Waiver template

Personal training waiver and client agreement

A personal training waiver covers the risks of the workouts you program and coach, and the business side of working one to one: health history, packages and late cancellations. This one is written for independent trainers, in-home and online coaches and small studios. Read it below, then open it in SignMaster and send it before the first session.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read

The contract

Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.

  • You, before sending
  • Client

Personal Training Waiver and Client Agreement

This Waiver and Client Agreement is between Trainer or business name (the "Trainer") and the client signing below (the "Client"). Sessions take place at: Session location.

1. Client details and goals

  • Full name: Client name
  • Date of birth: Date of birth
  • Main training goals: Training goals

2. Health history

  • Heart, lung, blood pressure, diabetes or other conditions: Medical conditions
  • Injuries or surgeries in the last two years: Recent injuries or surgeries
  • Medicines taken regularly: Medicines
  • Pregnant or gave birth in the last six months:
  • My doctor has cleared me for exercise:

The Client will tell the Trainer about any change in their health. The Trainer may ask for written clearance from a doctor before starting or continuing sessions, and may decline to train the Client until it is received.

3. What the Trainer is, and isn't

The Trainer holds this certification: Trainer certification. The Trainer is not a doctor, physical therapist or dietitian, and does not diagnose or treat injuries or illness. Any advice about food and nutrition is general healthy-eating guidance, not a medical diet, and the Client should ask a doctor or registered dietitian about anything specific to a health condition.

4. During sessions

The Client will tell the Trainer right away about pain, dizziness, chest discomfort, unusual shortness of breath or anything else that feels wrong, and will stop exercising when told to or when they feel unsafe. The Client sets their own limits and may decline any exercise.

For online sessions, the Client will train in a clear space with stable equipment, keep a phone within reach, and give the Trainer the address they are training from at the start of each session, so help can be sent in an emergency.

5. Sessions, payment and cancellations

  • Session length: Session length
  • Package and price: Package and price
  • Sessions in a package must be used by: Package use-by date
  • The Client gives at least Cancellation notice hours hours' notice to cancel or move a session; otherwise the session counts as used. If the Client is late, the session still ends on time.
  • If the Trainer cancels or is late, the Client gets a make-up session or the missed time added to another session.

6. Risks

Strength, cardio and flexibility training carry risks, including muscle soreness, strains, sprains, tendon and ligament injuries, fractures, falls, dropped weights, fainting, heart attack and stroke. These risks exist even when exercises are taught and supervised properly. The Client understands and accepts them. Initials: Initials after the risks

7. Release

To the extent the law allows, the Client releases the Trainer, and the Trainer's business and staff, from all claims for injury, illness or death arising from training sessions, programs or advice, including claims of ordinary negligence. This release does not cover gross negligence or intentional harm. Initials: Initials after the release

8. Emergencies

The Trainer may give first aid and call emergency services, at the Client's cost. Emergency contact: Emergency contact.

9. Progress photos

Progress photos and measurements are kept private between the Client and the Trainer. Tick here if the Trainer may also use the Client's progress photos in marketing: .

10. General

This agreement covers every session and program from the date signed until a newer version is signed. It is governed by the laws of the state of State. If any part is unenforceable, the rest still applies. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.

Phone: Client phone Email: Client email

My health history is complete and true, I have read this whole agreement, and I understand the release in section 7.

Client

SignaturePrinted nameDate signed
Use this template

Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.

A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.

On this page
  1. The contract
  2. Why trainers need their own waiver
  3. What the template covers
  4. Mistakes trainers make
  5. How to send it with SignMaster
  6. Boot camps and small groups
  7. Questions

Why trainers need their own waiver

If you rent floor space in someone else's gym, the waiver your client signed at the front desk protects the gym, not you. If you train clients in their garage, at a park or over video, there's no front desk at all. Your own waiver records what you were told about the client's health, makes clear you coach exercise rather than treat injuries, and sets the cancellation rule you'll otherwise end up arguing about every month.

What the template covers

  • Where and who: your business, where sessions happen and the client's goals.
  • Health history: conditions, recent injuries and surgeries, medicines, pregnancy, and whether a doctor has cleared them, plus your right to ask for clearance.
  • Your scope: your certification, and plain words that you're not a doctor, physical therapist or dietitian.
  • During sessions: speaking up about pain and the client's right to decline any exercise, and for online sessions, a clear space and the address they're training from.
  • Packages and cancellations: session length, package and price, an optional use-by date, a notice period in hours, and make-ups when you cancel.
  • Risks and release: the risks of training, initialed, and a release of ordinary negligence that excludes gross negligence, initialed.
  • Emergencies and photos: an emergency contact, and a separate opt-in before progress photos go in your marketing.

Mistakes trainers make

  • Relying on the gym's waiver. Unless it names you, it doesn't protect you, especially if you're an independent contractor.
  • Collecting a health history and never reading it. If the client lists a recent knee surgery, your program and your notes should show you adjusted for it.
  • Writing meal plans for medical conditions. In many states individualized nutrition care for a condition is licensed work; keep advice general and say so.
  • Training an online client with no idea where they are. If they collapse on camera, you need an address to give the dispatcher.
  • Leaving cancellations to goodwill. A notice period in hours, signed up front, ends the debate about whether a 7 a.m. text counts.

Packages and state rules

Some states limit when prepaid packages can expire or require refunds on cancellation, and waiver rules differ from state to state. The template leaves the use-by date optional; check your state's rules on prepaid services before you fill one in.

How to send it with SignMaster

  1. 1

    Open the template

    Choose Use this template above. It opens in your SignMaster account with one signer, the client.

  2. 2

    Add your business details

    Fill the gray blanks: your business name, where you train, your certification, session length, packages, cancellation notice and state. Save it.

  3. 3

    Ask for a doctor's note when you need one

    Add an Attachment field in the editor beside the health history so a client can attach a clearance letter. See collect files from signers.

  4. 4

    Send it before the first session

    Add the client's name and email and set a sign-by date the day before you start. They fill in their goals and health history, initial twice and sign on their phone.

  5. 5

    Read it before you program

    You both get the signed PDF with its certificate of completion. Review the health history before the first session, and keep the copy with your client notes.

Boot camps and small groups

For an outdoor boot camp or a small-group class where new faces turn up each week, send people a public signing link instead of individual envelopes. Put the QR code on your sign-in clipboard or the class page, and each newcomer signs their own copy before warm-up. If someone shows up without signing, hand them your phone with Sign in person while the group stretches.

Questions? Answers.

Do I need a waiver if I'm a certified personal trainer?

Yes. Certification shows you're trained; a waiver records the client's health history and their acceptance of the risks. Many trainer liability insurers expect both.

Does the waiver cover online training sessions?

Section 4 sets rules for online sessions, including a clear space and the client's address at the start of each session. Check that your insurance covers virtual training too.

Can I combine the waiver with my training contract?

This template already includes packages and cancellations. If you use a longer contract, send both in one envelope so the client signs everything once.

Who fills in which blanks?

You fill the gray ones: your business, location, certification, packages and policies. The client fills in their goals, health history, emergency contact and photo choice, initials twice and signs.

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