Who are the best personal trainers in the world and what did they do to build their business empire to be worth millions of pounds, support millions of clients and make a significant impact on the industry?
Choosing the your personal trainer is an important decision, they will play an essential, pivotal role in your everyday life. How much you can expect to pay for a personal trainer will vary depending on several factors such as location, experience, their proven track record of success, and what personal training qualifications they hold.
Your personal trainer will provide you with essential guidance, support, motivation and nutrition advice all in one. When it comes to choosing the right personal trainer, the reality is that there are no two alike. Your trainer will support you to achieve your goals, working with you every step of the way.
When you search for a personal trainer there will be a number of things that jump out and catch your attention. It may be their client testimonials and proven track record of success that grabs your attention. Or perhaps it is that you have read one of their published books or listened to their podcast.
It’s likely that you follow their content on social media. Equally, you may be searching for a specific type of trainer, for example one that specialises in post natal training.
In today’s article we are going to explore 10 of the best personal trainers in the world (in no particular order). We will take a look at their background, their specialised areas and their successes in the fitness industry.
Contents
Why Should People Hire a Personal Trainer?
Commonly, people can have a very generic goal at the start of their fitness journey, and a great personal trainer will be a guide to ensure that they can meet their goals with specificity and consistency.
Here are some of the ways a personal trainer can benefit you:
Creates a Customised Workout Structure
Personal trainers start by evaluating a client’s foundations, from their fitness level to their current lifestyle, in conjunction with their goals, and will create a tailored workout that takes into account preferences and current limitations.
Provides the Appropriate Knowledge
Personal trainers don’t just show clients how to do an exercise with the proper form, but should be specialists in a wide variety of fields, from exercise science to nutrition, and therefore can show clients how best to optimise workouts and the appropriate nutrition plan so they can progress from week to week.
For example, if a client has a number of ailments, such as a bad lower back, a good personal trainer will find ways to work around this, for example, by doing split squats to reduce the rounding of the lower back.
Offers Support in Every Way
Anybody undergoing a new fitness regime can find it a major challenge. There are a number of obstacles in the way that can stop people from sticking to their workout regimes, such as schedules, illness, and mental inhibition.
A personal trainer provides the tools to hold people accountable to reach goals, but also pushes them beyond their comfort zone, and offers personal support to discuss any challenges that can help individuals overcome mental or physical barriers.
How to Choose a Personal Trainer
With millions of personal trainers worldwide, choosing the right one covers a number of different factors, which include the following:
Industry Recognition
Many personal trainers will have an illustrious background within the fitness industry. Many personal trainers can be industry leaders or are pushing through a new approach to exercise, but there are also some who are influencers and have plied their trade within the industry, showcasing their expertise.
Look out for the local personal trainers in your area who are standing out for all the right reasons – amazing client testimonials, reviews and showcasing their expertise with brilliant, engaging content across their platforms.
If you are not looking for a personal trainer to lead you in person, then it opens up any personal trainer from around the world to support you online.
Certifications and Qualifications
Your personal trainer should hold a Level 3 recognised personal training qualification. In the UK you will want to look out for a personal trainer that holds a qualification awarded by a leading training, like The Fitness Group.
To gain your new personal training qualification you can complete a personal trainer course online or you can choose to study in person. With The Fitness Group you can choose from their London Personal Trainer Courses, Glasgow Personal Training Courses, Bristol PT Courses or many of our other The Fitness Group Locations in the UK.
We also offer intnerationally recognised Level 3 Personal Trainer Courses in the UAE with our Dubai Personal Trainer Courses, these are fully supported by REPs UAE.
If you are looking for more specific support, for example post natal training, then they should hold a Pre and Post Natal Qualification too.
Client Success Stories
In addition to looking for a personal trainer who is sufficiently certified, client success stories are a brilliant way to ensure your personal trainer has a track record of achieving great client results.
You can look beyond transformation stories and look at the written reviews too, this will not just show that the personal trainer can potentially get the same results, but they clearly have a plan and the personal touch to ensure that the individual’s goals are met.
The best personal trainers in the world have all found a way to showcase their ability to generate results and change their clients lifes.
How Much is a Personal Trainer?
The price of a personal trainer, much like the cost of a gym membership, can fluctuate. There can be a number of different reasons that reflect the price of the personal trainer, including:
- The personal trainer’s qualifications and certifications.
- The packages they offer.
- Their location, including where they are in the world as well as where they train their clients.
- The level of guidance they can offer. For example, if somebody wants regular training but is more than self-accountable, there may not be a need for a personal trainer to provide extra motivation outside of the sessions.
How Much Should You Spend on a Personal Trainer?
The price will depend on a number of factors.
- Affordability Vs your Budget. Look beyond your traditional ‘fitness’ budget here and review how much you usually spend on things like eating out, takeaways and alcohol. You may find you can move some expenditure from one area to another.
