What is a Personal Training Contract?

Personal Training Contract is an agreement for those who are looking to hire a trainer and those who are looking for new clients.

It is an agreement between client and the trainer. In this contract the trainer list all the terms and conditions, payment terms, cancellation policies, training time period and contract expiration dates.

Personal trainer contract is helpful for both the trainer and the client.

When a personal training is created, both parties have a mutual understanding and have an idea of what is expected of them and that helps in avoiding future misunderstandings.

Personal Training contract is among the most important points of getting a personal trainer.

It is a legally binding contract and it protect both parties involved. Signing a contract with your client is essential in getting your personal trainer business up and running successfully.

Since it is a legal contract, it will cover any legal risks that may arise in the future, and it will help in protecting both parties.

After signing a personal trainer contract, the trainer will be bound to provide their duties and the clients will get the result that they desire.

Once both parties have signed the contract, they must fulfill their responsibilities.

Both the trainer and client will be held accountable, if they try to breach the terms of contract in any way.

In simple words, signing a personal training contract will cover all the ‘what ifs?’ and will help making sure that both parties are clear on their role and responsibilities.

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What should be included in Personal Trainer Contract?

Most trainers have a meeting with their clients before enrolling them in their program where they discuss the terms and conditions.

Whether you are looking for clients to train or looking for a personal trainer yourself, signing a contract is important.

In your training contract you will include all relates topics, equipment, meeting locations, dress code etc.

It is also important that client’s name is also included in the contract.

Written below are some of the major points that should be included in your personal trainer contract:

• Setting up professional boundaries:

Whether you are the trainer or client, you can set up an introductory section in the contract that explains what you expect from each other when it comes to your work together and the importance of disclosing any information that may affect the training sessions.

• Managing expectations:

Managing expectations can be taken in the context of results, what kind of results you expect from the sessions and what you need to do in order to succeed.

• Payments and pricing plans:

Setting up a payment plan that both parties have agreed upon should be included in contract in case if one party tries to renegotiate the payment in the future.

This part will include how many sessions the client has purchased and what is the cost of each session.

• How often the training sessions will take place:

It is important to include in your personal trainer contract, how many times the sessions will take place.

Whether the sessions are once a week or twice a week, it should be written in the contract.

And it will also explain how long each session will last and how long the course is valid for.

• General Terms:

Having a general terms section is very necessary to include in every contract and it is equally necessary to include in a personal training contract.

The general terms sections acknowledges that the client is purchasing a personal training and it also summarizes the overall services that will be provided by the trainer in exchange for client’s money.

• Whether the session will be online or face to face:

Sometimes face to face sessions are not needed and you can have a training session online.

But before doing that it should be agreed upon by both parties and written in the contract, and both the client and trainer should be comfortable with having online sessions.

• Disclosure for injuries:

It is very important that client should tell the trainer if they have any previous injuries, health problems or disabilities so that the trainer will be careful and keep the injuries in mind during the training sessions.

If the client forgets to mention this and suffer any serious injury during the session it can lead to taking legal action which can be frustrating for both parties and it can run the trainer out of business.

As a personal trainer should also include in the contract that if the client withholds any information regarding their health issues, you may not be able to help them.

• It should contain a full release liability:

As mentioned above, training sessions can lead to injuries it is very common and having this section in the contract will remove any liability from any injury that may occur during the training sessions.

Medical bills from these injuries can cost a lot that is why it is necessary to have a personal training insurance in advance.

• Avoid guarantees in the contract:

Of course, trainers while making the contract would like to assure the client about the definite results.

But they should keep in mind that if they fail to live up to the guarantee that they have provided in the contract, it will lead to breach of contract which might end up with trainer providing client with a refund or suing the trainer.

Instead of providing guarantee, trainers can put ‘results may vary’ in the contract.

• Refund and Cancellation policies:

Refund policy should be included in the contract in case if there is a breach of contract from the trainer’s side, the client can ask for a refund of their money.

