Learning how to design a personal trainer uniform is a great way of constructing a strong brand image, marketing your services, and maintaining professionalism at all times.
This is especially important if you’re a self-employed personal trainer, or you’re considering making that transition. We’ll discuss:
- Why Should You Wear A Personal Trainer Uniform?
- How To Decide What Type Of Uniform You Need
- How To Create Your Personal Trainer Uniform
- Examples Of Personal Trainer Uniform Websites
But to really stand out, additional qualifications are the way forward, and OriGym’s Level 4 Courses offer exactly that. With highly sought-after skills like Sports Nutrition, you’re able to provide a comprehensive and valuable service to your clients.
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Why Should You Design A Personal Trainer Uniform?
#1 – Having A Uniform Presents You As Fitness Professional
A great reason why you should wear a personal trainer uniform is that they can help to construct a professional image.
Are you someone who has been a member of a large chain and corporate gym? If so, you’ll have noticed that all staff are made to wear specific clothing to look smart and professional.
They are, after all, brand ambassadors who represent a larger company, and a lot of effort goes into deciding how to create their personal training uniform.
Just because you’re working as a self-employed personal trainer doesn’t mean you don’t need to wear a uniform, as it’s more important for establishing a strong brand image compared with companies who have already established this.
Looking professional also helps clients to build more trusting relationships with a personal trainer, more so than if PT were not wearing a personalised uniform.
This is simply down to clients not recognising the PT from the average gym-goer, and is a huge consideration when you’re thinking about how to design your personal trainer uniform.
Wearing a uniform also helps to set a high standard and shows that you really care about your craft.
Ultimately, looking professional while building your business is paramount. It’s the best and easiest way of establishing a trusting relationship with prospective clients to grow your business and make money as a personal trainer.
#2 – A Professional PT Uniform Separates You From Competitors
Another reason why PT uniforms will be beneficial for your business is that it helps you to stand out from your competitors. But, how do they do this?
When clients shop around for PT services, they often meet with several fitness professionals to find a fit that’s perfect for them, so standing out as a personal trainer is vital.
Fortunately, wearing professionally designed personal trainer clothing is a fantastic way of influencing prospective clients as it allows you to stand out from other PTs in your local area.
Being memorable is key when pitching services and so if clients’ can link you with a distinct brand logo or a particular clothing colour scheme, you’ll remain at the forefront of clients’ minds.
Now, while you should put effort into learning how to create a personal training uniform that best reflects you, it’s important to recognise that uniform alone isn’t going to be enough to convince clients that you’re the perfect person to facilitate their goals.
You’re going to need a solid pitch, a few success stories and perhaps some personal training client testimonials.
Uniform is simply another important piece in the process of winning over clients and showing that you have more to offer than your competitors.
#3 – Great Personal Trainer Uniforms Function As Walking Adverts
Another benefit of designing and wearing a personal training uniform is that it functions as a passive method of marketing your personal trainer services.
Everywhere that you go while wearing that uniform allows passersby to obtain relevant information about your brand.
Whether it be on the gym floor, during an exercise class, doing your food shop or buying your protein – every single place that you go while wearing your uniform functions as an advert for your business.
You are drip-feeding information to those within your local area about your services, which is a crucial aspect to keep in mind when looking at how to create a personal trainer uniform.
The more that they’re exposed to, the more likely they’ll come to you for assistance or refer someone else to you who does.
With this in mind, it’s important to remember that while wearing your uniform, you’re representing a larger organisation – your brand, business and image. Make sure that you look the part.
Wearing a dirty or damaged uniform will make you look scruffy – either change your uniform, or put on a custom-made jacket to hide any dirty personal training t-shirts.
Additionally, it’s important to remove any branded clothes before going to certain places, such as the pub, a nightclub, or a fast-food restaurant.
If people see you looking sloppy or in places that contradict what your uniform promotes, this runs the risk of potential clients feeling less inclined to approach you for their PT needs.
Ultimately, wearing a uniform specific to your personal training business is a fantastic way of reaching clients in the gym, or in your local area.
Even if people don’t necessarily require personal training services at the point that they see you, they’re significantly more likely to approach you during a time that they do since they’ve been exposed to your branding.
#4 – Create A Good First Impression With Your PT Uniform
Another fantastic reason for wearing clothing that represents your PT business is that it helps to create a good first impression for prospective clients.
Generally speaking, it is thought that it will take an individual just 7 seconds to establish whether a person they’re speaking with is someone that they’d get along with.
This is the same during your PT screening process, which is why you should put significant effort into learning how to design your personal trainer uniform effectively.
The right uniforms can make an individual look professional and qualified, thus creating a good first impression.
Think of it this way. If someone were to go to a job interview wearing smart-casual clothes, this might not create an impression as good as if they wore a smart suit or dress.
