Ah, general liability. A term that can cause many trainers to instantly gloss over and desire to be anywhere else but inside an in-depth insurance guide. The big however is that general liability coverage can literally make or break your career in fitness in an instant in two ways. Number one, an accident can happen out of nowhere no matter how safe you are in your session. Number two, peace of mind and good risk management can be achieved with personal trainer liability insurance coverage. This coverage takes effect instantly and applying can be accomplished in minutes.
Here, we’ll dive deep into the wide world of general liability and look at why coverage is so vital for long-term success as a personal trainer given the industry today.
What is General Liability for Personal Trainers?
General liability gets its name because it covers a wide variety of different instances. Liability is a legal obligation to pay for something. So general liability is the legal obligation of having to pay for an incident the law says you’re responsible for. General liability insurance is often referred to as “slip and fall coverage” because these accidents are far too common for trainers and businesses at large.
General liability accidents, like slips, trips, and falls, can happen without warning. Maybe it's the cleaner you used on your floor the night before that causes a client to slip. Slips and falls may seem small in scale but they can cause big injuries that also come with big medical bills. The injured party may decide to seek compensatory damages. That means compensation for their medical bills, lost work, and other costs they incurred as a result.
General liability can also pertain to property damage. As an example, this might be a client's expensive new iPhone being damaged when they tripped over a loose front doormat. Now, not every accident goes all the way through court to reach a judgment but even defending yourself with legal representation can be costly by itself. This is right where general liability insurance for personal trainers comes into play.
A Closer Look at General Liability Insurance
Think of general liability insurance like the thick walls around a castle. These walls help keep things that could cause damage out. They provide protection, as well as support for the rest of the castle’s construction. General liability insurance for personal trainers makes sure that trainers are adequately protected from risks they face every day, as well as adds benefits that span throughout a fitness professional’s career.
General liability insurance from IFG was made just for fitness professionals which is where we’re different from most of the options out there. We tailored this coverage to be perfectly suited for the fitness industry today and also provide real and tangible benefits from day one.
There’s millions of dollars in liability coverage which includes both the cost of the claim, as well as legal defense fees when that’s necessary. There’s also portability built into the coverage which means you can change jobs or even move cross country and your insurance plan through IFG would follow you every step of the way. Another differentiator lies in the fact that this coverage is yours and yours alone—no shared limits here. Sharing the load may be great when you’re pumping up a class of crossfitters but it’s not what you want to see on your insurance plan.
Shared aggregate insurance plans mean that you’ll be dividing up the coverage you just paid for among a group of other individuals. If others in the group have claims that take away from the coverage limits before you, you might be left in the cold when you need to file a claim of your own.
Why Coverage for General Liability Is Important for Every Type of Fitness Instructor
Whatever type of fitness instructor you are, you will need to get started with a general liability insurance policy. Take note, not all insurance plans for personal trainers are equal. IFG covers more than 100 different workout routines and programs all under one roof. Other companies may only cover a handful of what they’ll call “core” offerings and then charge a premium if you want to branch out beyond those.
General liability is so important to have because not having it means you would be responsible for covering the costs of a claim out of your own pocket. That’s where comprehensive insurance, which includes general liability insurance, is truly a necessity for you and your business.
A great option for all of you students out there that are *wisely* already exploring insurance coverage now is to go ahead and get a student trainer insurance policy. At present, this full and out policy exclusively from IFG comes with a steeply discounted price of only $59 for an entire year of coverage. You can even wait until you’re nearing completion of your fitness program, like becoming an ISSA certified personal trainer. That way, the majority of your first year on the job is covered with professional-grade insurance at an insanely low price point.
What Happens When You Sign Up for General Liability Insurance
If you have actually started comparing insurance plans out there, you’ll notice quickly that not every program is very forthcoming with all the plan information. They’ll make you fill out a long questionnaire and basically a mini-application just to see the price you’ll pay for coverage. Well, IFG does things a little differently.
Right from our liability insurance page, you can quickly see how much personal trainer insurance costs, what different coverage areas are included, important provisions of the plan, benefits you’ll receive, and other pertinent information. We believe our plans are solid enough to stand tall on their own without making our new members jump through hoops just to see everything we offer. When you sign up for coverage and check out, that’s really all there is. You’ll get instant coverage, an immediate certificate of insurance, and direct access to all of your new plan benefits.
Cost vs. Benefit with General Liability Coverage
A key part of your general liability insurance plan needs to be the overall value you receive for what you’re investing. This is true of any investment you make for your business but it’s especially true with how much is at stake in regards to liability coverage. With inadequate coverage, you could be left on the hook for covering any shortfall your plan didn’t pay for should an unfortunate event pop up at some point.
Coverage Options Included
First up, you want to compare the price of a plan (usually the first thing we all look at with just about any purchase) versus everything you receive. Look at the coverage for general liability, professional liability, and product liability upfront. At IFG, we provide $1 million per occurrence and a $3 million individual annual aggregate for general and professional liability, and a $1 million limit in product liability coverage.
The liability coverage aspect of your personal trainer insurance plan really is step numero uno but you shouldn’t stop there. Make sure you spot additional safeguards that are going to provide a true 360 degrees of protection. IFG stacks value on top of value with additional protections like rental damage insurance, stolen equipment coverage, and even an identity protection plan.
Benefits Provided
You’ll also want to see what kind of benefits come with the plan you’re looking at because these can spell big value over the term of the policy. When you sign up for IFG personal trainer insurance, you’ll get instant access to a member benefits profile that’s worth hundreds of dollars all by itself. There are exclusive, members-only discounts and early access deals from top fitness-related products and services, whole libraries of curated content, and even free workout playlists to help heat up your sessions.
Lastly, all of the coverage and benefits you receive isn’t worth a whole lot if the plan isn’t accessible. We’re proud that hundreds of fitness pros rank our plan as “Excellent” with many describing how easy the plan is to use. Our whole mission is to provide a real and tangible benefit both in coverage and support.
Get In, Get Covered, and Get Back to Your Day in Minutes
Knowing exactly what comes next and how to get to the next level are definitely the marks of a solid trainer who is effectively guiding their clients. With IFG, we take the same mentality with personal trainer liability insurance. Right from our site you can see what you’ll pay upfront, everything that comes with a policy, choose your payment option, and check out—that’s it.
Your coverage begins instantly and you can access all your important plan documents in one easy location. No long questionnaires, no calling an 800-number, and staying on hold forever. Just no-nonsense insurance coverage designed to protect today’s fitness professionals through every session.
