What is a personal training agreement?
A personal training agreement sets the ground rules between a trainer and a client: what the package includes, how sessions are booked and cancelled, how and when the client pays, and what happens to unused sessions. Just as important, it records that the client will disclose health problems, stop when something feels wrong, and understands that exercise carries some risk.
This template covers the trainer's qualifications and insurance, the package, session length, location and start date, an optional expiry for sessions, extras and goals, the health questionnaire and medical clearance, stopping if unwell, risk and a release to the extent the law allows, price and payment, cancellation notice and lateness, refunds of unused sessions (three options), ending the agreement, privacy and progress photos, no guaranteed results, and an emergency contact. VergeHR places both signatures, dates and initials.
- Best for
- Personal trainers, strength coaches and online fitness coaches
- Signed by
- The trainer and an adult client
- Pricing
- Per package, per month or per session
- Length
- 2–3 pages, initialled on every page
When to Use a personal training agreement
- A trainer selling a 10- or 20-session package
- Monthly coaching with a set number of sessions
- Pay-as-you-go sessions at a client's home or a park
- Online coaching by video call with a written programme
- A trainer working freelance in a gym who needs their own client terms
What You Fill In
21 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: trainer, client.
1 The parties
- Trainer (name or business)*
- Trainer phone or email
- Trainer's qualifications and insurance
- Client's full name*
- Client phone or email
- Client's emergency contact*
2 The package
- Package*
- Session length (minutes)*
- Where sessions take place*
- Start date*
- Sessions must be used within
- Also included
- Client's goals
3 Price and payment
- Currency*
- Price*
- Price is* for the whole package · per month · per session
- When payment is made* in full before the first session · monthly in advance · at or before each session
4 Cancellations
- Notice to cancel or move a session (hours)*
- Trainer waits for a late client (minutes)*
- Unused sessions if the Client stops* refunded pro rata, less any discount the package gave · not refunded, but may be transferred to another person with the Trainer's agreement · refunded pro rata only on medical grounds with a doctor's note
5 Other terms
- Governing law*
6 Who signs
- Trainer signature and date, initials on every page · The personal trainer or coaching business.
- Client signature and date, initials on every page · The adult being trained. For a client under 18, use a parental consent form as well.
What the personal training agreement Covers
- The package
- Health and fitness to train
- Risk
- Price and payment
- Scheduling, cancellations and lateness
- Ending the agreement
- Privacy and progress photos
- General
Using the personal training agreement, step by step
1 Describe the package
Enter the package, session length, location and start date. Add an expiry if sessions must be used within a set time — the template has you extend it for time the client can't train because of illness, injury or your own unavailability.
2 Record goals and extras
Add the client's goals and anything else included, such as a written programme or nutrition guidance. Enter an emergency contact for the client.
3 Price and payment
Enter the price and whether it's per package, month or session, and when payment is made.
4 Cancellations and refunds, then send
Set the cancellation notice in hours, how long you wait for a late client and what happens to unused sessions if the client stops. Add the client as signer and send.
Tips Before You Send It
- Use a proper health questionnaire (such as a PAR-Q style form) alongside this agreement; the template requires the client to complete yours before the first session.
- Consumer law in some places gives clients refund rights for prepaid packages. The template keeps those rights whatever refund option you choose.
- A release of liability only goes as far as the law allows, and never covers your own negligence — keep your insurance up to date.
- For a client under 18, also have a parent or guardian sign a consent form.
Sign It Online In Minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. VergeHR builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in Files and emailed to everyone.
Personal training agreement: frequently asked questions
Does this include a liability waiver?
Yes. The client acknowledges the risks of exercise and, to the extent the law allows, releases the trainer from claims arising from the normal risks of exercise. It does not cover the trainer's own negligence or anything the law does not allow to be excluded. How far such releases are enforceable varies by place.
What happens to unused sessions?
You choose: refunded pro rata less any package discount, not refunded but transferable, or refunded only on medical grounds. Any refund right the client has under consumer law still applies.
Can the trainer guarantee results?
No. The template says results depend on many factors, including the client's effort, diet, sleep and health, so no particular result is guaranteed.
Is a personal training contract signed online valid?
In most countries, including the US (ESIGN Act and UETA), the UK, the EU (eIDAS) and Canada, an electronic signature is generally valid for an ordinary services contract like this one. VergeHR keeps an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion with the signed PDF as evidence of who signed and when.
Can I change the wording?
You fill in the blanks and choose the options on the setup page; optional clauses appear only when you fill them in. If you need different clauses, draft your own document and upload it to VergeHR eSignature instead — you can still place the signature boxes in the editor.
Is this template free?
Yes. The template is free to use with the eSignature app in VergeHR. The person you send it to doesn't need a VergeHR login to sign.