From a personal trainer perspective, a PT who turned up to a prospective client meeting wearing a standard tracksuit probably won’t be as memorable as a PT who was to wear their company’s uniform.
Moreover, think about it from the perspective of the client – recruiting a PT isn’t cheap. Sessions can cost anything between £25 – £60 per hour.
Clients are going to be meticulous when finding the perfect fit, so you must do all that you can to create the perfect first impression, which should include designing your perfect PT uniform.
How To Decide What Type Of PT Uniform You Need
So far, we’ve covered some of the benefits of creating your own personal training uniform.
But before you go ahead and start scouring the internet for websites that manufacture uniforms for personal trainers, consider asking yourself the following questions.
#1 – The Type Of PT You Are Influences Your Uniform Choices
The first question that you’re going to want to ask yourself before searching for any PT uniforms is – “what type of PT am I?”
This mainly refers to where your sessions are located; indoor personal trainer uniforms will differ from outdoor personal training uniforms.
Indoor personal trainers are likely to only need to wear a T-shirt and a pair of shorts during their shift as gyms can get very warm.
In some circumstances, a jacket may prove beneficial if you have a day of mostly gym inductions, compared with days where you’ll be predominantly training clients.
As a PT based at indoor gyms, it may be tempting to wear strappy vests and short shorts to show off your physique; you have, after all, worked hard to obtain a good physique and it can function as an advert for prospective clients.
However, remember to wear a uniform that promotes a professional look. It’s encouraged to stick to just customised personal trainer t-shirts and regular shorts as these will still show off your body yet in a professional way.
If you’re an outdoor personal trainer, you may want additional attire to keep you warm as it’s likely that you will still conduct your sessions outside, regardless of the season.
This could include a jacket and jogging bottoms, or even a hooded sweatshirt – just ensure they’re moveable enough that you can lead your clients in any outdoor PT ideas you have planned.
For uniforms for both indoor and outdoor personal trainers, it may be worthwhile investing in attire that is crafted with breathable material.
You’re likely to be sweaty regardless of your workout location, so to reduce the risk of unpleasant smells, use sweat-wicking fabrics. We’ll explore a few handpicked examples of websites that offer this later.
#2 – Consider Your Staff When You’re Planning Your PT Uniform
Before investing in any ideas for a personal trainer uniform, considering how many people you’re providing a uniform for will help you to keep organised with your orders.
Hiring staff comes with requiring additional uniforms as each member of your team should be representing your brand.
That way, it’s easy for prospective clients to quickly identify who is a member of staff whenever they require assistance.
If you have a whole team of people, you should ensure that your uniforms are gender-neutral, comfortable and practical for every wearer.
These different styles ought to be considered should you have a team of people that require uniforms.
As a general rule of thumb, each member of staff should have at least 3 tops and bottoms, and at least 1 tracksuit set if applicable.
As you know, being a personal trainer is a sweaty profession, so providing staff with enough uniforms to change ensures that everyone looks clean and professional at all times.
Ultimately, investing in staff’s uniforms can be costly which is why it’s important to stay organised to ensure each member of your team has access to clean uniforms to uphold a professional image.
#3 – Plan Out Your PT Uniform For Networking Events
Networking as a personal trainer is a great way to build your client base and market your services. Many personal trainers enjoy attending such events to get their name known in their local area.
However, you can’t simply turn up to a networking event in your t-shirt and shorts after conducting a spin class, as looking scruffy doesn’t scream professional to prospective clients, potential staff or investors.
Instead, you might want to consider getting some smarter clothes to wear during networking events.
Examples include a customised shirt or polo shirt detailing your brand’s logo, company name and/or your name and job title.
A polo shirt is a nice middle-ground between smart and sporty. It’s a professional look while also keeping in tune with your passion.
In short, it may be worthwhile considering what uniform you will need for both everyday work and networking events.
Wearing a customised uniform at events will help those that you interact with to remember your brand and consider your services in the future.
For more information on personal trainer dress codes, check out our article – ‘How Should a Personal Trainer Dress?‘
#4 – Consider Custom-Making Your Personal Trainer Uniform
Now, if you’re on a budget, getting custom-made uniforms may not be high on your list of priorities.
However, bespoke uniforms are a fantastic way of marketing yourself, brand and services to a wide range of people.
With some of the previous points in mind, wearing customised personal trainer attire is a great way of marketing your business as it functions as a walking advertisement.
This means that wherever you go, people will see your uniform, thus increasing the chance of them either coming to you for their PT needs, remembering you for the future or recommending you to someone else.
Custom made uniforms also make it incredibly easy for prospective clients to identify you as a PT and approach you as a result.
This will also increase the chances of you growing your client base and boosting sales more so than if you wore regular gym gear.
Also, having customised outfits with your name and job title embroidered on the front promotes a sense of pride in your work.
This will help to create a community feel if you have staff as you’re all a part of the same professional team.
