Protect Your Business AND Your Clients: Why Professional Trainer Insurance is Necessary

Whether you’re a freelance personal trainer or a gym owner, the fact is that you are working in a high impact and high energy environment that may involve a lot of physical contact between you and your clients. When you add the element of heavy weightlifting equipment and huge machines into the mix, the probability of something going wrong increases. Even the smallest accident or misunderstanding between you and a client can send your legal liability fees skyrocketing and ruin your business. This is where personal trainer insurance policies come in.

What is Personal Trainer Insurance?

Personal trainer insurance is a specialized type of liability insurance that is designed to cover claims that commonly arise in the personal training industry. These are generally geared for  trainers, gym owners, yoga teachers, and even martial arts teachers.

These policies cover a wide range of different claims, from bodily injury and reputational harm to property damage.

Types of Personal Trainer Insurance

When you consider the sheer amount and variety of gym-related injuries and accidents that happen every year, it’s not surprising that there are several types of insurance policies aimed to protect personal trainers. There are three types of policies that you can choose from, namely:

General Liability Insurance

This type is also called personal trainer liability insurance because it is the most common type of insurance obtained by personal trainers. It generally covers third-party injuries, property damage (which can also result in injuries), and damage to reputation. It is also common because it covers instances that pose the greatest risks to personal trainers.

Here are some situations where general liability insurance will help cover claims:

• Injuries/Bodily harm – A customer who trips or slips on a mat in your gym and breaks their ankle
• Property Damage – Weights accidentally shatter a mirror in your gym
• Reputational Harm – You use the music of a local band without paying royalties or gaining permission and you get sued

In cases like the ones mentioned above, general liability insurance can pay for medical bills for injured parties, cover the costs of repairing or replacing equipment, and covers settlements if an injured party decides to sue.

Commercial Property Insurance

This type of insurance covers damages that occur to the physical assets in your business. This usually covers the facility, the equipment, and the fixtures. The damage must be incurred during the period covered by the policy in order to be replaced or repaired by the company offering the insurance.

The covered events can be either natural (typhoons, floods, earthquakes) or criminal (arson, vandalism). However, if these events are criminal, you must prove that you did not commit these actions. Otherwise, you can be charged with insurance fraud.

Professional Liability Insurance

This type of insurance is also called errors and omissions (E&O) insurance. This covers any claims from clients that state that their injuries were a direct result of errors in your services.

Here are some common events covered by E&O insurance:

• Errors – Misjudging the weight that a client can lift during physical training sessions
• Omissions – Creating a weight loss program for a client that did not work because you did not include a key component to the program
• Failure to Deliver – Selling a weight loss class but not teaching it

How Much Does Each Type of Personal Trainer Insurance Cost?

The costs of each type of personal trainer insurance can vary depending on the policy, the coverage provider, and the limitations and exclusions. Typically, the most affordable type is the general liability insurance which can cost anywhere from $150 – $500 a year. Commercial property insurance will depend on the size and value of the facilities and equipment that you want to include in your plan, but these plans will typically range from around $200 – $700 a year. Finally, professional liability insurance will cost around the same as general liability insurance, but many plans will cover the settlement costs even if the claims are baseless.

Do I REALLY Need Personal Trainer Insurance?

You might be wondering whether or not you really need personal trainer insurance. It is a big cost, after all. However, if you’re a gym owner and you consider how much time and money you invested in getting your business off the ground, the yearly premium won’t seem too expensive in comparison. If you’re a freelance trainer, many big gyms won’t accept you if you don’t have a certification of insurance when you apply for a job. So yes, you do need to get personal trainer insurance if you are serious in offering a high-quality service for your clients.

To lower your costs and make your personal trainer insurance more affordable as a gym owner, you can consider getting a business owner’s policy (BOP). This combines the coverage of general liability and commercial property plans.