Personal training is like brain surgery in one specific way: Somebody has to be first. Just as every surgeon has a first patient, so does every trainer have a first client. And sometimes that first client happens to be a brain surgeon. But that’s getting ahead of our story.
Obviously, that experience begins with the first client. But where does that client come from? How does anyone convince a presumably sane adult to take a chance on a complete noob—and to pay that noob for the service?
We asked 11 experienced trainers to tell us about their first client. Most, as you’ll see, landed their first one the old-fashioned way: the gym assigned a member to the new kid. Others got Client Zero through social media, or by networking, or with an ad on Craigslist.
Some of the stories made us laugh, a few made us cringe, and one just made us angry. But all of them have one thing in common: They taught the trainers something they’ve never forgotten.
For example, never make a brain-surgery joke until you’re sure the client isn’t a brain surgeon. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves again.
1. Social skills matter more than training skills
2. People buy trainers, not training
3. Turn colleagues into clients
5. Use the power of your story
6. Stay in your lane (even if it’s unmarked)
7. Sometimes you have to fire a client, even if she’s your first
8. Treat your clients like family, part 1: You never know …
9. Treat your clients like family, part 2: When playtime pays off
10. The path to greatness is forged with erratic and poorly shoveled roads
1. Social skills matter more than training skills
The trainer: Mark Fisher
Who was your first client?
A 20-something female looking to lose weight.
How did you land the client?
She was assigned to me at the big box gym where I worked.
What happened?
I’ll be honest: I was scared! I’d only ever trained myself. I watched the older trainers and read my butt off to get up to speed.
I wish I still had those early programs. I'm 100 percent sure I would cringe. I think I landed on a combo of completely random exercises performed with little to no breaks in between. I remember making her very, very sore.
I will give myself credit for two things: recognizing I didn't know what I was doing, and being determined to learn.
How much did you get paid?
Wish I could tell you. I do remember I left that gym partly because I never seemed to get paid what I’d been told.
What did you learn?
That my people skills rock! Clients clearly weren’t sticking around for my training. I had the ability to pick up on a client’s energy, temperament, and vibe. I was always an honest version of myself, but depending on the client, I could be more professorial, or informal, or zany. By mirroring the clients, I was able to connect. That was my superpower.
2. People buy trainers, not training
The trainer: Jonathan Goodman
Who was your first client?
A 16-year-old male who wanted muscle. I could relate. But my second client? A 67-year-old female recovering from ACL surgery with arthritis so bad she could barely grip a dumbbell.
How did you land the client?
She was given to me by the gym.
What happened?
When we met, I was so nervous I remember sweating despite the gym’s aggressive air conditioning. I thought her needs were way beyond my skillset.
But we hit it off. I didn’t use a lot of technical jargon, and we connected on things other than fitness. I think that’s why she kept coming back. Ironically, a more veteran trainer might have scared her away.
We had fun with exercise. I introduced her to the deadlift, using a broomstick as a dowel, and called it a broom bum. Five years later, when she was deadlifting 95 pounds, we still called it a broom bum.
How much did you get paid?
Maybe $25 an hour.
What did you learn?
She was the one who taught me people buy trainers, not training. Because of her, I stopped trying to impress people, and focused on getting to know them instead. It was an important lesson, and still is.
3. Turn colleagues into clients
The trainer: Melody Schoenfeld
Who was your first client?
A coworker from my computer consulting job, back when I was working part-time at my brother Brad’s fitness studio. She was the first client I brought in on my own.
How did you land the client?
Most of my coworkers led sedentary lifestyles rife with junk food. As someone with regular workouts, I was an anomaly. My coworker asked me for some exercise pointers, so I started bringing her to the gym with me.
What happened?
My other coworkers caught on. Before I knew it, I was training a small collective of computer consultants. Most weren’t consistent with the workouts, but they were still doing more than they had been.
How much did you get paid?
Nothing! I was just helping my coworkers. It was fun, not work.
What did you learn?
That this was my passion. Training was the only time I felt I was making a tangible difference in people’s lives, and I realized it was all I ever wanted to do. When my company experienced mass layoffs, including my project team, I moved to L.A. and went into training full-time.
4. Choose basics over Bosu
The trainer: Kevin Darby
Who was your first client?
A young investment banker.
How did you land the client?
He approached me and started asking questions. We got to chatting, and voila! He became a client.
What happened?
Despite my strength and conditioning background, I was intimidated by other trainers. Many were using highly entertaining modalities, and I felt the need to do the same.
Bad idea. I remember trying to jump onto a stability ball. Let’s just say it wasn’t a member who broke the mirror in the group exercise room.
