How Much Does A Personal Fitness Trainer Make? (In Malaysia)

As a gym lover or fitness enthusiast – you probably love learning more in-depth about exercises, diet plans, and more. And if you are like me, you probably love teaching others too.

As they say, the best way to learn something – is to teach it.

Chances are you already have the skills to become a personal trainer but have not yet ventured into it. What’s holding you back? Maybe it’s because you need more confidence? Or is it because you’re unsure about the potential income of a personal trainer in Malaysia?

I understand that this is a very practical question, especially if you are considering a career as a fitness trainer.

That said, as cliché as it may sound – as with all jobs, you will burn out very soon if you only focus on the money. So before I explain how much a personal trainer makes, let’s talk about what personal trainers do and their career prospects in this industry.

What does it mean to be a personal fitness trainer?

Being a personal trainer is not just about teaching how someone how to workout or creating meal plans for them. The main role of a personal trainer is to achieve results according to the client's goal - in a professional manner.

However, not every client has the same problem. Every human being is unique with their body mass, fat levels, height, desires, habits etc. That’s why it makes sense to work with them on a one-to-one basis with a personalized program designed ONLY for that person.

Have you heard stories about people who damaged their kidneys due to heavy usage of certain supplements? If you ask the person involved, why? They will probably say something like, "Umm… I don’t know. Someone recommended it to me."

This is why certified personal trainers play an important role in the healthcare system. They do not cross certain professional boundaries by taking on roles such as a nutritionist, doctor, or physical therapist; but they know what it takes to safely reach their client's goals.

Does being a personal trainer make a great career choice?

As we dive further into this post-pandemic era, many people consider making fitness a habit. This makes a personal trainer career a great prospect for career advancement.

As long there is a demand, there always needs to be a supply (personal trainers).

To give you some market numbers:

According to a research by Future Market Insights, the global (which includes Malaysia) personal fitness trainer market is estimated at $39,740.0 million in 2022. And the adoption of personal fitness trainer services will grow at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2022 to 2032.

If you were to start off as a certified personal trainer in 2022, the experience you gain from working with different clients in 3-5 years will set you up to be able to commit to one particular niche.

Plus the knowledge you gain will never become obsolete as long as people live on this planet. Once you have built a strong fundamental knowledge – you can go on to work in gyms, schools, health clubs, fitness centers, personal trainer studios, universities, or sports teams.

In addition, you can specialize in many different specialties, such as youth/senior training, medical training, women's training, sports and conditioning, and a lot more.

What if you don’t want to go that far?

I recommend working at a fitness establishment. You get to learn how a well-oiled machine works and the stressors increase your skill and experience as a trainer. And then, if you are confident enough, explore your own path as a freelance trainer.

Essentially, running a business.

I worked at a commercial gym for almost 3 years before making that shift in my career. I started my own company called KD Trainer in 2016. Today, we have a team of 14 personal trainers who help our clients get healthier and fitter every day through proper training.

The thing is if you told me I’ll have a team of 14 personal trainers with me in 2016, I would have said you’re crazy. The truth is, you’ll never know.

You can also help others build a great business. You can venture into management or explore running a team. Being a great support is also a role that's lacking in the fitness industry.

My advice is to simply get started, on a small scale if you’re unsure - then learn and iterate along the way.

What is the average salary of a personal trainer in Malaysia?

Alright, so let me share what you are really here for.

The salary of a personal trainer in Malaysia is generally divided into three categories:

Basic salary
Sales commission
Sessions conducted

One is not better than the other, depending on what you value in your career. Balancing the risk of stability, income, time, environment and the people you deal with daily is key to success.

You should also remember that your income may vary depending on where you work. For example, cities with a higher cost of living usually pay more – on top of being able to charge clients a higher fee.

Let's look at the three types of personal fitness earners in Malaysia.

#1 Salary-based earner (Full-time/part-time employee)

The typical salary-based personal trainer will have at least a stable base income of RM1500-RM2000 per month with EPF, SOCSO, and EIS.

On top of that, you will get an X% commission for each personal training package sold. Also, some companies usually pay you for each session you conduct, which comes up to RM10-50 per session.

Companies will usually also award performance bonuses if you achieve certain targets that they have set. Depending on the company's policies, there are other perks, such as allowances, travel expenses, training allowance, company events, and vacation.

Not every company is the same, and the level of your income may vary. But fundamentally the payouts do not differ too much.

#2 Commission-based earner (Profit Splits/Rental Scheme)

Unlike salary-based earners, commission-based earners have to play a slightly trickier/riskier game.

There are a few ways to get clients:

You get customers yourself.
The company gets customers for you.

The most common way for this model is to split the revenue. This involves agreeing to a revenue split ratio between the business owner and the personal trainer.

For example, in a 50:50 split, each party gets RM500 if the program costs RM1000.

The second type of commission structure is the rental scheme, where you pay a facility owner a fee when you commit to a facility. For example, you pay RM50 per session or commit to a monthly flat rate of RM3000 per month to use the fitness facility.

Again, one is not better than the other. There are pros and cons to each and choosing a revenue model depends on what you value in your career.

Just keep in mind that as a commission-based earner, you don’t have retirement savings and insurance (EPF, SOCSO & EIS) done for you. Moreover, you will be required to do your own taxation and submit them every year.

#3 Freelancer or Self-employed

This is an exciting way to grow as a personal trainer – especially if you have a day-time job in a different industry and plan to start off as a part-time personal trainer.

Being a freelance personal trainer is also a great way to gain more experience conducting more sessions and working with clients.

The great thing about freelancing is you have complete flexibility and accountability for your success or failure. You have to decide everything yourself – from how much to charge your clients.

The downside is that you must do everything yourself – from sales, marketing, training, etc. This means aside from having great fitness knowledge, you also need to have solid business skills. Also, you will have to do your own taxation and contribute to a retirement fund on your own.

While freelancing is a great option, it comes with its own sets of risks but if you'd like to run businesses, the ultimate goal for most freelance personal trainers is to start their own business after successfully freelancing for some time.

Skillsets required to become a personal trainer in Malaysia

In terms of technical skills, the most critical skills you need are a deep understanding of exercise science, biomechanics, the musculoskeletal system, basic psychology, and basic nutrition.

These are the skill sets that will enable you to help your clients reach their goals.

The second is interpersonal skills, also known as soft skills, like effective communication, rapport building, empathy, motivation, negotiation, and time management. These skills help you understand your clients and help them progress.

The good news is that these skills are learnable skillsets. And the best way to master them is through conducting actual training sessions.

Conclusion

I hope this article has given you a better understanding of the career prospects of becoming a personal fitness trainer.

If you think fitness is what you are passionate about, download the guide to becoming a personal trainer that we’ve put up on our website. The guide details everything you need to become a respectable and profitable personal trainer.