- What the individual’s needs are.
- If the personal trainer offers the solution to a specific problem.
- Perceived Value for Money
- Support Type – Some of the best personal trainers in the world have streamlined their support packages via Apps to allow them to support millions of people worldwide. This will give you a lower cost, probably around £15-£30 per month however a local personal trainer will support you in person and will involve higher costs
The Best Personal Trainers in the World
From online to regional, let’s show you some of the best personal trainers around the world:
Kayla Itsines
- Highlights – Co-Founder of ‘Sweat’ Fitness App – sold to iFit for $400 million
- Specialisation – ‘Programs designed by women, for women’
Australian personal trainer and author, Kayla Itsines, is up first on our list of the best personal trainers in the world and with such a huge level of success in the industry she is often regarded as the world’s number one personal trainer. She is the co-founder of Sweat, the £19.99 subscription based fitness app which as amassed over 40 million downloads.
She is the creator of the “High Intensity with Kayla” series of programs, she focuses on resistance exercises and HIIT alongside comprehensive meal plans.
Her Sweat app provides comprehensive workout trading and motivation to her female online community, covering a wide variety of female-oriented topics, including getting that body back after pregnancy.
Her many resources have helped women all around the world make massive changes to their lifestyles that have stuck.
She has a huge following on social media with over 16 million followers on her Instagram channel – @kayla_itsines
Nick Mitchell
- Highlights – Founder of Ultimate Performance and author of several best selling books.
- Specialisation – Muscle Building and Body Composition
Personal trainer extraordinaire, best-selling author, and founder of Ultimate Performance, a personal training business that is hugely popular worldwide.
Having written a number of best selling books, including “12-Week Body Plan,” “Principles of Muscle Building Program Design,” and “Body Transformation Meal Plan Design,” he has established Ultimate Performance as an industry-beating organisation focused on developing world-class personal trainers dedicated to transforming lives, not just bodies.
Ultimate performance has 200 personal trainers in 4 continents across the world, including some of our very own The Fitness Group graduates!
Nick himself is one of the best personal trainers in the world, and his brand is supporting other qualified personal trainers to follow the same path.
Alexia Clark
- Highlights – Founder of QUEENTEAM
- Specialisation – On her website the mission is “Get fitter, stronger, healthier and more confident. New and Fun Workouts Every Day.
Certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist with over 10 years of experience, Alexia Clark created the QUEENTEAM workout program to motivate individuals to reach their goals, providing comprehensive nutrition support and direct accountability.
Focusing on building a community with her QUEENTEAM forum, she is one of the best personal trainers right now. Alexia’s client reviews and popularity means she one of the best personal trainers in the world today.
Gunnar Peterson
- Highlights – Well known celebrity trainer, including The Rock and the Kardashians. Clients include athelets from NBA and NFL. Best selling author and editor for Muscle and Fitness.
- Specialisation – Known for his pyramid style of training and functional training.
Gunnar is an American personal trainer. You may have heard of him as trainer to the stars, including Khloe Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and David Beckham.
In 2022 he also became the Chief of Athletics for the functional fitness franchise F45.
Tracy Anderson
- Highlights – Supported some of the biggest A List Celebrities including Jennifer Lopez. Owner of ‘Tracy Anderson Method’
- Specialisation – Targeted Muscle Training
A highly respected figure in the fitness industry, her Tracy Anderson Method covers targeted muscle training, high reps, and Pilates-inspired workouts has made her one of the most populous celebrity trainers and has worked with some of the biggest names, including Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Lopez.
Her online studio offers virtual and live workout streaming to cater for all walks of life, including her PER4MANCE Program and Teen Stream workouts for teenagers between 13 and 19.
Tracy has built her fitness empire to be worth an estimated $110 million.
James Smith
- Highlights – 3 Best Selling Books, Not a Diet Book, Not a Life Coach and How to be Confident. Owner of James Smith Academy.
- Specialisation – Everything from fat loss, muscle building to performance focused personal training.
James is the definition of the all-rounder. His James Smith Academy and positive word of mouth gained from his blogs have been cultivated over the years, training everyday people to get the ideal results.
James Smith has a number of coaches around the world with individual backgrounds to provide the most personal approach to personal training, teaching people to be better in their relationships with food or helping busy mothers get fitter.
As part of the Academy, there are also a number of challenges to help various people with modern ailments, from dad bods to working through menopause, and many more.
Aaron Williamson
- Highlights – Personal Trainer to A-List Celebrities.
- Specialisation – Body Transformations and Muscle Building
Aaron Williamson is a former marine and bodybuilder, and another personal trainer on our top 10 list that has trained The Rock. To add to that list he has also trained the likes of Zac Efron, Jamie Fox and Sylvester Stallone! You can check out his impressive list of A-List Celebrities clients on his website.