It wasn’t until I got back to basics—focusing on the fundamentals of movement, coaching, and client accountability—that my clients saw meaningful results.
The banker stayed with me for years. He got jacked, becoming one of the strongest members in the gym. I was proud of what we accomplished.
How much did you get paid?
About $30 an hour. It seemed like a fortune at the time.
What did you learn?
To focus on the fundamentals, a lesson I’ve built my career on. Advanced skills are the basics mastered. Follow the process, and you will see results.
READ ALSO: The Best Exercises and Workouts for Complete Beginners
5. Use the power of your story
The trainer: Kelly Coffey
Who was your first client?
A friend of a friend. She was gearing up for her wedding.
How did you land the client?
I was out to dinner with her and our mutual friend, and I talked excitedly about moving out of office work and into personal training. “Problem is, I don't have any clients. Ha!”
She said, “I'll be your first client. I love the idea of working with another woman who's been obese and figured out how to have a healthy relationship with food."
I was so excited. I said, "If you're serious, I'm putting in my notice at my day job tomorrow."
"Serious as a heart attack—the one I'm a lot less likely to have if I start exercising on the regular."
We all laughed, and I'd landed my first client.
What happened?
She exceeded her weight-loss goals, and well exceeded her strength goals. She was hot AF at her wedding.
How much did you get paid?
$40 a session. Since I was just starting out, I often went overtime with her.
What did you learn?
The importance of talking about what you want and what you're trying to do. People can't support you unless they know what you're doing. And odds are, if you're walking the right path, people will jump at the chance to walk with you.
6. Stay in your lane (even if it’s unmarked)
The trainer: Meghan Callaway
Who was your first client?
A 50-year-old woman who’d undergone physical therapy after a car accident.
How did you land the client?
She was assigned to me at the large commercial gym where I worked, literally the day after I was hired.
What happened?
I was in way over my head. I nearly burst into tears when I saw the client consult form: Well over 10 issues were checked off.
I knew enough not to harm her, but didn’t help much either, at least not at first.
Over time I got better, and so did she. She stayed with me for more than a decade, gradually recovering all the abilities she had lost.
How much did you get paid?
$16 an hour (after the gym took a healthy share).
What did you learn?
When in doubt, refer out! I should’ve done it right away, as I was in no way equipped to handle this client’s many issues. Now if I don’t think I can help someone, or if I think someone else would do a better job, I say so.
7. Sometimes you have to fire a client, even if she’s your first
The trainer: Steven Mack
Who was your first client?
A newly pregnant mother in her early 30s considering knee surgery. She needed to lose weight first.
How did you land the client?
We both belonged to a local business network, and she reached out on Facebook.
What happened?
She was doing great, getting stronger and even having less pain in her knee. But there was one problem: her weight.
Her OB-GYN had advised her not to gain more than 35 pounds in this pregnancy. When she came to me, she was six weeks pregnant, and had already gained about five pounds. In the next two months she gained another 25 pounds. Her doctor was alarmed, and she told me we needed to do something about it.
We tried every approach I could think of—portion control, meal-replacement shakes, counting macros, habit coaching.
Then I found out why none of it worked. She’d been eating junk food. Lots of it. I only found out because she told a mutual friend, “Oh, it doesn’t matter. If I gain more than 35 pounds, it’s Steven’s fault.”
I couldn’t believe it! I’d been so stressed about finding a solution. She’d complained constantly when my solutions didn’t work. And all this time, she had no intention of following through on any of it. I realized I was done with her.
How much did you get paid?
She had paid $7,000 for a year—a discounted rate. I gave most of it back, and ended up with $1,100 for two months of work. I never gave another discount.
What did you learn?
We can give our clients the tools to change, but it’s up to them to implement that advice. I still focus on helping women become stronger and more confident through nutrition and fitness. But I won’t work with anyone who doesn’t value my service.
8. Treat your clients like family, part 1: You never know …
The trainer: Jason Leenaarts
Who was your first client?
A perimenopausal woman in her early 50s looking to lose weight.
How did you land the client?
I had just rented space in a small commercial plaza, and was introducing myself to the other businesses. One was a glass company owned by a husband and wife. The wife said, “I’ll be your first client.”
What happened?
She trained with me three times a week and did great. I learned so much about her, and to this day still train a lot of women in this demographic.
One day, she arrived for a session frazzled. Her daughter, Marissa, was home for Christmas without her car. She wanted to run errands, but my client and her husband were too busy to drive her.
I had met Marissa only briefly, but said I’d be happy to take her to the mall, or out for coffee or wine.
