9 Personal Trainer Forms You Need For Your Business
As a personal trainer, you need to have certain forms and waivers in place in order to protect yourself and your business.
Here, we’ll go over 9 personal trainer forms that you should have on hand. These include:
Table of Contents
1. Welcome Letter
The first form you should have as a personal trainer is a welcome letter. This is a simple letter that introduces you and your business to a new client. It should include your contact information, your excitement for having this new client on board, the client’s next steps, and any other important details about working with you.
The welcome letter doesn’t necessarily have to be long or formal – it can be as simple as a one-page document that gives the client all the information they need to get started with you.
Some things, however, you should be sure to include in it are:
- A thank you for using your services
- An introduction to who you are and your personal training business
- Your contact information
- The forms to follow and the expectations for what they'll fill out
- What they should wear to sessions
- What they can expect from their first session, as well as any thereafter.
- Any policies for lateness, cancellations, nonpayment, etc.
- Any other important details about working with you
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Click to Download2. Liability Waiver
The second form personal trainers need is a liability waiver. This is a document that releases you from any legal responsibility in the event that a client is injured while working with you.
Without a liability waiver, you could be sued for negligence if a client is injured while working out with you – even if the injury was due to their own poor form or lack of warm-up.
A liability waiver should include:
- Your personal trainer business name and contact information
- The client's name and contact information
- A statement releasing you from any legal responsibility in the event of an injury
- A place for the client to sign and date the waiver
3. Nutrition Questionnaire
Another form some personal trainers need is a nutrition questionnaire. This is a document that helps you to understand a client’s dietary needs and restrictions.
It’s important to know about these as well as their overall eating habits in order to best design a nutrition plan that will help them reach their fitness goals.
A nutrition questionnaire should include:
- Questions about the client's current diet and eating habits
- Questions about any food allergies or intolerances the client has
- Questions about any medical conditions that might impact their diet
- A place for the client to sign and date the questionnaire
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Click to Download4. Lifestyle Questionnaire
A Lifestyle Questionnaire helps you understand your clients’ daily activities, stress levels, and habits so you, as their trainer, can understand all the influences on their health.
A Lifestyle Questionnaire should get information about your client’s:
- Occupation
- Daily movement habits
- Alcohol/smoking habits
- How often they sit/are inactive
- Their sleep habits and stress levels
- A place for the client to sign and date the questionnaire
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Click to Download5. Fitness Goals
Personal trainers also need a fitness goals form from their clients. This is a document that outlines the client’s specific goals for working with you, as their personal trainer.
Fitness goals can be short-term or long-term, and should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
A fitness goals form should include:
- The client's personal information
- The client's fitness goals
- A place for the client to sign and date the form
6. PAR-Q
Personal trainers also need a health history form from their clients. A PAR-Q document details the client’s past and present health conditions to see if medical clearance is required before exercising.
It’s important to know about a client’s health history in order to design a safe and effective workout plan.
A PAR-Q form will include:
- The client's personal information
- Questions about the client's past and present medical conditions
- Questions about any medications the client is currently taking
- Questions about any surgeries or hospitalizations the client has had
- A place for the client to sign and date the form
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Click to Download7. Medical Clearance
If a client checks “Yes” to anything in the PAR-Q, you will likely need medical clearance before you can start working with them. This is a document that is signed by a doctor, stating that the client is cleared to exercise.
This form is typically required for clients with certain medical conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, and will often come straight from the doctor’s office.
A medical clearance form should include:
- The client's personal information
- The doctor's name and contact information
- A statement from the doctor clearing the client to exercise
- The doctor's signature
- The date the form was signed
8. Payment Agreement
You will also need a payment agreement form for your clients. This is a document that outlines the terms of payment for personal training services.
The payment agreement should include:
- You, the personal trainer’s, name and contact information
- The client's name and contact information
- The agreed-upon rate for personal training services
- The frequency of personal training sessions
- The length of each personal training session
- The total number of personal training sessions
- The agreed-upon method of payment
- The personal trainer's signature
- The client's signature
- The date the agreement was signed
9. Assessment Form
As a personal trainer, it’s helpful to have a form you use to assess your clients and maintain records of the data you receive.
This is helpful both in your assessment with a brand new client, as well as ongoing assessments with all clients. We like to use a shared Google Sheet for something like this so the client can have visibility on all the progress they’ve made too.
- The client's name and contact information
- Client age, height, weight etc.
- Type of test(s) performed + measurements/test data
- Date of test(s) performed
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Takeaway
Personal trainers need a variety of forms to run their businesses, including welcome letters, liability waivers, nutrition questionnaires, fitness goals forms, PAR-Q, medical clearance forms, payment agreements, and assessment forms.
Each form serves a different purpose and helps personal trainers to serve their clients better.
As a personal trainer, you must ensure you have all the forms you need to run your business smoothly. And if you’re just thinking about becoming a personal trainer, familiarize yourself with the different types of forms personal trainers use so you know what to expect.
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