Shaun Stafford
- Highlights – World champion in Men’s Physique, PT at City Athletic.
- Specialisation – Strength and Conditioning
Shaun Stafford is a personal trainer at City Athletic in London and only works with very specific clients.
For anyone looking for a strength and conditioning program, he is regarded as one of the best personal trainers in the world, with a diverse fitness background from semi-professional rugby to bodybuilding, he coaches TV stars like Spencer Matthews and sports clients like former rugby prop Mike Worsley.
He regularly provides guidance for Mens Health and Coach, as well as competing in Hyrox training.
If you like the idea of being a S&C coach like Shaun, check out our guide to strength and conditioning jobs and how to become a strength and conditioning coach.
Louise Parker
- Highlights – Founder of The Parker Practice
- Specialisation – Focuses on nutrition, behaviour and sports science into programming for her clients.
In addition to her two decades in the fitness industry, she’s also a Sunday Times bestselling author.
Leading a team of personal trainers in her personal training clinic Parker Practice, she has helped over 20,000 clients in different countries change their lives.
While she only coaches a few clients on a one-to-one level every year, Louise and her company are in great demand.
Joe Wicks
- Highlights – Author of Top Selling Books, ‘Lean in 15.’ Owner The Body Coach App. Supported 790,000 households during lockdown with P.E. Lessons!
- Specialisation – ‘Helping everyday people to get fit and healthier and happier.’
Joe Wicks, aka ‘The Body Coach’ is a UK based personal trainer who has over 5 million followers on Instagram (updated September 2023). He rose to fame with his Lean in 15 books and quick snappy Lean in 15 video recipes on social media.
He sold over 900,000 copies of his Lean in 15 best selling book in 2015. During the Pandemic he taught virtual P.E lessons to kids all over the UK and he has raised millions of pounds for various charities throughout his career.
High Flying UK & ROI Personal Trainers
In addition to these 10 great personal trainers, here are some names to look out for:
Courtney Black
- Highlights – Train with The Courtney Black App
- Specialisation – Home Workout Plans
Personal trainer and owner of the Courtney Black app, one of the top fitness apps in the UK for home and gym workouts. Her self-styled Warrior journey covers numerous fitness challenges and healthy recipes to keep anybody on track.
Her YouTube channel is also full of short and punchy videos to help anybody through specific challenges like her 30-day abs challenge.
Courtney is a 2 x Sunday Times Best Selling Author.
Diren Kartal
Coach, podcaster, and entertainer all in one, based out of London, Diren Kartal is the self-styled king of NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), focusing on calorie burning through involuntary actions, but beyond the science, he has over a decade of coaching experience and has since made the move online to help more people.
Diren Kartal has every base covered, including through his Progress247, as well as his calorie calculator, step calculator, and offers every new client a free consultation call, giving people one-to-one coaching alongside a small group of people who want to enhance confidence in their body and mind.
Oisín Mulligan
Based in County Westmeath, Ireland, and the force behind the Mulligainz Method, Oisín Mulligan started as a coach at the Fusion Training Center in Athlone, Ireland. Since branching out in 2021 as an online personal trainer and nutritionist, his approach to fitness is through making weight loss simple, sustainable, and achievable.
Prioritising self-confidence with his own trademark sense of humour, with more than a few swears thrown in for good measure, his Mulligainz Method covers weekly Zoom calls with a support system and nutrition covering everything clients could need.
Additionally, he provides a number of competitions and challenges to keep things fresh and provides a no-nonsense approach to health and fitness.
Chiara Pugliesi
A graduate from The Fitness Group qualified personal trainer and online coach, Chiara Pugliesi credits fitness with saving her life after struggling with an eating disorder for many years.
She’s now dedicating her life to helping empower women through meal plans and workout plans to meet her clients’ needs. Through her online coaching platform, clients can get in contact with her 24/7.
With a variety of qualifications, including a Level 3 Personal Training certification, she aims to put clients on a stage to support, motivate, and encourage them to become their best selves.
Sam Wardrop
Another TFG Graduate, Sam Wardrop specialises in supporting footballers.
Just to show that fitness is not only about hitting the gym, Sam Wardrop provides a daily program for people to become better footballers and athletes.
Based in Glasgow, Sam’s background was as a professional football player for Celtic FC, Dundee Utd, Dumbarton FC, and Airdrie FC, retiring in 2014 to pursue his coaching passion. Offering a variety of tailored player programs online, his goal is to support players and athletes during their football journey.
His Player Programme experience on his website covers every aspect of the football journey, including how to fuel their body and mind, as well as improving the beautiful game.
In Conclusion
As you can see, there’s many personal trainers around the world that provide tailored solutions to meet any individual’s goals.
If you have been inspired by this article to take your personal training career to the next level and strive to join this illustrious list, you can learn more about the personal training courses we provide and get you started on the road to being a personal trainer.
