Staying in shape and healthy is extremely important as you get older or if you’re trying to hit certain goals. Having a little extra weight on you can slow you down physically and mentally, and increases your risks of many diseases and general illness.

It’s difficult to find time or motivation to get to the gym, and you may not be sure what you should be doing. A personal trainer can give you the motivation to get up and to move; otherwise, you’ll lose money and can show you the most effective exercises to meet your goals.

The big issue is knowing what the average cost of a personal trainer is so that you can budget for them and make sure you’re not overpaying for what you’re getting.

Follow along as I take you through the average cost of a personal trainer.

How Much Does a Personal Trainer Cost?

The average cost of a US-based personal trainer is $55 per hour; the average range is $40-$70 per hour depending on the skill level of the trainer, and your location. Bigger cities or larger chains will cost up to $60 per hour on average. 

Average Cost	$55
Low Average Cost	$35
High Average Cost	$120
Average Range	$40 to $70

You can get group personal training with a small number of other clients simultaneously with an average cost of $35 per hour.

Discounts on the average hourly price can be seen when you buy a package of personal training sessions, such as 5 or 10, with some chains offering the biggest discounts up to 20 sessions booked simultaneously.

Depending on the personal trainer, the chain, and how much notice you give, your personal training sessions are non-refundable and can’t be moved to other days if you miss a session. This non-refundable nature of the purchase is why it’s a big motivator to make sure you get to the gym.

What Impacts The Costs Of Personal Trainers?

The average cost of personal training in your area may be wildly different, and there are many factors that can impact your price, so it’s important to understand them so you can make some decisions.

Session Location

Where you have personal training can impact the cost; you can go to a gym, do it at your home, or take your personal training outside to a park. Depending on the personal trainer you pick will depend on the cost.

Traveling further to meet you or having to pay to get into a gym will increase your prices. Whereas meeting the personal trainer at their preferred location will keep them lower.

If you’re training at a gym, you need to add the monthly or drop-in gym rates to your personal training costs, which can also slightly increase them.

Length Of Personal Training

You don’t need to have a 60-minute personal training session; typical training sessions are 30, 60, 90 minutes, and which you choose will impact the price. A 30-minute session may be enough to take you through the exercises, and you can continue in the gym afterward by yourself to finish out a session.

The same is true that if you need more specialized training for longer periods, then a 90+ minute session will be more costly.

How Many Sessions

Buying a single personal training session is the most costly option in your average personal training price. Standard bulk purchases are 5 or 10 sessions where you can get a discount but no refund. In some cases, a gym may offer discounts on up to 20 sessions booked at once.

Group Training Or One-On-One Training

Group training vs. one-on-one training can be almost half the cost of your personal training sessions; if you only want to be shown how to do things based on your goals without a huge amount of one-on-one training, then group training is a great option.

Group training will be through circuits or specific tasks, so a group of 5+ people will go around a gym circuit performing different exercises for a few minutes and then move on to the next exercise. The personal trainer will help and adjust as needed, keep time for each exercise, and provide encouragement.

Personal training is more costly because your personal trainer is dedicated to you for 30+ minutes, showing you precisely what to do, watching your form, and modifying as needed.

Personal Trainer Skills And Certifications

The more experience a trainer has and the more certifications, the higher the cost, so if you’re looking for advanced training or the cost of your personal trainer is above average, you should be looking for how many years they have and what certifications they hold.

Some personal trainers also specialize in different areas which take longer to gain credibilities in, such as advanced sports training, bodybuilding, or injury rehabilitation.

Average Cost Of Personal Trainers By Gym

Any gym personal trainer you want to hire will first require you to buy a membership to the gym; these prices can vary wildly depending on your city, state, and what sort of amenities your gym provides, such as group fitness classes, showers, saunas, and how large the space is.

Gym	Monthly Gym Membership	Personal Trainer Per Hour
LA Fitness	$35	$60
Gold’s Gym	$40	$80
Anytime Fitness	$30	$35
YMCA	$60	$40
24 Hour Fitness	$40	$80
Equinox	$166	$110
Lifetime Fitness	$90	$80
Planet Fitness	$16	Free Group Fitness

You could be paying as little as $10 per month for a gym membership, and the prices go up from there. Most gyms will want to lock you in and have you prepay for the year, which could cost you anywhere from $30-$60 per month. A much higher-end gym could be $120+, and you would need to decide if the facilities and personal trainers available were worth the price.

These prices are average rates for any time of year, but you can see discounts or even price increases at certain times of the year, such as after new years resolutions or right before summer.

Most gyms will also have a spread of personal trainers and some that specialize in different areas. You may want a personal trainer specialized in women’s fitness, or you want a personal trainer that can help build up your strength when it’s plateaued.

LA Fitness Personal Trainer Cost

Lowest Average Cost Per Hour	$45
Average Cost Per Hour	$60
Highest Average Cost Per Hour	$100
Monthly Membership Cost	$35

LA Fitness offers a complimentary personal training assessment to review your goals, options, and prices. Average prices will be $45 for 30 minutes or $60 per hour, and your cost will be determined how which personal trainer you get matched with and how many sessions you book at once. 

You will also be paying the monthly $35 gym membership fee that you should factor into your budget.

Your complimentary personal training assessment is the sales pitch, so ensure that you don’t buy more personal training sessions than you’re comfortable with or lock in for too long. You will not be able to get refunds in most cases, whether you get injured, have to move, or have other issues.