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Consider these other articles about what you can do to be a successful personal trainer:
- How To Stand Out As A Personal Trainer
- 7 Essential Questions to Ask New Personal Training Clients
- 23 Ideas For Personal Trainer Uniforms
How To Create Your Personal Training Uniform
Now that we’ve run-through some of the key benefits of wearing a personal trainer uniform, you may now be wondering how to create your own.
Here is a run through of the process with images taken from Personalised Sports’ website (a clothing brand that offers personalised services) so that you know exactly what to expect.
#1 – Selecting The Items You Want As Part Of Your PT Uniform
The first step involved in creating your personal training clothing is to select a style that works best for you and/or your staff.
If it’s just you wearing the uniform, you essentially have free rein to choose a style that you like the most, and that best encapsulates you as a PT.
Remember to steer away from overly revealing garments that will show a lot of your body and stick to t-shirts, polos and shorts that best reflect your professionalism.
If you’re choosing a uniform on behalf of your staff, make sure that you select suitable. They should be unisex, comfortable and practical.
#2 – Choose The Right Colour For Your PT Uniform
Once you’ve selected a garment that you like the look of, the next stage is opting for a colour scheme that matches your brand.
They offer consumers a diverse range of colour combinations that both complement one another, and that fit well around your personal training logo.
As mentioned earlier, you should consider where your personal training sessions are typically conducted (indoor/outdoor) when deciding what garments you require.
#3 – Choose The Sizes You Need For Your Personal Training Uniforms
The next stage involves selecting the size of your garment(s), to better accommodate you and any other trainers you employ.
Clothing websites will typically include a size guide to help you to identify what size you are based on the measurements of their clothes.
If you’re doing a bulk order of different sizes, this can be easily added to the basket without having to go through the customisation process each time.
With that, customisation can begin when you select the ‘Customise This Product’ box.
#4 – Customise Your Personal Training Uniform
The next step is customising your clothes, an important step for conveying your brand to prospective clients.
In the customisation section of Personalised Sports’ website, you can select which area of the garment you want to customise as indicated by the boxes.
To customise an area, first select the chosen box followed by what you’d like to include as per the tabs at the top of the screenshot (text or design).
#5 – Add Your PT Business Logo To Your Uniform
When designing your uniform, you’re given the choice as to whether you want to upload an existing image to the garment, or to create one in-house.
Selecting one in-house is certainly the easier option if you don’t already have an existing logo/design feature, but uploading an existing image that is relatable to your business will help to build a stronger brand image.
Examples Of Personal Trainer Uniform Websites
Here are some examples of personal training uniform websites to refer to. Consider looking at each website to find out which is best suited for your needs.
We’ve included a range of websites varying in price to accommodate your budget.
#1 – Personalised Sports
Personalised Sports are a sports clothing brand that offers personalised garments for both sports coaches and athletes.
They offer various item types and styles, each with the option of different fabrics such as high-performance breathable material to soft cotton garments, most also offering UV protection.
There are a vast number of colour options to choose from and some design ideas for those who won’t have an existing brand logo, or that are just getting started with personal trainer advertising.
You can expect to receive your personalised garments within 7-10 working days so consider planning ahead if you need your uniform quickly.
Personalised Sports is a great company to consider when looking for the top places to go for personal trainer uniforms.
#2 – Clothes 2 Order
Next up, we have another clothes brand called Clothes 2 Order who manufacture bespoke T-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies, jackets and accessories in various materials and fabrics to accommodate a wealth of consumer needs.
From a personal training stance, their Performance range of garments is likely to be most sought after.
These are made with sweat-wicking, breathable materials to ensure you’re comfortable when conducting exercise classes, inductions and meeting with clients.
Clothes 2 Order also has options to either print on embroidering text and logos onto your garments.
Printing services are cheaper, however, embroidered clothes provide a more professional look.
#3 – Team Shirts
Team Shirts is a more budget range option for you if you’re starting your personal training business.
However, just because Team Shirts are budget range, doesn’t mean that they compromise on quality.
They combine their garments with Stretchflex technology with breathable and lightweight fabrics to ensure wearers get the most out of their workout sessions while looking their best.
They offer a free printable graphics service to help personalise your garments and to truly hone your brand.
As for delivery, Team Shirts offer two options – a free standard delivery option which will take approximately 2 weeks to receive your items or a 1 week delivery service at a surplus charge.
Before You Go!
So there we have OriGym’s guide on creating a personal trainer uniform, complete with a range of tips so that you can go ahead to create a PT uniform that is memorable, branded, and comfortable!
If you’re really looking to elevate your business, OriGym’s award-nominated Level 4 Courses offer you the chance to learn a lucrative specialism, such as Advanced Sports Nutrition, and provide a more complete experience for your clients.
If you’re interested, or just want to learn more, download our FREE course prospectus today!