For anyone considering a personal trainer career, this article will provide the information a person needs to learn more about the career. In it, we’ll discuss what a personal trainer does, what sort of work environments they typically practice their occupation in, and aptitudes and skills necessary for success on the job. In addition, we’ll discuss the educational and certification requirements needed in order to work in the field. Finally, we’ll discuss what sort of wages and salaries personal trainers earn, as well as prospects for employment in the next several years. While by no means an exhaustive review, this article will serve as a good introduction to a personal trainer medical career.

A personal trainer helps individuals and groups of people improve their levels of fitness, strength, and overall health by instructing them in exercises geared toward taking them from their current levels of health and fitness to an improved state. That’s a broad description, and there are many details of the occupation that will differ greatly from one personal trainer to another, and from one client to another. Because people have different states of strength, health, and fitness, as well as widely varying goals for themselves, and because there is such a vast array of working environments, a personal trainer career is highly individualistic. While many personal trainers work in health and fitness clubs, there are thousands who work in spas, hospitals, physical rehab clinics, sports medicine clinics, resorts, and yoga studios, as well as on cruise ships. A large number of personal trainers are self- employed and work in their own place of business or in clients’ homes.

Many choose to specialize in one area of health, strength, or fitness. Aerobics classes took the country by storm in the 1980s and they’re still going strong, and most of them are led by personal trainers. Due to the popularity of aerobics classes, and related classes such as kick boxing cardio, step aerobics, spinning, etc., many personal trainers choose to specialize in cardio training. Others find their niche in the body building market, and many are weight-loss coaches. In each of these branches, there are several “micro-niches” to which some personal trainers devote their entire practice. Others are generalists, and know something about each of these branches in order to advise and train a large number of clients.

Of course, it goes without saying that three of the main requirements for a personal trainer career are a high level of physical fitness, a love of exercise, and a passion for helping people improve their health. Interpersonal relationship skills are also a high priority, as a personal trainer must be able to get along well with many different personality types. As far as educational requirements are concerned, there are two main routes to a personal trainer career. One common path is that a person who enjoys exercise starts taking classes in aerobics, circuit training, etc. After they’ve achieved a high level of fitness, they begin assisting the instructors to learn the ropes. The final step is personal trainer certification, which is accomplished by passing the American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer exam, commonly called the ACE test. Most employers now require certification. The other main route to a personal trainer career is to earn a college degree such as phys ed or exercise science. Even with a college degree, a prospective candidate will usually need to pass the ACE test in order to be hired.

Annual earnings for personal trainers fall into two categories: – employees, and the self- employed. For personal trainers who work for a company, the median salary is approximately $32,000 a year, with most earning between $23,000 and $58,000 annually. There are no reliable data on the earnings of self- employed personal trainers, but the potential for much higher earnings is great. It’s common for self- employed trainers to charge between $50 and $100 an hour for their services. It should be kept in mind that it can take years to build up a steady clientele; for this reason, many personal trainers combine the two options – they work for a health club for a steady paycheck, while they build up their own personal training business on the side. For those with the dedication and drive to succeed, a personal trainer career can be very lucrative.