We met at a local wine bar. I didn’t think it was a date. I was nine years older, divorced, and had a one-year-old son, who I was very reluctant to introduce to anyone new. But the next day, I got a text from her: “I’m going to Starbucks. Can I get you something?”
Yes, I said. Yes, you can.
A few days later I took a huge leap: I introduced her to my son. I knew she was special, and I was right. She's now my wife.
How much did you get paid?
$20 per session. But the ultimate outcome was priceless!
What did you learn?
Always go above and beyond for clients. One of them just might be your future mother-in-law.
9. Treat your clients like family, part 2: When playtime pays off
The trainer: Andrew Coates
Who was your first client?
A tall, lean recreational hockey player in his mid-20s wanting to gain muscle and strength.
How did you land the client?
He was assigned to me at the gym where I worked.
What happened?
He brought in his best friend. The two took great amusement in attempting to embarrass me. They loved to treat the leg press machine as a slip ’n slide, one sliding into the seat before the other had left it—anything to draw attention and make it look like I was running a clown school.
We had fun, and they were happy with their results.
The hockey player referred a coworker. And the best friend set off a referral chain longer than a Game of Thrones family lineage: his brother, his mom, his dad, his cousin, two aunts, a couple, another cousin, the dad’s coworker, a family friend, Mom’s four best friends, a close friend’s best friend, and another close friend’s husband.
Many became friends, pulling me into their family universe. They helped make my adopted city, Edmonton, a new home.
How much did you get paid?
At first, $18 per session, then $30 upon renewal. Today I get $75-plus per session and still train clients I can trace back to that hockey player and his friend.
What did you learn?
Don’t underestimate the power of overdelivering and building relationships. A single client could lead to well over 1,000 sessions through renewals and referrals. I should know!
10. The path to greatness is forged with erratic and poorly shoveled roads
The trainer: Leigh Peele
Who was your first client?
My early guinea pigs were friends and family. After that, I ran a Craigslist ad offering free services. My first paying client: a friend’s coworker who wanted to lose weight.
How did you land the client?
She’d seen my friend’s results, and wanted to work with me too.
What happened?
I had a point to prove. "I am a legitimate trainer! I get results!" My friends and family love me, and forgive my hubris. But that obnoxious, relentless spirit took over with my client.
I created workout plans, wrote recipes, and sent frequent texts. I helped prep meals, even cleaned out my client's kitchen. I thought I was helpful. She thought I was nuts.
We argued often. I remember one particularly tense New Year’s Eve party. In the end, she lost fat and maintained it. Bonus: She’s forgiven my early missteps.
How much did you get paid?
A staggering $50 over roughly four months.
What did you learn?
Initially, that visual results get you clients. I spent years concerned with visual results, and overlooking emotional support. I took people's results personally, as if I had won or failed.
I later realized there’s a delicate line between educating and mentoring and becoming an autocrat. I made many mistakes with my first client, but as with most things in life, the path to greatness is forged with erratic and poorly shoveled roads.
If you're one of the good ones, you’ll still get there. If not, well, you just carved up good earth for no reason.
11. Maybe it is brain surgery
The trainer: Tony Gentilcore
Who was your first client?
A brain surgeon. No joke!
At our first session, I casually mentioned my one rule for clients: "Unless you're a brain surgeon, you can keep your phone in the locker room."
My client looked at me and said, "Well, guess what?"
How did you land the client?
She was assigned to me after joining the gym where I worked. Each new member was given a free training session, and I happened to be the trainer she was matched with.
What happened?
She had never lifted before but wanted to get stronger. So I had her perform a rack pull. It’s a fairly benign move, and the bar wasn’t loaded. I set her up, gave her a few cues, and had her perform a few reps.
It was ugly.
After she racked the bar, this woman darts up out of nowhere and says, "What are you doing? She should not be doing that exercise. It's dangerous."
Panicked, I stammered, "Who are you?"
"I'm so-and-so, the head group exercise instructor here. She should not be doing this exercise. Her back position was not good."
Now, I’m not a confrontational man, and I don’t anger easily. But it took everything I had not to lash out at this person for calling me out in front of my client.
"Well, hello so-and-so. I'm Tony, and this is my client, such-and-such. Thanks for your feedback, but this was her first set—ever—doing this exercise. I was just about to correct her before you jumped in. We're good.”
I later left her a note saying I felt she’d been very unprofessional, and offered to discuss biomechanics and the nuances of deadlift technique.
We never did have that chat.
How much did you get paid?
Maybe $25.
What did you learn?
That I'm a Zen master! I could’ve easily had a "kneel before Zod" moment, but I didn't. It was a valuable lesson in professionalism and how not to call out a colleague.
READ ALSO: 8 Ways to Get a Fully Booked Client Schedule
