ABOUT PALO ALTO FITNESS CLUB
Palo Alto Fitness Club is Palo Alto's premier private personal training studio. For over 10 years, we have served the Palo Alto community from our appointment-only studio on California Avenue, home to 30+ professional coaches and several hundred active clients on their long-term health journey. Our current 8,000 square foot facility is expanding to 12,000 square feet in 2026.
Our clients are accomplished professionals, physicians, academics, and their families from across Silicon Valley and the Peninsula. They range from young athletes to grandparents, from nervous beginners to experienced movers, and they are engaged, respectful, and genuinely appreciate expert coaching.
We are not a traditional gym. We are a longevity destination built on long-term relationships, exceptional quality, and genuine care.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are looking for professional personal trainers who are passionate about long-term client outcomes and the craft of coaching, and who want to grow within a structured, high-standards coaching environment.
The bar here is deliberately high. Every coach on our team earned their place on it, and that is exactly why they are proud to be here. If you are excellent at what you do, or serious about becoming excellent, you will be surrounded by people who hold the same standard.
Our coaches take pride in preparation, thoughtful programming, and delivering sessions that reflect a high level of professionalism and care.
At Palo Alto Fit, trainers work within a unified team model. Clients are supported by a collaborative team of coaches who share programming and maintain seamless continuity of care.
This means you are never working in isolation. You are part of a professional coaching staff with shared standards, shared accountability, and shared pride in client results.
This is an employee role. Many of our coaches work full-time schedules of approximately 40 hours per week, building long-term client relationships and stable careers in coaching.
This is a non-exempt hourly position with flexible scheduling based on client demand.
COMPENSATION
- Training Sessions: $35 to $65 per hour depending on experience and client level.
- Administrative Time: $20 per hour for meetings, internal training, and assigned responsibilities.
- Bonuses: Client re-sign and performance incentives tied to client renewal packages.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Design and deliver safe, effective, personalized 1-on-1 training sessions.
- Prepare individualized training sessions in advance and track measurable client progress over time.
- Adapt programming based on client progress, goals, movement quality, and limitations.
- Conduct fitness assessments and collaborate with the coaching team on client programming.
- Demonstrate proper technique and ensure safety in every session.
- Contribute to a culture of accountability, professionalism, and long-term client success.
- Collaborate with fellow trainers on shared client programming and continuity.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and professional training environment.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, Exercise Science, or a related field (required).
- Accredited certification: NASM, NSCA, ACSM, ACE, or equivalent (required).
- Current CPR / First Aid certification (required).
- Strong foundation in strength training, movement assessment, mobility, and evidence-based programming.
- Experience working with clients across a wide range of ages and goals, including families, adults 40+, and youth.
- Professional, dependable, and a strong communicator.
- Comfortable working within a collaborative team-based coaching structure where clients may be shared between trainers.
- Background check required.
WHO THRIVES HERE
What makes a coach successful at Palo Alto Fit? These are the traits we see in every coach our clients love. If you recognize yourself in this list, we should talk.
- Prepared. Your program is written before the client walks in, every session, and it shows.
- Precise. A detail is either right or it is not, and you make it right. Our clients notice, and so do we.
- Warm. You greet people by name, listen closely, and remember the small thing a client mentioned last week.
- A team player. You share clients, programming, and standards with the whole coaching team, and take pride in it.
- Results-driven, for the long game. You track progress honestly and coach toward outcomes that hold up over years, not weeks.
- Coachable. You want mentoring, feedback, and a structured system that makes you better every month.
WHY PALO ALTO FITNESS CLUB
- Your calendar is built for you, so you can focus on the craft. Our concierge team welcomes every new client, runs the assessments, and manages scheduling and enrollment. You never hunt for new clients or sell on a gym floor; your whole energy goes into the craft of coaching.
- A personal training only environment. Every person on the floor is there for a coached appointment. The space stays calm, professional, and focused, so you and your client can give every session complete concentration.
- Growing in 2026. We are expanding the facility to approximately 12,000 square feet by the end of 2026, and every square foot of it stays personal training only.
- Paid onboarding. Your first two weeks are structured, paid learning: you work through our documented operating library and a competency-based learning path before you carry a full schedule.
- Shadowing built into your ramp. You shadow experienced senior coaches in real sessions as a standard, paid part of your onboarding.
- Ongoing mentoring. Development does not stop after onboarding: you have ongoing mentoring and regular development conversations with our coaching leadership.
- Continuing education, supported. We support your continuing education as you grow in the craft.
- Learn from 30+ full-time professionals. You work beside a team of 30+ professional coaches who do this full time, in a collaborative environment where coaches learn from each other every day.
- Your volume is your choice. Build a full-time coaching career of approximately 40 hours per week, or keep a lighter schedule; how much you work is, in the end, up to you.
- Train yourself where you coach. Free personal use of the facility for your own training, in your own time.
- Train clients in a premium appointment-only facility with no crowding or scheduling conflicts: you and your client work from your own station for the whole session, never searching the floor for free equipment.
- 50-minute sessions, always a 10-minute reset. Every session is 50 minutes, so you always have 10 minutes between clients to reset, prepare, and collaborate, never running from one hour straight into the next.
- Professional, and genuinely fun. We take the craft and the standard seriously, not ourselves: the floor runs on energy and good humor, with a team that genuinely enjoys the work and each other.
- Complimentary coffee, snacks, and team amenities for staff throughout the day.
- Work with a unique Palo Alto client community consisting of highly educated professionals, families, and individuals who value expert coaching.
- Benefits include 401(k), flexible scheduling, and gym membership.
JOB DETAILS
- Job Type: Full-time and Part-time available.
- Location: 310 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (in person).
- Hours by Appointments: Mon to Fri: 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM; Sat to Sun: 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Flexible based on client scheduling.
- Learn more: www.paloaltofit.com
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
Pay: $35.00 - $65.00 per hour
Expected hours: 15 – 40 per week
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Flexible schedule
- Gym membership
Application Question(s):
- How comfortable are you working within a team of highly educated and experienced trainers where clients are shared and programming is collaborative?
- How confident are you in designing and adapting training programs for clients of different ages, goals, and injury histories?
- How comfortable are you coaching clients over a long-term journey that can span multiple years?
- Do you currently live within approximately a 30-minute commute of Palo Alto, CA and are able to travel to the facility for early morning sessions starting at 6:00 AM?
- Please provide a LinkedIn profile, coaching website, or other professional profile if available.
Education:
Experience:
- Personal Training: 2 years (Required)
License/Certification:
- Personal training certification (NASM, NSCA, ACSM, ACE) (Required)
Work Location: In person
