The bartender's gonna ask you, what do you do? I'm a trainer. Oh no shit. My shoulder kind of hurts. And the conversation is just gonna flow naturally. So we were talking about shoulder issue that he had. And I was actually reaching across the bar doing some soft tissue stuff. All stuff that we teach, part of our relationship with lifetime. We go there with our soft tissue certification, helping clients get out of pain with our assessment process. So when I was helping the bartender, he's like, oh, wow, that feels a lot better. There was a lady, it was an L-shaped curved bar. And she had a martini, she was slamming them back. She's probably on her second or third one. She's like, Oh, you're a trainer. And I'm thinking, oh boy, here it goes. Just like my mentor said, you're good. You're good. Big deep breath. Calm down. Inside, my heart's racing. I'm freaking out. I'm like, yeah, I own a gym here in Santa Monica. And you gave me a little script to go off of. When people ask you this, challenge them. Don't just say your rate. I'm$100 per hour. No. Have fun with it. Yeah, I'm a trainer. I also teach trainers. We have a certification. Oh, that's so cool. How much do you charge? Here's my script, Chris. Come on, Chris. Big deep breath. You got this. I own a gym. I've written a book. I teach trainers. How much do you think I charge? And I said it in this confident way with pauses. And she's like, you're probably at least 500 bucks an hour. Inside, my heart's like, oh my God. I was like, yep, that's exactly how much I charge. And I did this a few different times. And that, and those were the numbers that I was getting. If your product is good and you have a great team, that's important because we have physical therapists here. I network with RDs. When a client comes in, I will get you in the best shape of your life. I guarantee it. You have pain, I will get you out of it. I guarantee it. I say those words confidently because I can and will. If I can't, I refer them out. I know my lane. So when they come in, it's a dance. I show them the gym. I learn more about them. I set clear expectations. And then I go through the process. I rarely get pushback. Today's video isn't about the pushback. It's about how you can raise your prices. If you've been at 30, 50, 70, whatever it is, communicate with your clients clearly. Right now, I made X amount in 2025. Yes. Tell them the exact number. 50,000. No. 47,314. My goal is to double that. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to go to these two seminars. I'm going to go out to the Coach's Summit in Vegas, end of April. Coach Aram set that up. That's a magnificent seminar. You got to get there. You're going to be around the best coaches in the industry. I believe in that so much. I'm sponsoring one of the segments of it. Because what he's doing is changing the industry by leveling up the standards. What are we doing now? You go to Reddit, you go to Facebook, how do I become a trainer? Textbook A, B, C, D, E, F. Get the alphabet soup behind your name. You're not setting people up for success, and you're not getting the commission from them. Does ISSA give you money when you tell someone to get their ISSA? That's show up. We'll give you 200 bucks. We are recognized globally. You get our certification, you're going to be in the elite group, the one percenters, because we teach you these techniques, but we master the fundamentals: programming, movement competency, the assessment process, how to navigate the gym flow, whether if you're at an Equinox lifetime or independent, we give you the tools for success. So when you're communicating this with your client, who's been with you for a long time, the better you are at communicating and you set clear expectations, your clients are your number one supporters. I want to double my salary from 45,000 to 90. In order to do that, I need to go from$50 to$80. So I'm going to go to this seminar in Vegas, and I'm going to go to the soft tissue one, whether it's going to be in New York and Dumbo in February, or if it's in New Jersey, the Red Bank. In March, we're going to be in Houston, we're going to be in the Bay Area. Get to one of these seminars, but tell your clients about it. It's going to cost me about$1,500 because the ticket price is$800, but then flight, lodging, all that stuff. But when I come back, it's going to give me the skills to better serve you. And my education is really important because it makes me up to date with everything that's going on. So when I come back, I'm going to start charging$75. So two things you can do here. One, get that client to sponsor you. If you communicate with them clearly, I'm 50 now. When I come back from the seminar, I'm going to start charging 75. I'm going to give you one chance to buy as many sessions as you can at that grandfathered rate. But after that session and that package is done, it's going to be 75. So you set those clear expectations with your client that when you go to the seminar, when you come back, you're going to be charging more. But give the client an opportunity to sponsor you. If you want to sponsor this event, it's$1,500, then I'll keep you at that$50 rate. Have a charity event. Get all your clients on your team. Go to your local vendors, coffee shops, smoothie spots, restaurants. I'm going to have a charity event for the local school. Half's going to go to them, half's going to go to my continue education. Your clients bring their friends, assessment opportunities, networking opportunities there. They're paying 50 bucks, 100 bucks, whatever to get a session with you. You can do small group training, whatever your creative mind goes through. That's what I talk about in my book, Volume 2, the Swift analysis, your strengths, your weaknesses, but those