If you’re looking for a personal trainer in New York City there’s a lot to consider before you choose your ideal match.
New York City has an abundance of personal trainers with a broad spectrum of experience levels and price points. Sometimes more can feel overwhelming, so we’re going to help you ask the right questions before you part with your money and time.
How To Find A Personal Trainer In New York City Contents
What Does A Personal Trainer Do?
Are you familiar with the ins and outs of what your personal trainer can and should provide as part of your service?
And equally; do you know the limitations of what your personal trainer should be providing you with?
Like most big cities New York City is a very saturated market when it comes to personal training. On one hand that means more options and competitive pricing, but be mindful, because all that glitters is not gold.
Your personal trainer should assess your current fitness ability alongside your personal goals. With that, they will put together a training plan to help you achieve your goals.
This requires a staged approach. There is no one single plan that will get you from where you are now to where you want to be.
Your personal trainer will work with you over an extended period of time, adjusting your workouts in such a way that optimises your outcomes.
Keep in mind that a personal trainer is not a medical professional, a physiotherapist, a nutritionist, a dietician or a mental health advisor. Unless they can explicitly prove that they are qualified in any of the aforementioned professions, you should always assume that they should never advise you on any of these things.
How Much Is A Personal Trainer In New York City?
Personal training in New York City is broadly priced. A personal training session in New York City will cost you anywhere between $50-$300 per session.
The amount you pay will depend on the level of experience of the trainer, but also it could just be a reflection of how they have priced themselves in the market. And location plays a part too.
It’s important to note that cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean lower quality, and more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean higher quality.
So when searching for your New York City based personal trainer, you should take how much they cost as only part of your decision making process.
There are other important factors to consider before you choose your personal trainer…
Choosing Your New York City Based Personal Trainer
There are a few things to consider before you start your search for a personal trainer…
What Are Your Goals?
Different personal trainers specialise in helping different types of clients. With New York City being such a densely populated city and the fact that there are an abundance of personal trainers in New York City—you can bet your sports bra that they won’t all be suitable for you.
So think about what your personal goals are and make sure you have them clearly defined before you start reaching out to personal trainers.
If you need help defining your goals, check out our strength goal planner.
Where Do You Want To Be Trained?
Your Preferred Gym
If you have a specific New York City gym you want to be trained in, you will limit your options for a personal trainer. Some trainers will travel to your gym with you, but depending on the gym, they may need to pay something to train you in their space.
Alternatively, if your gym choice is the most crucial element of your decision making process, choose a trainer that is already attached to the gym.
Some Trainers Have Their Own Studio
Some trainers have their own studio/gym that they can offer you training in. This is much more personal and it’s unlikely that there will be anyone else around. If this sounds appealing to you, look for a trainer with this option.
Outdoors
Another option is to be trained outdoors. You will be limited in terms of equipment, but some personal trainers are familiar with local calisthenics parks, or they will have some equipment that they can bring along to help with the session.
This option isn’t suitable for everyone. Make sure you consider your goals before you consider training with limited equipment. Heavy gym equipment serves as a crucial part of the process.
How Frequently Do You Want Your Personal Training Sessions?
Another thing to consider is how frequently you want to train with your trainer. Some will have more availability than others, and naturally, the more you train the more it will cost.
What Will You Do In Between Sessions
Unless you’ve opted for 3-5 paid personal training sessions per week, you’re going to need a plan for what you do in between your training sessions.
It’s not uncommon to ask your personal trainer for some guidance on this. A good trainer will be more than happy to provide your programming between sessions.
What Is Your Budget?
Because the price point for personal training in New York City is so vast, you should consider your budget for personal training and find one who fits what you are willing and able to spend.
What Personality Type Do You Prefer?
This might seem irrelevant, but the relationship between personal trainer and client is a professionally intimate one. You’re going to need to get along well with them, so think about the type of person you want to work with.
Some trainers lead with army level authority, others are more relaxed leading with you first, and gently guiding you towards the level of training you need to get to in order to achieve your goals.
Getting the right chemistry with your personal trainer is more important than their own personal experience and qualifications. Yes, they will be able to help you, but will you be able to work together closely, for an extended period of time to get the results you want?
Make sure you can build a good relationship with your personal trainer.
The bottom line when it comes to your workouts and results is consistency. You must stay in the game long enough to get results. A well structured workout plan will get you there faster, but it’s 100% on you to put the work in. This cannot work any other way.
Your personal trainer is a guide, not a God.
How To Find Your Personal Trainer In New York City
For most people the first thing to do is an online search, and that’s a good place to start, after all, it’s likely how you found this article. But that’s not the only way to find your New York City based personal trainer.
Don’t just reach out and go with the first one you find online.
Personal trainers often attach themselves to gyms, and New York City has an abundance of gyms to choose from.
Start in your local gyms, and don’t be afraid to go in and introduce yourself, explain what you’re trying to achieve and see which trainers they have already working in their gym.
Go to a few different gyms around New York City if you’re not happy with who is available at your local gym.
You can visit the gyms website beforehand to see if there is a short bio about each trainer they have on board.
Specialist Personal Training In New York City
Specialist personal trainers come with additional knowledge and qualifications that are quite specific. This is especially important if you are interested in bodybuilding, powerlifting, strongwoman training, or if you are rehabbing an injury.
The best way to find a specialist personal trainer in New York City is to position yourself around where they will be training their clients. So if you’re interested in bodybuilding, go visit some muscle gyms, if you’re after someone to introduce you to powerlifting, look for powerlifting, strength or weight lifting clubs.
If you’re rehabbing an injury, speak to a physiotherapist first. Get the all clear from a medical professional before you approach a personal trainer.
Where In New York City?
Finding a personal trainer in your own little corner of New York City is great, start your search there. But honestly, the more specific you are about your personal goals, the more it’s worth travelling. Perhaps the personal trainers around your workplace are more suited to you than the ones in your hometown?
Don’t write trainers off because they’re not conveniently located. A good personal trainer (even if they are on the other side of New York City) will work to educate you as well as train you, so it’s highly likely you won’t be needing them forever.
Online Personal Training From New York City
Online personal training continues to rise, and if you’re someone that operates well independently, this might be the ideal solution for you.
There are pros and cons to online personal training, but if you can’t find your perfect match in New York City, don’t discount this possibility.
The online personal training world can be a bit of a minefield, so proceed with caution. Make sure you validate who you are dealing with, arrange video calls and check their qualifications.
Personal Trainer vs Coach
The online world is filled with coaches too, just be mindful that you do not require any qualifications to call yourself a coach.
That’s not to say that there aren’t great coaches out there who can help you achieve your goals. Some coaches have other, more advanced qualifications, but maybe they just don’t hold the PT qualification and so don’t lead with “personal trainer” as their title.
Don’t discount coaches, but again, validate who you are looking to work with.
New York City Personal Training Summary
If you’re New York City based looking for a personal trainer you’re in a solid position. There are a lot of trainers in New York City looking for clients, your job is to find the one that you want to work with.
As mentioned above, it’s vital that you have a good relationship with your personal trainer, and for best results you’re going to need to be training consistently over an extended period of time. So choose your personal trainer wisely!
Lipstick Lifters is a London based business, but we do not provide personal training in the traditional sense anyway. What we do is educate women on all the fundamentals of a good weight lifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding or general strength training workout plan so that you can build your own and train yourself.
If you feel like you want to manage your personal goals by yourself, we can help.
Our approach requires you to be an independent learner. If that sounds like you, you can sample our system for free.