Trigger Warning from Coach Jeff: This article may challenge the current fitness industry norms. If you’re in upper management or deeply embedded in gym sales culture, this might be uncomfortable to read. Please know—this is purely my personal opinion, based on real experiences from the coaching floor.
Let’s talk about one of the most overlooked issues in the fitness industry: Personal Trainers are evaluated not by how well they coach, but by how much they sell. That’s right—your progress, your form, your mindset, your health… all take a back seat when the only KPI that matters to upper management is monthly sales targets.
I remember one of my personal trainer that I hired who has promised to take care of my physique, ended up obviously focusing on renewing your gym coaching session package, up to an extent that he would mark your attendance(s) in advance in order to meet a certain “training session quota” to get his commission paid off by the gym.
Frustrating.
Also, here’s a leaked personal trainer terms and conditions at one of the popular local gym:
As highlighted in the policy image above, some gyms now evaluate PTs based strictly on meeting sales targets. Whew.
In many gyms, PTs are given quotas like they’re sales reps, not health professionals. They’re micromanaged daily, constantly asked if they’ve “closed a sale,” rather than how their clients are doing. It’s a system that rewards aggressive selling—not effective coaching. If they don’t sell enough? They’re slapped with low performance ratings, threatened with suspension, or shown the door.
It’s no different from the financial advisors you see online who are actually just insurance sales agents in disguise. The system isn’t built to nurture better coaches—it’s built to produce better closers.
If you’ve ever wondered why your gym trainer seems distracted, pushy, or burnt out—it’s likely because their job security depends on selling, not serving.
This is why online coaching is becoming a smarter and more ethical alternative. When you work with an online coach, you’re choosing someone whose sole focus is your progress—not pressured upsells or gym sales quotas. Your check-ins are for your wins, not their commission. It’s goal-oriented, personalized, and—most importantly—rooted in coaching, not capitalism.
Yes, business is business. But if the fitness industry really wants to evolve, it has to start valuing coaching ability as much as sales numbers.
…After all, we’re not selling products—we’re transforming lives.
-Coach Jeff