action items, things that you can implement, improve, and innovate. That innovative aspect of having a charity event. What do you think the community is going to do for you when you're giving schools money? You're donating to homeless, you're donating to dogs, whatever the heck it is, your cause, what you're passionate about. Tell your clients and be like, you know what? That's a great idea. I'm going to get you connected with the mayor. I'm going to get you connected with the superintendent, the principal, the law firm over here. Get into your clients' minds because they want your success, but we're too busy internalizing it. This is expensive. I can't do this. I'm struggling right now. Get those ants the hell out of your mind. Automatic negative thoughts. Speak better to yourself. So when you level yourself up and you're in a room of other trainers and you hear someone say, I charge 150, and you go, what? You charge 150? I'm at 50. Holy crap. That moves the needle. Great motivating growth mindset people you surround yourself with, like my mentor, levels up your thinking. Most trainers are thinking here. Don't hang out with those trainers that are victims, saying, Oh, it's so hard to make money. The gym takes everything, it's not fair, the industry sucks, and they're just typing away when they're sitting in their grandma's basement, not doing shit. Get out there and be proactive. Set those clear expectations. You learn at these seminars and you come back and you're gonna have a fire under your ass. It's gonna allow for you to increase those prices twice a year. If you set the clear expectation with your client, here's my package. How many times a week do you want to train, Kevin? Our cameraman, badass trainer, was at Equinox. Now he's doing it independently. All this stuff, thanks to him. Kevin's my hypothetical client over here. How many times a week do you want to train with me, sir? Three times a week. 12 sessions cost X, 72 cost Y. I like that comparison too. Equinox is terrible, in my opinion. Six sessions, 12 sessions, 24 sessions, 36 sessions, half hour sessions, buddy pricing. It's confusion. If you're hungry and you go to a restaurant, the last thing you want to see is Mexican food sushi and you have Italian, you have pizza. Oh my God, I don't know. I just want to eat. I'm so freaking hungry. Take away that decision fatigue. Here's how much 12 cost. Here's how much 72 cost. If you set those clear expectations when they come in, a question I have on my assessment forum is what are your expectations for today? What are your expectations for six months? Really important data. It's a psychological trick, essentially. Because when I sit down and I smile at a table like this and we have that negotiation, it's just a presentation. That's all it is. It's not sales. Just like the waiter at the fig, they don't freak out when they give me my$6 bill because I don't pay for anything. They just give it to me and I tip them a lot. But for the Patreons next to me, they're not thinking, oh man, they drank that bottle of whiskey and they drink all that wine. It's a$500 tab. I'm nervous to put it in front of them. No. And they go, it's$500. Let me see your card. And they process it. If you take that mindset, the persons in front of you, you just delivered an amazing assessment. If they want chesticles, you got that burn in their chest. If they want big glutes, you did exercise where they felt it. We can't spot reduce. We know that, but you're playing the game. If they like to sweat, get them to sweat. If they're in pain, get them out of pain. You got to know those assessment protocols. What's in our lane? All things that we teach, SUF, STM, one of the three certifications that we have that levels trainers up to think bigger. So you sit down and you go, A or B, which one would you like? Now, my pricing right now, X, so say you're at 75, at Show Up, we charge between 200 and 350. So when you present that 200 or the six-month discount, which is 180, it's about a 10% discount. They see the bigger number. They go, wow,$19,000. It's kind of out of my budget right now. I'm going to go with this one. Versus all these options. They don't know what they want. Let me think about it. Let me go talk to my significant other. Or it's just too expensive. They're just confused. Or your workout sucked. You didn't show the value. If you showed the value, your client will go, this one, that one. Here's my silver Amex. Here's my black Amex. And then you swipe it. And then your confidence grows. The first time I got my$350 client was from a referral. I go out there and I'm constantly interviewing the best therapist who charge the most. I show my value. So they refer clients to me, but I also refer clients to them. Don't be a taker, be a giver. So if you go out there and you meet with a therapist, go back to your community, a buddy who you know, a mom or dad or one of your clients, pay for them to go. Because then that therapist goes, wow, I just met with them. They paid for the assessment, which is 300 bucks. And then they paid for another one. Wow, this trainer could be a gold mine for me. I'm going to start sending them clients. Now you got a nice relationship. Go out with them weekly, brainstorm. Go to that bar where you're training the bartender. If you don't drink, again, that's better for you. Go to a coffee shop, wherever you want to go. Have your little nest. You need to be out there if you're an independent trainer in your community so people know that you're the best trainer around. And then you set those clear expectations. That first time, it's 200 for 12, 180 for 72. But I want to let you know every six months my prices go up five bucks, 10 bucks, because I'm going out there to seminars and I'm learning. I'm