Do they text you right after each training session? Or do they randomly text you and call you just to see how it went? Most clients are attracted to their personal trainers and this is completely natural. However, dating a personal trainer is usually difficult because most coaches don't date clients. In addition, your customers hit them all the time and it can be a challenge to stand out among all your other customers. The client-trainer relationship is unique and should not be taken lightly.
The client pays the coach to get in shape, but the sessions are rarely superficial. To put it bluntly, there's all that contact and sweating and grunting and scantily clad and muscle undulations, not to mention the talk between reps about everything from last night's football game to the difficult divorce proceedings. Unlike mental health professionals, however, personal trainers are not trained psychologists and are not required to abide by the same rules that prohibit romance as real therapists. If the coach is clearly trying hard to come and train you away from the gym, it shows that he clearly enjoys spending time with you and doesn't care about the extra time and effort they need to come and see you.
Anyone who has spent time in a gym knows that there are those trainers who seem to revel in a reputation that borders on skanky, the ones who touch clients that way and are very happy to offer private sessions. Swedish Crown Princess Victoria married her personal trainer, Madonna had a son with her personal trainer, and Katie Lee (Billy Joel's ex-wife) had a post-divorce affair with her surf instructor. The harsh reality here is that you probably thought that your coach was flirting with you when they were just being friendly, or that it was a tactic by your coach to keep you as their client. It's easy to fall in love with a personal trainer because most of them are in good shape, friendly, and like to make their clients feel good.
Yes, it's common for personal trainers to date their clients, especially after establishing a strong connection. Now I know that I brought up all those previous points about how to tell if your coach likes you etc, and I'll be honest, I knew that in reality, everything I mentioned probably didn't point to a coach being attracted to you. If your personal trainer wants to meet you after your training session, it's a pretty obvious sign that he likes you. There is a line that can be crossed, becoming too personal too soon, but retention is much greater when a coach can be himself, be kind, be someone the client can trust.
The difference comes when you start receiving gifts from your coach on a regular basis, apparently for no reason. Realizing that an immaculate character is worth its weight in weights, some personal trainer certification programs, such as the American College of Sports Medicine, have recently begun discussing how to manage client-coach relationships. It's important to keep in mind that paying to train or go to the gym isn't the only way to meet personal trainers.