In an industry where flashy certifications and expensive courses often promise more than they deliver, one fitness educator stands out for his refreshingly honest approach. Jeff Payne, the force behind Sorta Healthy Trainer Education, has built a thriving educational platform by doing something radical: telling personal trainers the truth about what it actually takes to succeed in the fitness business.
With a YouTube channel boasting over 90,000 subscribers, a successful gym in Plantsville, Connecticut, and a reputation for no-nonsense advice, Payne has become one of the most respected voices in personal trainer education. His mission isn’t to sugarcoat the profession it’s to prepare trainers for the real challenges they’ll face and give them practical tools to overcome them.
Get expert advice by joining our 30-day Bootcamp with a Ready made WEBISTE
From Exercise Physiologist to Fitness Business Educator
Jeff Payne didn’t stumble into fitness education by accident. His credentials include certifications as an ACSM Exercise Physiologist, Certified Personal Trainer, Licensed Massage Therapist, Precision Nutrition Certified Coach, and FMS Level 1 coach. But what truly sets him apart is his practical experience: he’s the founder and owner of Commence Fitness in Southington, Connecticut, where he operates three training rooms and works with real clients every single day.
This isn’t someone teaching from memory or past experience. Payne actively trains clients, manages a physical facility, and navigates the same challenges his students face. When he talks about client retention, programming strategies, or business development, he’s speaking from current, hands-on experience not theory from a decade ago.
Together with co-founder Alexis, who owns Commence Fitness and serves as a Certified Personal Trainer, Payne created Sorta Healthy with a clear focus: fitness, food, and education. Their tagline captures their philosophy perfectly they’re dedicated to helping people reach their goals in ways that make sense for their lifestyle, not through cookie-cutter plans.
What Makes Sorta Healthy Different: The Brutal Honesty Approach
Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Sorta Healthy’s content is Payne’s willingness to discuss the harsh realities of the personal training profession. While many certification programs sell the dream of flexible hours, passion-driven work, and easy money, Payne takes the opposite approach.
The reality of sustaining a career as a personal trainer is challenging and can be an eye-opening experience. The profession entails non-traditional work hours, nonstop hustle, and frequently stepping outside your comfort zone. Payne doesn’t shy away from these truths he addresses them head-on.
This honesty extends to his assessment of personal training education itself. In interviews and content, Payne notes that while the packaging of personal training education has improved over the past decade, the actual education content often hasn’t. Entry-level certifications provide beginner-level knowledge condensed for newcomers to exercise science. If trainers want to truly improve their careers once they’re already working, they need continuing education or additional certifications and they need to focus on business skills, not just more exercise science.
This perspective is invaluable. Too many trainers invest thousands in additional fitness certifications when what they actually need is marketing knowledge, sales skills, and business fundamentals. Payne emphasizes that learning marketing and business fundamentals is what helps personal trainers stay in the industry long-term.
Why Sorta Healthy Content Is Genuinely Helpful
1. Comprehensive Business Education
Sorta Healthy doesn’t just teach exercise programming. The platform provides extensive resources covering every aspect of running a successful personal training business, including free downloadable forms for PAR-Q, health history questionnaires, informed consent documents, workout charts, assessment forms, and consultation templates.
These aren’t just nice-to-have templates they’re essential business infrastructure that many new trainers don’t even know they need. By providing these resources for free, Sorta Healthy removes barriers and helps trainers operate more professionally from day one.
2. Active, In-the-Trenches Expertise
Payne’s credibility comes from doing, not just teaching. He operates a 12,000-square-foot facility (by way of the broader Commence operations), manages staff, handles client acquisition, and trains multiple clients weekly. When he discusses semi-private training models, client retention strategies, or how to handle difficult clients, he’s sharing solutions he’s implementing right now not theories from a textbook.
His content covers practical topics like how to structure semi-private training sessions, tips for personal trainers during the hiring process, underrated exercises trainers should use with clients, creating programming systems that adapt as client needs change, and dealing with economic factors that affect personal training businesses.
3. Realistic Career Guidance
One of Payne’s most valuable contributions is preparing trainers for the actual job market. He addresses what it takes to get hired at gyms, how to succeed in interviews when you lack experience, and the importance of strong customer service skills in delivering professional, personalized experiences.
