Demand for fitness has never been higher – but a growing market only turns into a growing business if clients can find you, understand what you offer and stay with you.
ukactive’s UK Health and Fitness Market Report 2026 recorded 12.2 million health and fitness club members across the UK, meaning 18% of over-16s now hold a membership – the highest level on record. Visits climbed to 679 million across the year, a 10% rise, with sector revenue reaching £6.5 billion across 5,842 clubs.
That growth is an opportunity, but it also brings competition. The majority of personal trainers in the UK work on a freelance or self-employed basis, which means every practitioner is running a business as well as delivering sessions. Programming, coaching and technical knowledge get results for clients; pricing, marketing, retention and financial planning are what turn those results into a sustainable income.
Business skills are also career skills. The same knowledge that helps a self-employed instructor fill a timetable – understanding your market, building a brand, managing budgets and leading a team – underpins progression into studio ownership, facility management and senior leadership roles across the sector.
That is why we’ve featured five courses to support you to build, market and grow your business in sport and physical activity. These courses form part of your continued professional development and range from bite-sized online modules to a full degree programme, to help keep your options flexible. Plus, we’ve signposted further relevant resources to allow you to develop and apply your knowledge.
CPD
1. Advanced PT Business Course
Provided by YOUR Academy
10 CIMSPA CPD points
Developed by YOUR Personal Training, this programme is built for trainers who want to grow an established client base as well as those setting out in the sector. It works through the full commercial cycle of a personal training business, from deciding which services to offer and how to price them, through to generating leads, converting enquiries and keeping clients for the long term.
The course is delivered entirely online and self-paced, with up to 365 days to complete it and an end-of-section quiz to check your understanding as you progress.
What you’ll learn:
- How to set business goals and build a plan to achieve them
- Which personal training services to offer, and how to price them correctly
- How to strengthen your communication skills with clients and prospects
- How to improve your lead generation results
- How to structure a consultation process that converts
- How to handle objections without resorting to pushy sales tactics
- How to onboard new clients and remove buyer’s remorse
- How to build and review a business plan
- How to create a community that improves adherence and client retention
2. Building Your Fitness Business
Provided by Future Fit Training
6 CIMSPA CPD points
However knowledgeable and competent you are, you are unlikely to succeed if potential clients don’t know your business exists. This course applies established sales and marketing principles alongside the other essentials of running a business (tax, branding, social media and business planning) to help you build a profitable offering.
Delivered in two parts, it covers securing a position in the industry before moving on to setting up and growing your own business. The format is a step-by-step process supported by templates, tasks and activities, and it suits personal trainers, group exercise instructors and Pilates instructors alike. A Level 2 Certificate in Gym Instructing is required before starting.
What you’ll learn about:
- Identifying the clients you want to work with, and how to connect with them
- Business setup, including legal structure and financial management
- Data protection and GDPR, covering the seven principles, confidentiality and individual rights
- Procedures for maintaining confidentiality, secure storage and common threats to systems
- Business planning, including market research, SWOT and PEST analysis
- Product development – packaging your services so they represent value for both you and the client
- Marketing, including the marketing funnel and online and offline promotion
- Sales, covering the sales funnel and the principles of persuasion
- Running your business – the systems and processes that allow it to scale sustainably
3. Filling your Strategic Gap
Provided by FitPro
0.25 CIMSPA CPD Points
Short on time? This bite-sized course introduces fundamental marketing thinking in around 45 minutes of learning, making it a straightforward way to start building your commercial knowledge.
You’ll be introduced to the Strategic Gap Model and shown how to apply it as a decision-making tool, working through its three elements – diagnosis, prognosis and vision – and how each can be used for maximum impact in your business. The course is aimed at professionals holding a Level 2 gym or group exercise qualification.
Aims and objectives:
- Gain the knowledge and confidence to consider the elements of a marketing plan
- Apply strategic thinking before formulating an action plan
4. Bootcamp Business Part 1: Marketing
Provided by Fitness Education Online
10 CIMSPA CPD Points
Group formats such as bootcamps allow you to train more people per hour, but they only work commercially if you can consistently fill them. This course concentrates on the marketing and operational systems behind a bootcamp that grows, covering both paid and organic routes to attracting participants.
It is delivered 100% online with no time limit, takes approximately five to ten hours of coursework, and is assessed by multiple-choice questionnaire. You keep lifetime access to the materials, and your certificate and CPD points are issued within 24 hours of completion.
What you’ll learn about:
- Logistics – scheduling, client management, onboarding, class structure and day-to-day operations
- Bonuses and value adds – challenges, accountability systems and member experiences that set you apart
- Paid marketing – social media advertising, audience targeting, creatives, budgeting and campaign optimisation
- Free marketing – organic content, community engagement, partnerships and local outreach
- Referrals – referral systems, incentives and the client experience that encourages recommendations
5. BSc (Hons) Sports Business Management
Provided by Hartpury University
CIMSPA-endorsed degree programme
10 CIMSPA CPD Points
If your ambitions extend beyond your own client base towards managing a facility or leading an organisation, a full degree offers the broadest grounding. This programme is endorsed by CIMSPA and aligned to the General Manager professional standard across the Exercise and Fitness, Sport Development and Leisure Operations specialisms – and following enrolment, Hartpury covers the cost of your CIMSPA student membership.
The course is applied rather than purely theoretical, with a professional work placement, live industry projects and the opportunity to pitch new business ideas to professional consultants. Depending on the modules you select, you could also achieve professional certification as a CIMSPA endorsed General Manager. It runs over three or four years full-time, with part-time study and an optional placement year available.
Included in what you’ll study:
- Introduction to the principles of marketing
- Understanding business economics and financial information
- Personal and management development, covering leadership, delegation, negotiation and conflict resolution
- New venture creation, culminating in a ‘dragon’s den’ style pitch
- Human resource management and the recruitment process
- Sports sponsorship and brand development
- Strategic management and project management in action
- The sports facility experience, service quality and secondary income
Discover more CPD
More endorsed courses – find training and CPD opportunities to support you throughout your career in sport and physical activity. Filter through the Training Academy and discover the highest quality training and development opportunities with courses endorsed and mapped to our sector professional standards, provided by organisations that have achieved CIMSPA’s highest quality assurance outcomes.
Visited Endorsed Training Directory
Your CPD Library –there’s a variety of complimentary learning available via your CIMSPA Dashboard. Visit ‘My CIMSPA partner offers’, then ‘Your CPD Library’ for different ways to maintain your professional status and earn valuable CPD points including SkillGate, our eLearning platform, complimentary learning from our partners and other skill development opportunities.
FitPro* – explore the FitPro online education platform from your home or on the go and stay relevant in the sector.
Not a FitPro member yet? You can access FitPro via your CIMSPA Dashboard. Log in and look under the ‘My CIMSPA partner offers’ tab, then ‘Discounts’ and click ‘FitPro’ to get started.
*Only eligible membership categories.