Personal Trainer Insurance 101: Your Essential Guide

As a personal trainer, you are constantly active, much more than the average person. Your body is one of your professional tools, and taking care of it becomes a must. It’s not uncommon for a personal trainer to go for 4 hours without an hour’s break, after all, and this is hard even for the fittest of people around.

A smart personal trainer knows that it’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong. And, since you’re a personal trainer, you’re essentially running a small business of your own – and that’s where insurance comes in. You need to make sure that you are receiving benefits when you are not able to perform according to expectations.

Even more than that (and arguably more importantly): you are able to insure against your clients sustaining injuries. Here’s your essential guide to general liability insurance for personal trainer and other types of insurance from which you can benefit.

Insurance covering yourself

Even the fittest personal trainer can have an accident or physical injury at work – in fact, due to the profession, it’s a high risk. During days when you are not able to work due to sore muscles, sprained ligaments, or simply the flu or other unwanted physical conditions, it pays to be covered and still receive an amount that covers the days that you are not able to be as productive as you want to be.

Thinking further

It’s not just about you, your own injuries or illnesses. It’s also about being covered for consequences that you may have a certain (legal) responsibility for. For example, your client may sustain an injury and blame it on you. Or you (or your client) may drop a weight and cause damage.

Who knows, even a simple slip or trip and fall may be blamed on you. It’s no joke – it has happened plenty of times to even the best of people. It wouldn’t be the first time that a client sues his or her personal trainer because they sprained or broke an ankle due to a fall while they were doing simple jumping jacks.

Where to get it

There are some good websites you can look up by doing a simple Google search. Make sure, however, to check the background and find the right personal trainer insurance for you.

It’s important to take your time and look around for the right kind of insurance based on your needs – after all, it can be confusing (you’re basically buying a product you hope you’ll never have to use). The best thing to do in this regard is to look at your own needs and assess your own risks. Be realistic. Understand what can go wrong, and make sure you’re protected. It’s your livelihood that’s at stake, after all, and a wise man knows it’s better to be safe than sorry.