He’s particularly vocal about a major issue: many new trainers leave the fitness industry before their first year because they don’t fully understand what the job entails. By providing realistic expectations upfront, Payne helps trainers make informed decisions about whether this career path is right for them and how to succeed if they commit to it.
4. Reaction and Analysis Content
Payne’s reaction videos to other fitness content creators add valuable perspective. When he reacts to Mind Pump’s discussion of the pros and cons of being a personal trainer, he doesn’t just agree or disagree he adds context from his own experience and that of long-term trainers. This comparative analysis helps trainers understand different perspectives and think critically about the profession.
5. Free, Accessible Education
The Sorta Healthy YouTube channel serves as a free educational resource for personal trainers. In an industry where courses can cost thousands of dollars, Payne provides substantial value at no cost. This accessibility is crucial for new trainers who are just starting out and may not have large budgets for education.
The channel covers everything from programming and session creation to business strategy and career development. Whether trainers are struggling with client programming, trying to determine their goals, or wondering how to adapt to economic changes, they can find relevant guidance on the channel.
Sorta Healthy’s Unique Edge in Content Creation
The Reality-Based Approach
While many fitness educators focus exclusively on the positive aspects of the profession, Payne provides balanced perspectives. He discusses both the pros and cons of being a personal trainer, helping his audience make informed decisions. This transparency builds trust and positions him as someone who genuinely cares about trainer success, not just course sales.
Systems Over Hype
Payne emphasizes creating systems that work. His phasing system and workout chart methodology provides trainers with adaptable frameworks they can use immediately with clients. Rather than teaching complicated, specialized techniques that only work with ideal clients, he focuses on practical systems that work with real people who have real limitations and challenges.
Multi-Platform Presence with Consistent Messaging
Sorta Healthy maintains a presence across YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and their website, with consistent messaging across all platforms. This multi-channel approach ensures trainers can access content in their preferred format, whether that’s detailed YouTube videos, quick LinkedIn posts, or website resources.
Niche Expertise in Trainer Development
Unlike general fitness influencers who might dabble in trainer education, Sorta Healthy is laser-focused on making trainers better at all aspects of their job. This specialization means their content goes deeper into trainer-specific challenges than broader fitness channels ever could.
Practitioner Credibility with Teaching Ability
The combination of Payne’s extensive certifications, active gym ownership, and clear communication skills creates a powerful educational trifecta. He has the credentials, the practical experience, and the ability to explain complex concepts in accessible ways. This combination is rare in the fitness education space.
Community Engagement
Payne actively engages with his audience, responding to comments on YouTube videos and encouraging discussion. The platform explicitly states they respond to questions left on their YouTube videos, creating an interactive learning environment rather than one-way content broadcasting.
The Personal Training Industry: A Field Full of Opportunity
Payne’s decision to focus on trainer education comes at an ideal time. Despite repeated claims over the past decade that personal training is “dead,” the industry data tells a very different story one of sustained growth, expanding opportunities, and increasing profitability for those who approach the business correctly.
Massive Market Size and Sustained Growth
The personal training industry represents enormous economic opportunity globally and within the United States:
Global Market Expansion:
- The personal fitness trainer market is projected to expand from $45.6 billion in 2025 to $85.3 billion by 2035, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 5.3%
- The global personal trainers market size is $39.69 billion in 2024 and will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 6.50% from 2024 to 2031
- Global personal fitness trainer market size is expected to reach $57.09 billion by 2029 at 5.0% CAGR
U.S. Market Strength:
- The personal training industry grew from $8.5 billion in 2012 to a forecast of $12.9 billion in 2021, marking an annualized 5.4% increase in industry revenue from 2016 to 2021
- There are 728,000 personal training businesses in the market, a 4.8% annualized growth rate from 577,000 in 2016
- The personal training industry was worth $41.4 billion in 2023, with personal trainer jobs expected to grow faster than average at a rate of 14% from 2022-2032
- The health and fitness club industry in the U.S. is projected to reach $35 billion in revenue by 2025, with personal training accounting for about 25% of total revenue in fitness facilities
Strong Demand Despite Economic Pressures
The fitness industry has demonstrated remarkable resilience:
- Despite repeated announcements over the past decade that “personal training is dead,” personal training statistics show demand for personal trainers grew 4% per year on average between 2018 and 2023
- Personal training services have seen a 15% increase in market value over the past two years
- The global fitness market, including personal training, is expected to reach over $200 billion by 2028
This growth isn’t just theoretical it’s creating real opportunities for trainers who position themselves correctly.
