Fitness Insurance

The Canadian fitness industry is estimated to be worth US$4.4 billion, and it continues to grow. With more than 13,000 gyms and fitness centres across Canada, the demand for personal fitness trainers and instructors is rising. 

Fitness liability insurance is a necessary coverage for a broad range of physical fitness, lifestyle, and personal trainers. It is specialized insurance designed to protect against specific liability risks such as slip-and-fall injuries or alleged malpractice, misconduct, or negligence.

Fitness instructor insurance is a customized policy containing different coverages designed to protect and provide financial support for fitness and wellness professionals and fitness studio business owners against third-party bodily injury and property damage lawsuits.

Fitness insurance typically includes a package of coverages that provide comprehensive coverage for your business. In general, a fitness instructor insurance policy may consist of the following coverages:

• Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance: Frequently referred to as ‘slip-and-fall’ insurance, CGL provides you with coverage for third-party bodily injury or property damage claims. For instance, if one of your clients should trip, fall, and injure themselves while visiting your fitness studio, CGL is designed to pay for their medical expenses, legal fees, and any court-ordered compensation if you are sued. It can also include product liability coverage for any product you manufacture, sell, or distribute and coverage for allegations of defamation, slander, libel, and false advertising.

• Professional Liability Insurance: Professional liability insurance, or errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, protects you against allegations of negligence, misconduct, and failure to deliver a service as promised. It provides coverage for your legal defence and any damages or losses you are deemed responsible for in court if you are sued. Any professional who provides advice or services in exchange for a fee should have professional liability insurance.

• Commercial Property Insurance: Also known as business property insurance or commercial building insurance, commercial property insurance provides financial support for damage or loss to your fitness studio and its contents resulting from fire, flood, severe weather, vandalism, or theft.

• Cyber Liability Insurance. If your fitness instructor business has a website that takes reservations online and uses technology such as computers, cloud storage systems, or point-of-sale systems, it is your responsibility to protect your customers’ personal and financial data. All businesses of any size and industry can be targeted in a cyber-attack or suffer an accidental data breach. Cyber liability insurance protects you against privacy breaches and cybercrime that interrupts your operations and results in a loss of income. It also provides coverage for legal advice, notification fees, crisis management services, and credit monitoring.

If you are a fitness services practitioner or studio owner, you should consider purchasing fitness insurance to protect your business and finances. Some of our fitness instructor clients include: 

• Boot camp instructors
• Cardio trainers
• Dance instructors
• Group fitness instructors
• Personal trainers
• Pilates instructors
• Sports trainers
• Yoga instructors
• Zumba teachers

The cost of a fitness instructor insurance policy depends on several factors, such as: 

• The types of services you provide
• Where your business is located
• Your years of experience
• Your insurance claims history
• Your training, certification, and education

As a fitness instructor, you can expect to pay approximately $200 annually for a commercial general liability insurance policy with a $2 million limit.