Life As A Self-Employed Personal Trainer And Fitness Coach In Singapore

As one of the very few over-55 private personal trainers/independent fitness coaches here in Singapore, people are often surprised by my longevity in a profession - 25 years and still counting - known for its competitiveness and high attrition rate.

On top of that, being a relatively unconventional profession here in Singapore, many are also pretty curious as to what goes on behind the day-to-day scenes of the life of a private self-employed fitness professional.

Hence, in this blog post, I will be spilling the beans on the different facets of my own professional life - which should be pretty much representative (to a certain extent) - of other self-employed personal trainers/fitness coaches here in Singapore.

However, before I proceed any further, I do have to add a word of caution: owing to its distinctive nature, the self-employed fitness track is definitely NOT everyone's cup of tea, lest some may be tempted to jump onto the bandwagon after reading my post (just joking) !

As a general guide, I believe those among us with the following personality traits would generally take well to this line of work: those who have a burning passion for all things fitness, a genuine interest and commitment in helping others improve their health and well-being, a willingness to navigate fluctuating work conditions, frequent domestic movement, irregular income, and the resilience to balance work, family, and personal life simultaneously.

indeed, I believe I speak on behalf of most of my fellow fitness peers when I say that surviving and thriving as a private trainer or self-employed coach here in the Singapore Fitness Industry is certainly no walk in the park.

Nevertheless, most of us do take pride in doing our part to keep Singapore healthy and strong - whether working with clients to enhance their day-day functional fitness, assisting seniors/older adults in enhancing their mobility and movement patterns, or helping individuals with chronic medical conditions or long-term health issues to improve their health via medically-centric fitness programs.

Along the way, we often find ourselves juggling various demands to keep things running smoothly, while doing our best to maintain some semblance of sanity, and a healthy work-life balance in our own lives.

Without further ado, the following are some of these key factors that my fellow fitness professionals and myself have to face and navigate in our day-to-day lives.

Administrative, Planning & Preparation Work

Unlike what most people think, a personal training business is NOT just all about training clients and NOTHING else!

There’s so much more to it than meets the eye!

From planning schedules to preparing workout programs, from replying to general inquiries to issuing invoices/receipts, from preparing, assembling, and maintaining our suite of mobile fitness gear and equipment to tracking and analyzing clients’ fitness progress, there is literally HEAPS of behind-the-scenes work to be carried out daily!

All these - and more – often fall under the mountainous stacks of planning, administrative and preparation work that most of us do daily in the background.

Training & Coaching Sessions

For most trainers and coaches like myself, this is where the ‘heart’ of our business lies, and where our personal touch is often most visible and crucial.

Unlike what most people think, a personal trainer or fitness coach is NOT someone who merely counts reps for you or who is there just to push you to your limits.

Rather, as certified fitness/wellness professionals here in Singapore, our roles include:

• prescribing the right exercises according to our clients’ personal needs, individual goals and fitness levels,

• ensuring each exercise or movement is performed safely and correctly,

• offering suitable exercise modifications and adaptations where necessary, and

• providing real-time feedback, motivation and encouragement to our clients.

On a personal note, it is also through many of these coaching sessions that I have built meaningful relationships with many of my clients over the years; getting to celebrate their successes as well as cheering them on whenever they encounter setbacks and/or challenges in their fitness journeys.

At the same time, my clients' heartfelt feedback and testimonials regarding my services and training approach have also been a tremendous source of encouragement, affirmation and inspiration to me throughout all these years.

Off-Site Client Check-Ins

As professional fitness trainers and coaches, a big portion of our time is also often used to check-in on how our clients are doing outside our usual face-to-face personal training/coaching sessions.

Using communication tools such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, or even 'old-school' tech like SMSs and emails, we continue to keep in touch with our clients, tracking their adherence to our recommendations on exercise, lifestyle and/or diet, as well as monitor their progress throughout each week and beyond.

Personally, I find these check-ins really effective for keeping my clients accountable and motivated between our in-person sessions. They also give me the opportunity to reach out and remind them that I’m right there with them, supporting every step of their fitness journey.

Marketing And Business Development

For independent fitness professionals like myself, building our personal brand and reaching out to potential clients can also take up quite a lot of work and time on our part.

From utilizing online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, to offline strategies like networking, partnerships, and word-of-mouth advertising, our marketing and business outreach efforts often take up a sizable chunk of our day too.

On a personal note, being more of an 'old-school' type of person when it comes to technology and innovation, I still do my best to up-keep and maintain my two senior/older adult-related fitness websites – Body-By-Rick.com and RickWongFitness.com – as well as their related fitness blogs and social media platforms.

Continuous Learning & Life-Long Education

Though I can’t speak on behalf of every trainer out there, for me, a good portion of my time is also dedicated to continuing fitness education and professional development.

Being a firm believer in life-long learning, especially in the context of my profession, I do my best to stay on top of the latest trends in fitness, training and nutrition.

From attending webinars to taking online courses to pursuing new certifications in specialty areas like fitness nutrition, functional training, and self-myofascial release techniques, I will continue to do what I can to make continuous learning and lifelong education a core part of my personal and professional growth.

Family & Social Time

Both of my children were born in the early 2000s, during a time when I was still establishing myself in the fitness industry. Even then, I still made it a priority to put family life first as much as possible.

Today, with both of them now young adults—each with his and her own schedules, priorities, and daily routines—we still make a conscious effort to participate in family activities whenever possible.

Outside the immediate family, I also try to make an effort to meet up with my other relatives, old schoolmates and circle of friends periodically - just to catch-up and keep one another in the loop with the latest happenings in our lives.

All these will always remain a crucial part of my life even amidst the busyness of running a personal training/fitness coaching business within the fitness industry.

Personal Self-Care

Another crucial part of my routine as a self-employed fitness professional, and which I consider non-negotiable, is setting aside personal time for self-care and well-being.

This self-nurturing routine could take the form of a quick personal workout – which could be anything from a short bodyweight exercise session to a proper free weights routine at a neighbourhood gym, an interval-style swim at a community pool, to a series of stair-based exercise drills carried out on the bleachers of a public stadium.

At other times, this self-care segment may also take the form of something less vigorous: such as a light stretching-and-flexibility routine at any outdoor fitness corner, or a quiet meditation/prayer at some secluded spot at a park within the vicinity; or even simply just closing my eyes for a short afternoon nap at home.

Whatever it is, I have learned through these years that making time to relax, rest and recharge my body and mind, reaps BIG dividends in both my personal and professional lives down the road.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, I do have to admit that negotiating life as a self-employed personal trainer can indeed be very demanding though also extremely rewarding at the same time.

From early-morning sessions to late-night business planning and strategizing, being an independent fitness professional practically means having to live a lifestyle that involves juggling and balancing work, social, family and personal life at the very same time.

Despite all these, the opportunity to pursue my own chosen path and to live out my passion, while inspiring and transforming the lives of others - are what truly keeps me going day-in, day-out, month after month, year after year.