You may also find that you don’t like the training methods of your personal trainer, it may be possible to switch trainers, but in reality, you might just stop going.

If you buy ten personal training sessions but go five times a week, your sessions will be gone quickly, and the costs will go up fast; you can keep costs down by seeing your trainer once a week to get a plan and use them as a touchpoint to gauge your progress and go over new workout routines or exercises.

Gold’s Gym Personal Trainer Cost

Lowest Average Cost Per Hour	$60
Average Cost Per Hour	$75
Highest Average Cost Per Hour	$100
Monthly Membership Cost	$40

Gold’s Gym offers a free personal trainer assessment that checks on your goals and matches you with a personal trainer. Average prices for personal trainers at a Gold’s Gym range between $60 – $100 per hour depending on location and how many sessions you purchase at once.

You will also need to sign up for a gym membership if you don’t have one already, and this will cost you around $40 per month but will be higher in larger cities.

If you want a specialized personal trainer or a more experienced trainer, you will need to pay more. However, beginners in the gym should do fine by starting out with a cheaper personal trainer as they will be certified and ready to show you most things.

Anytime Fitness Personal Trainer Cost

Lowest Average Cost Per Hour	$35
Average Cost Per Hour	$40
Highest Average Cost Per Hour	$100
Monthly Membership Cost	$25 – $40

Anytime Fitness offers three types of personal training. An average one-on-one personal trainer will cost you $40, which is dependent on the location and experience of your trainer. You will also need to pay the monthly gym membership, which is between $25-$40 per month.

You can also join small group training (2-4 people) or team training (5+) to get some personal attention while reducing the costs of a full personal trainer. This is often enough to get you motivated, in shape, and enough personal attention to get your workout done right.

YMCA Personal Trainer Cost

Lowest Average Cost Per Hour	$20
Average Cost Per Hour	$30
Highest Average Cost Per Hour	$60
Monthly Membership Cost	$50 – $70

YMCA personal training can be done in two ways, either you’re a YMCA member, and the average price is $30, or you’re a non-member, and the average price is $50 per session. In most cases, it’s better to become a member unless you’re only traveling and want some help while on the road.

Discounts can be had by buying sessions in 10 or 20 blocks; you can also have group training for discounted rates if you bring 1-3 friends to share the cost of a session.

YMCA facilities are often excellent, with many amenities you don’t see in the monthly fees they charge. You can often get access to pools, showers, and large workout areas with a huge range of equipment, so the membership fee is well worth it if the YMCA is close to you.

24 Hour Fitness Personal Trainer Cost

Lowest Average Cost Per Hour	$60
Average Cost Per Hour	$80
Highest Average Cost Per Hour	$125
Monthly Membership Cost	$40

24 Hour Fitness charges on average $50 for a 30-minute session and on average $80 per hour for personal training with discounts available when purchased in 5 or 10 session blocks. You will also need to buy a gym membership which is $40 per month depending on your location.

Your personal trainer’s experience level and any specialties you require will determine the final price, as will your location. Bigger cities are almost always going to be more expensive because there is more demand for personal trainers.

24 Hour Fitness does offer a 7-day free gym membership trial, so if you aren’t sure, you could get the trial and pay for one personal training session before locking yourself into a year-long gym membership and block of personal training sessions.

Equinox Personal Trainer Cost

Lowest Average Cost Per Hour	$110
Average Cost Per Hour	$135
Highest Average Cost Per Hour	$160
Monthly Membership Cost	$166 – $300

Equinox is one of the most expensive gyms you can join, with prices starting at between $166 – $300 monthly. Your average personal trainer will cost between $110 – $160 per hour, which will change based on location and the trainer’s experience level.

With your monthly membership, you will have access to group-fitness classes which may be a better option if you don’t want to constantly buy or use personal trainers, and you may be able to ask about sampling a personal trainer before buying; however, you will then be in the sales cycle with them.

Equinox is a high-tier gym with many facilities throughout major cities, so you can get different amenities at different locations, which can be good to keep things fresh and changing without multiple gym memberships.

Planet Fitness Personal Trainer Cost

Lowest Average Cost Per Hour	N/A
Average Cost Per Hour	N/A
Highest Average Cost Per Hour	N/A
Monthly Membership Cost	$10 – $22

Planet Fitness doesn’t offer real personal training but does offer group personal training sessions as part of your monthly membership, the average cost is between $10 – $22 per month, and you need to pay an annual fee of $40, so really your monthly fee will be at least a few dollars more.

Some Planet Fitness facilities in larger cities can be open 24/7, but most group training sessions will be during the day and early evening. You’ll also be provided access to tanning booths, massage chairs, and in some cases, free food a few times a month.

If you do need assistance while working out, there will be trainers walking around the gym or close-by to offer assistance, but they won’t be able to take you through an entire session unless you join one of their group training events.

Lifetime Fitness Personal Trainer Cost

Lowest Average Cost Per Hour	$50
Average Cost Per Hour	$90
Highest Average Cost Per Hour	$110
Monthly Membership Cost	$55 – $140

Lifetime Fitness average personal training sessions cost $90 per hour, but that depends on your location; the average range can be anywhere from $50 – $110 per hour. If you book 5 or 10 sessions in a block, you can get discounts on your personal training.

The monthly membership will range between $55 – $140 per month based on your location, but with your monthly membership, you get access to group training classes which could save you the costs of a personal trainer or cover you when you’re not using one.

Due to their higher prices, most facilities will come with saunas, whirlpools, and many amenities lower-cost gyms won’t provide.