It is important to note that cancellation should also be a part of the contract so that if either of the party want to cancel one of the sessions, they can easily do it.

In result of cancellation of a session, the trainer would have to refund the payment if it was made in advance by the client and if the trainer failed to pay the amount to client, then client has the right to file a lawsuit against the trainer.

If the trainer does not allow any refund policies of the cancelled training sessions then it should be written clearly in the contract and the client should know that there will be no refund before they sign the contract.

• Terminating the agreement:

Termination is another important part of the personal trainer contract.

If for any reason, either of the party does not want to continue with the sessions any longer they can terminate the contract.

Both parties should come to terms on this point and include it in the agreement before signing it.

Above mentioned points must be included in your contract, however, if you are unsure, you can contact a professional lawyer to help you out with the terms and conditions of your personal trainer contract.

There are two parties involved in the contract so the points included in the contract must be written after both parties have agreed and have come to an understanding about it.

Another important aspect that should be included in trainer contract is about injuries.

Exercise and injuries go hand in hand, and it should be the responsibility of client to inform the trainer of any previous disabilities or health problems to avoid any serious injuries during the training sessions.

Whether you are the client and want to get a personal trainer or you are a trainer looking for more clients, you should sign an agreement based on what kind of training you are looking for.

As a trainer, you are looking for more clients and want to help them achieve their desired goal, but you will also want to protect yourself in case there are any unpaid sessions or client does anything that was not included in the contract.

As a client, you would want to hire personal trainer who has experience in the field and will help you achieve the results that you desire.

But you should also be cautious in case there but, you should also make sure that the trainer you are hiring has good reviews and that it is not a fraud.

Importance of a Personal Trainer Contract

When it comes to any type of services between parties, the most secure option is to set out terms and conditions of your arrangement.

A written contract is necessary for both the trainer and the client, you might think that verbally agreeing to terms is enough, but it is quite easy to forget what was said and exactly what points were made which can lead to misunderstandings and frustrations between the parties involved. Hence, having a written contract is important.

The most important reason why you should have a contract is because of legal reasons, so that in case of a breach of contract or fraud you can take legal action.

Client and trainer both benefit from a personal trainer contract. Since it is a locked-in agreement both parties are bound to perform their duties as required otherwise it will lead to breach of contract.

Signing a personal training contract will provide you with a great peace of mind because the document includes everything, cancellation policies, hourly rates, payment policies and any other thing that will protect you in the future.

A contract like this will be beneficial for client as well as or the trainer because it protects both parties simultaneously.

However, both parties should make sure that they abide by the contract and do what is required of them in order to maintain a healthy working relation.

Things to consider:

There are lots of things that you should keep in mind before signing an agreement.

Before you sign the personal training contract you need to read it thoroughly and note ‘What things will be provided? What services is the trainer providing the client? And in return how will the trainer be compensated?’ Among other things, you should also consider

• What will happen if the payment is not made by the client? Is there going to be penalty for that?
• What happens if a client is unable to attend a session?
• The process that is required in terms of notice period (in case client is unable to attend a session)
• Can the contract be cancelled by client early?
• The liabilities that should be included in the contract

Whether you are looking for a personal trainer or you are a trainer yourself, a contract should be signed before you get involved in any type of program.

As a trainer, you should take your time to make an easily understandable and detailed contract.

And as client you should read it all carefully and understand all the sections that are included and if you are uncomfortable with any point you should talk about it with your trainer and come to a mutual understanding about it.

When both parties are on the same page about the contract it will be much easier to go forward with your training sessions and things will go more smoothly.

If you know very little about signing contracts and haven’t signed any contracts before this one, then it is important for you to take advice from a legal team before signing the personal training contract.

If you are the trainer and just starting with your business, then it is necessary for you to hire a lawyer and write a contract for you based on your needs and business model

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