Best Insurance for Personal Trainers

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Contributor, Benzinga
February 18, 2022

As a fitness professional, it is your duty to help clients get into shape, achieve personal goals and recover from injuries, but sometimes, everything doesn’t go as planned. 

If a client hurts their back despite receiving instructions on proper form and techniques to avoid injury, it doesn’t stop them from looking for someone to blame. Liability insurance protects you and your career, especially if you have done nothing wrong.

Compare Personal Trainer Insurance

Be sure to request quotes from different insurance carriers so you can compare premiums and other costs. Gathering quotes from various companies, will help you figure out which policy and carrier best suits you.

What is Personal Trainer Insurance?

The main purpose of personal trainer insurance is to protect you and your business from costs associated with accidents, injuries, lawsuits and damaged property. Insurance packages, depending on the carrier, will include: 

General Liability Insurance

Purchased by 95% of business owners, general liability insurance helps protect you from a wide range of personal trainer accidents and basic risks. You need financial protection if someone is injured in a training session or if you are held accountable for damaging property that doesn’t belong to you. General liability insurance can help pay for medical costs, property damage and legal fees and judgments.

Professional Liability Insurance

Typically  purchased by 80% of business owners, professional liability insurance helps defend you if you are accused of making a mistake that causes someone to lose money. An example of this is if an athlete claims you failed to provide proper training and it affected their career; this form of coverage helps pay expenses to defend yourself or even redo the job. Professional liability insurance pays for professional negligence — actual or alleged — legal defense costs and legal judgments.

Commercial Auto Insurance

Business owners who own or drive vehicles buy commercial auto insurance. A majority of states across the country require commercial auto insurance for any business-owned vehicles to help cover medical expenses and property damage. Because personal auto insurance usually doesn’t offer coverage if you regularly drive for business, it is good to invest in commercial auto insurance. Commercial auto insurance, medical expenses, collision repairs and rental reimbursement are all covered.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

This type of insurance is for self-employed business owners and those who hire employees. With workers’ compensation insurance, you are covered for medical care and lost wages after a workplace injury. It’s almost always required if you have employees. To maximize protection, select a business owner’s coverage with your policy. Workers’ compensation also helps pay for employer liabilities.

Commercial Property Insurance

For personal trainers who own or rent spaces, commercial property insurance is a smart policy to have. This insurance protects your business equipment, inventory and the building itself  if you own it. If business property is damaged because of a covered event such as a burst water pipe or fire, property insurance assists with replacement costs and repairs. The loss of business income while you work on getting back in operation is also covered. Commercial property insurance helps pay for damaged equipment and inventory, lost income and operating expenses.

What Does Personal Trainer Insurance Cover?

Personal trainer insurance covers nonemployee bodily injuries. If you are looking to cover injuries to your employees, you need a separate workers’ compensation policy. Whether you are a personal trainer or fitness instructor, certain risks are associated with your profession, and you need insurance to protect you in the event of an accident.

General liability insurance covers accidents that involve bodily injury and property damage. Professional liability insurance covers fitness instructors against errors, omissions and negligence claims resulting from you doing your job improperly. 

Client injury: Otherwise known as a third-party, nonemployee bodily injury, you need this form of personal trainer insurance if you are finishing up a training session with a client who trips over dumbbells while walking to pick up a water bottle. It causes your client to injure a foot as a result of the fall. Under client injury personal trainer insurance, you can rest assured that you are protected if your client sues you.

Property damage: Also referred to as third-party property damage, this type of insurance protects you if, for example, you  are leading a private yoga session in a client’s home and you accidentally break an expensive piece of décor.

Defective equipment: The use of defective equipment can lead to various injuries in the workplace, so it’s important to have protection if you need repaired it before using it again.

Commercial auto coverage while traveling for work: Any business transporting work equipment or employees and clients with a company-owned vehicle needs to purchase commercial auto insurance coverage. Hired and nonowned auto insurance covers expenses related to lawsuits involving an accident you or an employee may have caused while driving the vehicle.

Theft or damage of equipment: Equipment insurance can cover you if you are a victim of theft or damages. This is usually offered as an extra service and can be purchased independently to cover a company’s needs.

General liability: This insurance covers you if you are facing bodily injury at your place of employment, bodily injury at a nonemployee at a worksite, damage to someone else’s property, damages to a landlord’s property if you rent and any damages your products may cause to people or property.

Professional liability: Professional liability insurance protects companies from negligence claims. Professionals like doctors and accountants use professional liability insurance to protect themselves against client negligence claims.

Additional Coverage for Personal Trainers

Depending on how much you make, your income will determine your additional coverage options for personal trainer insurance. Refer to the list below to seek more protection for yourself and your business.

Business property insurance: Also known as commercial property insurance, business property insurance protects an organization’s property and on-site assets against damages resulting from covered losses. This insurance minimizes the financial impact in the aftermath of certain accidents.

Product liability insurance: Under this form of insurance, the customer’s medical costs, legal fees and settlements or judgments made against your business are protected.

Workers’ compensation: Workers’ compensation assures that injured workers get medical care and compensation for a portion of the income they lose. It also covers employers from lawsuits brought by workers injured on the job.

Commercial auto: Costs incurred because of auto accident while you or an employee use a company-owned car for business purposes are covered with commercial auto insurance.

Cybersecurity: This type of insurance protects businesses from the consequences of an online attack.

Wrap Up: Personal Trainer Insurance

The personal trainer industry almost always requires insurance because of the risk of fitness-related accidents and injuries. The right personal trainer insurance can help you win new business, hire employees, drive for business purposes and repair or replace property you own or rent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q

How much is insurance for a personal trainer?

A

Costs for personal trainer insurance depend on several factors. Location, coverage limit, number of clients and length of coverage all contribute to determining the type of risks associated with your business. Evaluate all your needs and gather as much information as possible for the best policy option. 

Q

Does insurance cover personal training?

A

Some health insurance policies cover personal training, usuall providing an allowance. You are reimbursed up to a specified amount per year for gym memberships and sessions. A health insurance plan could reimburse you up to $120 per year for a gym membership or personal training sessions.