Multiple Revenue Streams and High-Income Potential
Personal training offers diverse income opportunities that go far beyond hourly session rates:
Traditional In-Person Training:
- The average hourly rate for personal training in the U.S. is approximately $65
- The average profit margin for personal training sessions in gyms is estimated at around 40%
- The annual mean wage was highest in states like AK, CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, VT, and WA, ranging between $47,410 and $61,840
Online Coaching Opportunities:
- Online personal training sessions account for about 30% of all personal training activities today
- The average online fitness coach salary varies, but most coaches earn between $30,000 and $70,000 annually when starting out, however, more experienced coaches or those with a strong niche can earn well over $100,000 a year
- Many successful online trainers earn up to $10,000 monthly, with top earners making over six figures annually
- With online fitness businesses, you have the potential to earn $936K per year based on data reported by real founders
- Generally speaking, an online fitness business can expect profit margin of around 83%
Specialized Niches:
- Online personal trainer jobs focused on high-ticket clients like CEOs or professional athletes can command higher fees, sometimes reaching $10,000+ per month
- Functional fitness, strength training, and wellness training top the list of most popular training niches following spikes in industry demand in 2023 and 2024
Low Competition and Business Ownership Opportunities
Unlike many industries dominated by large corporations, personal training remains highly decentralized:
- As the personal trainers market is saturated with competition, there are no major players in the personal training industry—each company holds a market share of less than 5%
- Approximately 20% of personal trainers operate their own gyms or studios
- Low personal trainer market share concentration means fierce competition between many small businesses in 2024
This fragmentation creates opportunity. There’s no dominant player controlling the market, meaning skilled trainers with good business sense can carve out profitable niches without competing against corporate giants.
Digital Transformation Creating New Opportunities
Technology has revolutionized personal training, creating opportunities that didn’t exist a decade ago:
- The adding relinquishment of virtual fitness training and AI-powered coaching results presents substantial openings for request expansion, with the rise of on-demand fitness apps and remote coaching services
- The global personal training software market size was worth $1.8 billion in 2024 and is estimated to reach $2.45 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 3.5%
- The number of virtual/online personal training sessions increased by over 150% during the COVID-19 pandemic
This digital shift allows trainers to:
- Reach clients globally instead of being limited to local markets
- Scale their businesses through group coaching and pre-recorded programs
- Create passive income streams through digital products
- Work from anywhere with lower overhead costs than traditional gym-based models
Strong Client Demographics and Market Demand
The personal training market benefits from broad demographic appeal:
- About 24% of gym members in the U.S. hire personal trainers
- Millennials constitute roughly 40% of the personal training clientele
- The majority of personal trainers reported working with clients aged 25-44 years old
- Millennial and Gen Z consumers propel the wellness market to $1.8 trillion in 2024 by outspending older generations in fitness and nutrition
The breadth of this demographic base means trainers can specialize in various niches from youth athletes to seniors, from weight loss to strength training and still find substantial client populations.
Proven Client Acquisition and Retention
Personal training benefits from some of the most effective marketing channels:
- 84% of covered personal trainers get most of their clients from referrals and another 19% from networking
- About 62% of clients report increased motivation and accountability when working with a personal trainer
- The average client retention rate for personal trainers is approximately 70% over one year
These statistics demonstrate that personal training is a referral-driven business where quality service naturally leads to business growth exactly the kind of sustainable business model entrepreneurs seek.