investing in myself, which ultimately plays dividends for you. I just want to be very clear about that communication. There's no ambiguity where trainers will make up these random numbers. Um, I charge 100 right now. I want to charge 350. I'm gonna start telling my client, but you went from 100 to 350, it's not gonna happen. Little increments, 10, 20, maybe 30%, depending on your experience and what you're competent in performing with the assessment process, getting your clients' results. Most trainers will probably start out independently between 30 to 50 bucks. The average trainer makes less than$50,000 a year because they got a textbook certification. They don't have the confidence. They go to a gym, they're getting paid 30%, maybe 50%. So when you leave that gym, you're thinking, wow, I was charging$120 at Equinox. I'm only getting$50. I'm gonna start charging$75. That's a win-win, right? Don't make that mistake. No, it's not. Because then you're associating that gym with your value. When I leave those gyms at Equinox, I tell trainers charge more because you're better than where you were at. You've grown, you have more experience, more career capital. Why would you go down? Well, I'm making more. But internally, you're thinking, oh man, I'm not as good. I'm inferior. Versus you tell your clients that I'm 125 here, I was restricted. I wasn't able to do everything I wanted to. It's going to be 125 at the new spot, but I'm going to bump up my prices to 150. I'm going to give you one shot right now to buy as many as you want at that 120 price because I'm going to work my way up to 200 the next couple years. Clear and easy communication. And if you're thinking this belt buckle trainer, he's annoying. You can't do that. How have we done it? How have we helped more trainers clear six figures than any certification out there? Because we set the standard. Think bigger. If you surround yourself with a bunch of victim trainers who aren't going out there to seminars, who aren't doing the work, earning their stripes, and blaming everyone else? Can they tell you the 17 muscles around the shoulder, 14 around the knee? Can they do assessments with clients who have pain and know their scope? Can they hop on a call and say, hey Ross from the prehab guys? It's Chris. I've got a client right now. Some weird stuff's going on with their knee. It's kind of swollen. Can I FaceTime you in real quick? Yeah, boom. Look at this. That's crazy, right? What do you think? He's gonna do some stuff, some little voodoo stuff. Chris, I need to see them. Don't do anything. That's a counterindication. I don't suggest that you do anything. I want to see him first. That's the beauty of teamwork. Trainers don't have a team. How do I know? In the last two years, I've been over 20 lifetimes. I've interviewed some of the best trainers out there. 339. How many of you charge$200? Three. That's less than 1%. How many of you have a team? Physical therapists, RDs. Zero. Actually, one. There was a manager in Dallas. I remember he had an RD and a PT because he has a degree in kinesiology and he's a bigger thinker. That's crazy. We want to charge more, and you can charge more, but you got to level up your knowledge. I'm not talking about going on YouTube and finding the flashy, cool new exercise. Let's do a Bossu ball squat. That's cool. You're playing the game. Your clients want results. In our assessment video, we go over the three types of clients: general pop, athletes, pain. That's it. Deliver. If a client comes in, general pop, what are your goals? Give them that within that session. Obviously, they're not going to lose 30 pounds in one workout. That's why you talk about six months from now. But you take them through an experience they've never had before. Be professional, look the part, smile. Don't have your breath smelling like shit. Nothing worse than that. How would you like to buy 24 sessions? And your client's like, holy shit, that smells like Bigfoot stick. I don't want that at all. Um, you know, it's kind of expensive. Um, let me think about it. The same pushback that people get, but when you're competent and you take them through the assessment process and you deliver and you let them know these are the two options small, large, that's scary. You're gonna get about five to 10% of your clients to buy that. And the first time you get that$15,000 transaction, you'll be like, oh my God, it's like the Matrix when Neo's stopping the bullets. I am capable. I am worth this. I can turn this into a career. And I know you can. But if you're watching this and you've gone through the whole thing, you're gonna make it and you're gonna become a successful trainer. That's why I wrote the book. Go through there. I have a lot of little pointers for you. But your confidence is gonna level up when you surround yourself with great trainers. You challenge yourself to get in the best shape of your life. Can you look in the mirror and say, you know, I'm in the best shape of my life? Or are you just settling? Are you comfortable? Do you think your clients want a comfortable trainer? No, they want the best trainer, and that's you. Level yourself up. If you like this video, comment. Belt buckle trainer will respond. I'm the one who runs YouTube. We're growing the account almost at 100,000 subs because the word's getting out there. You don't have to settle for mediocrity. Level yourself up. And if you want to become a successful trainer, reach out to us. Info at showupfitness.com. Check out our YouTube. We have classes that are live daily, mentorship, 100 bucks a month. I'm not talking about 5,000 a month, 100 bucks a month. You're gonna level yourself up, get the certifications and remember big biceps are better than small ones, and keep showing up.