Change your body, Change your... Career???
By Sean McGarrity · 25 March 2026
How To Turn A Passion for Fitness Into A Real Career
Every single year
Hundreds of people will think about getting into fitness as a career but have no idea where to start.
Especially since...
There’s a lot of BS thrown around about the industry like the following myths:
It's too saturated,
There aren’t any jobs,
There’s no money in it
And, (my personal favourite) it’s not a real career :)
or even worse
The false belief that you have to be a gym shark wearing my protein sponsored fitness model for you to succeed.
We all thought that ^^ shyte in the beginning.
And if you’d seen me at age 15, verging on obese with a set of breasts you could milk a cat with.
Well you would have said I was the last person who would get into this gig
Now I’ll save ye the life story but, safe to say I turned all that shyte around.
Fitness has a funny way of doing that.
It can affect you in more ways than just aesthetically, I mean as you will already know fitness is the most under-utilised anti-depressant. It’s ability to change even the most stubborn of minds is well documented and this has far reaching positive benefits in literally every other area of your life
And that's probably the reason you’re reading this too.
Let me take a few guesses to see if were on the same page;
Fitness has become your thing,
In fact: getting into the gym and training has kinda put the rest of your life into perspective.
If you have an office job right now all day all you can think of is “Is it gym o’clock yet?? “
like I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard people say “I watch the clock all day in work until it’s time to hit the gym”
Sound about right?
I bet, you’re reading everything fitness related you can get your hands on and, your Instagram feed is full of training stuff and fitness influencers (the proper ones) Your family think your obsessed and, your friends think you eat weird (cause your careful about what you put into your body)
Am I close?
Thought so
Here’s What Happens to People Like You And I, Next.
The people who used to say you ate weird are asking for your advice.
Your family are so inspired by your motivation, dedication and, results that they’re asking how they should start looking after themselves better too.
Everyone down the gym sees you as the go to girl or guy to ask for advice, or to train with and pick up a few tips.
You’re probably getting a few DM’s and comments daily from people who you inspire, saying they wish you would take all this more seriously cause they’d love to work with you.
And the even cooler thing that all of this is;
You LOVE doing this.
Helping people grow by sharing what you know feels amazing.
You feel like a brand new person doing it.
It feels good to know that what you’ve learned to this point can help people even if it’s just in some small way.
You get excited by the idea that you can help people make healthier choices, you’re helping them get in shape and look after themselves better
That’s when you start thinking that this hobby could be more.
See taking control of your fitness and health can show you how much potential you have to change things in your life, to be happier to find meaning and purpose. To make a difference
And so, you start to imagine what life would be like if you were doing this full time….
Like what if everyday you got up, and while everyone else was heading to the office to sit all day in front of a computer screen, you were heading to the gym to take the morning sessions with your clients
Wouldn’t that be awesome? You’re thinking to yourself.
That’s cause to people like you and I this is a hobby.
It’s something you would do everyday for FREE and be incredibly happy and fulfilled.
A Crazy Idea Pops Into Your Head….
“Holy SHeeit…. What if I became a Personal Trainer and tried helping people transform their bodies, like what if, that was my job???”
But up until this point you’ve never had the conversation with anyone who could show you the potential and opportunities in Fitness.
All you have are questions and not a lot of concrete answers
“Like how do I even start?”
“DO I need to spend 3 years doing a degree course before I’m ready?
“What about Strength and conditioning I heard that was important.”
“What’s these Personal Training courses for what’s all this about REPS Ireland ?”
Way I See it... You’ve Got Two Options.
Option 1 — Do What Most People Do
Go and get the cheapest cert you can find.
Because let’s be honest ...They’re all pretty much the phuckin same (on paper anyway)
You’ll tick the box.
You’ll get the qualification.
You’ll be able to stick “PT” at the end of your name on Instagram or Facebook.
Then what?
Well don't be surprised when you get depressingly average information and very little practical experience and ZERO coaching experience.
Meaning.....
You'll have to try to figure it out yourself.
You piece things together from YouTube.
From random courses.
From trial and error.
You second guess everything. because you’re not fully sure if what you’re doing is right.
And when it’s time to actually coach someone properly…
That’s when reality kicks in and you realise you have not been prepared for this what so ever.
Most people never get past that stage.
In fact statistics show that 80% of these "just get a cert" Guys fail in year one.
Because they simply weren't prepared for the environment they find themselves in.
As they say;
in times of stress you do not rise to the occasion you fall to the level of your training.
Option 2 — Do It Properly
Learn how to coach.
Not in theory.
Not in a classroom.
On a real gym floor. With real people. deliver full one hour sessions live in real time.
Thats the Real responsibility.
But you wont be doing it alone.
You will get to Learn from people who’ve spent over 16 years building and running a real coaching facility not just teaching from a manual. Who will be your guides on the side to getting better every time you step on the gym floor with your client.
You’ll be pushed.
You’ll be taken out of your comfort zone.
You will make a total "balls" of things and that will be encouraged because thats how you learn.
Nothing... I repeat.... NOTHING ...
Will be better for your growth as a coach as having an environment where it's not just safe to make mistakes but, it's actively encouraged.
So that you can learn from your mistakes
While you have a coach by your side who can help support direct and guide you to becoming better every single day.
And yes
It won’t be the easiest option.
And it won’t be the cheapest. And that means it sure as phuck won't be for everyone.
But by the end of it…
You won’t be guessing.
You’ll know how to coach.
You’ll have the confidence to walk onto the gym floor and actually deliver.
The Choice Is Yours.
You can take the easy route now…
And deal with the uncertainty later.
Or you can do the hard work up front…
And step into this properly.
So where does that leave you?
If you’re honest, you probably already know which option you’re leaning towards.
This isn’t really about becoming a “personal trainer”, it’s about whether you actually want to do this properly.
Because there’s a big difference between getting a qualification and actually being ready to coach someone.
And if you’ve been nodding your head reading this?
Then what I’ve described here is exactly what we do every day inside Elite.
Not in theory,
not in a classroom,
but on the gym floor — coaching real people.
So instead of trying to figure all this out on your own, the best next step is to just have a conversation.
We run small groups inside Elite Academy
And we don’t take everyone on, because the standard is high and it has to be.
If you feel like this is something you want to take seriously?
You can apply for a call below.
We’ll have a chat, see where you’re at, and whether this is actually the right fit for you.
And if it is, we’ll show you exactly what the next steps look like.
Sean "Trainer Maker" McGarrity