Accessible Entry with High Earning Ceiling
Personal training offers a unique combination of low barriers to entry and high income potential:
Entry Requirements:
- A high school diploma is the minimum education needed to be a personal trainer, but many trainers earn extra credentials to meet gym hiring requirements or stand out to clients
- Most US personal trainers have a bachelor’s degree, but many also pursue other types of learning, with 88% of surveyed policyholders reporting they had or were pursuing a personal training certification
Career Stability:
- 55% of personal trainers have more than 5 years of experience
- Most personal trainers work for gyms and fitness centers, with the following breakdown showing various employment options
Growing Compensation:
- The median hourly wage of personal trainers was $19.57 in 2021, an increase from $15.25 in 2012, representing an annualized growth rate of 2.81%
- The average annual income of a personal trainer in the U.S. is around $45,000
- Personal trainers’ income stands at $3.3 billion, an annualized increase of 8.9% since 2016
Emerging Specializations and Future Growth
The industry continues evolving with new specializations creating additional opportunities:
Corporate Wellness:
- The global corporate wellness market, including personal training, is projected to reach $74 billion by 2027
Functional Fitness Boom:
- Functional fitness shows in the growth of low-impact, intentional movement exercises like Pilates up 14% in the number of US participants in 2023
Strength Training Dominance:
- Over 60% of users on fitness hub ClassPass include strength training in their workout
Regional Opportunities:
- North America held the major market of more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of $15.87 billion in 2024
- The USA personal fitness trainer market, valued at approximately $7.77 billion, thrives on high health consciousness and demand for personalized training
The Challenge Sorta Healthy Addresses
Despite all this opportunity, there’s a fundamental problem in the personal training industry: most trainers don’t know how to run profitable businesses. They have the fitness knowledge but lack the business acumen to succeed long-term.
This is exactly the gap Sorta Healthy fills. By providing practical business education, realistic career guidance, and actionable systems, Payne helps trainers avoid the mistakes that cause 85% of fitness professionals to leave the industry within three years.
The education Sorta Healthy provides addresses critical skills that certification programs often ignore:
- How to acquire and retain clients
- Creating pricing structures that support a sustainable income
- Building systems that scale as your business grows
- Marketing yourself effectively without being sleazy
- Managing the business side of fitness (forms, consultations, assessments)
- Developing a career strategy beyond just getting certified
The Value Proposition: Real Education for Real Success
What makes Sorta Healthy particularly valuable is the alignment between what Payne teaches and what the industry actually needs. The market data shows personal training is a growing, profitable field with substantial opportunity but only for those who approach it as a business, not just a passion project.
Payne’s content consistently emphasizes:
Business fundamentals matter as much as fitness knowledge: You can be the best trainer technically, but if you can’t market yourself, acquire clients, or create profitable pricing, you’ll struggle. His emphasis on business education directly addresses the primary reason trainers fail.
Systems enable scaling: By teaching trainers to create adaptable systems for programming, consultations, and client management, Payne enables them to handle more clients efficiently without sacrificing quality. This directly impacts income potential.
Honesty builds trust: By being upfront about the challenges of the profession, Payne helps trainers make informed decisions and prepare mentally for the realities they’ll face. This reduces early-career burnout and helps serious trainers stick with it long enough to succeed.
Free education removes barriers: By providing substantial free content, Payne makes quality education accessible to trainers at all stages, especially those just starting who may not have budgets for expensive courses.
The Future Is Bright for Educated Trainers
The personal training industry stands at an exciting inflection point. With billions in market value, sustained year-over-year growth, expanding digital opportunities, and increasing health consciousness across demographics, the fundamentals have never been stronger.
However, success in this field increasingly requires more than just fitness knowledge. It requires business acumen, marketing savvy, customer service excellence, and the ability to adapt to changing market conditions. This is where platforms like Sorta Healthy become invaluable.
Jeff Payne isn’t selling a dream he’s providing the blueprint for building a real, sustainable personal training business. His content combines hard-won practical experience with honest assessment of what actually works in today’s market. For trainers willing to learn, implement proven systems, and treat their practice as a business rather than just a passion project, the opportunities are substantial.
Conclusion
Sorta Healthy Trainer Education represents a refreshing approach to fitness business education. Jeff Payne’s combination of extensive credentials, active practice, honest communication, and comprehensive free resources makes his platform genuinely helpful for personal trainers at every stage of their careers.
His unique edge comes from his practitioner credibility, reality-based approach, systems-focused teaching, and willingness to address the business fundamentals that most fitness educators ignore. Unlike educators who teach theory or past experience, Payne shares current, practical solutions from his active gym operations.
Most importantly, he’s teaching in an industry with tremendous opportunity. With global market values approaching $85 billion by 2035, 14% job growth projections, profit margins of 40-83% depending on the model, and the ability to earn six figures through various revenue streams, personal training offers a viable and rewarding career path for those who approach it correctly.
For trainers willing to learn not just the science of exercise but also the business of training, the future is remarkably bright. And Sorta Healthy Trainer Education has created a comprehensive, accessible roadmap to help them get there one honest video at a time.
Hove44 
Leave a comment