Personal Trainer: Helping People Stay Fit and Healthy

Personal Trainer

A personal trainer is a fitness professional who is certified to help clients determine their physical fitness levels as well as set and hit their fitness targets. According to the personal trainer job description, a trainer must teach effective exercise routines and techniques, and develop an exercise regimen that clients can observe. Keeping records of clients’ exercise sessions is also a must in order to track clients’ progress. Finally, a trainer gives clients pointers on lifestyle changes that must be initiated outside the gym for them to reach their fitness goals.

People seek the help of a trainer for various reasons. There are those who hire one to serve as a coach while preparing for a long-distance marathon. Others rely on a trainer to assist and encourage them as they try to lose weight. People with special physical needs or medical conditions may also call on a trainer specializing in disabilities.

A personal fitness trainer is usually employed by a health club, or by online referral services or businesses that provide fitness trainer accreditation. Additional certifications are required of specialist trainers as they are tasked to assist chronically ill or severely injured clients.

Personal trainers’ knowledge and experience differ, depending on their areas of expertise. Trainers may be knowledgeable on specific subjects such as bodybuilding, weight gain or reduction, pregnancy, sports training, endurance or marathon training.

Steps to Becoming a Personal Trainer

The first thing aspirants need to find out is how to become a personal trainer. While academic requirements for personal trainers differ, all trainers are expected to be at least 18 years old, have CPR knowledge and a high school diploma, and have completed a personal training course. Personal training courses have varying durations, with some lasting just a couple of months and others running for almost a year. Subjects such as exercise physiology, biology, nutrition, and other related classes make up personal trainer courses. Another educational option are fitness training degrees available at some colleges and universities. Once they finish their personal trainer course, personal trainers must take and pass a certification test. Practitioners who own a gym or are self-employed would benefit from marketing and business classes or courses.

Personal trainers come from various backgrounds. Nurses, dancers, and fitness enthusiasts may find personal trainer jobs a viable second-career option.

Personal Trainer Income and Certification

The personal trainer salary averages $25,000 a year. A self-employed practitioner, on the other hand, stands to earn more. Factors such as experience, client recommendation, and geographic location may determine a personal trainer’s annual income.

Personal training certificates are varied and plenty. Some, specifically those with experience in education, exercise or health, may even obtain personal training certificates online. Certifications approved by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies are considered the best and most credible. Prior to certification, candidates must pass a test. Once certified personal trainers must take classes in anatomy, nutrition, weight training, or group fitness, depending on the certification obtained. Most certification programs require periodic recertification and CPR knowledge, and offer scholarships and tuition assistance to aspirants assigned in the military.

Finally, a personal trainer would do well to get personal trainer insurance in order to protect one’s self and other parties named on the policy should a client sustain an injury while training.

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How to Become a Personal Trainer: Straight, Easy Path to Success

How to Become a Personal Trainer

How to become a personal trainer is the main concern of those keen on helping others become fitter and healthier. A personal trainer is a fitness professional who is certified to prescribe and teach exercise programs. Helping and encouraging clients in setting and reaching their fitness goals, specifically by providing advice and feedback, rank high on every trainer’s work priority list.

Learning How to Become a Personal Trainer

Those wishing to learn how to become a personal trainer and how long it takes to become a personal trainer will gladly realize that the path to the personal training world is quite straight and easy.

To get on the right track, an aspirant must possess excellent communication and listening skills, lots of patience, a serious interest in health and fitness, and the ability to motivate others.

Those wondering how to be a personal trainer must remember that a body builder physique is not essential to entering the field. A healthy lifestyle is certainly a plus, but sufficient knowledge and motivational skills are what will help a personal trainer earn clients’ trust as well as a solid reputation.

While educational requirements vary, all aspirants must be 18 years old, a high school graduate, adept at CPR administration, and have completed a personal trainer course. Available courses offer subjects such as exercise physiology, biology, and nutrition. Fitness training degrees may also be pursued at certain colleges and universities. After finishing a course or obtaining a degree, candidates must take and pass a certification test.

Certification and Opportunities

Following completion of the required course, the next step is to find out how to become a certified personal trainer. While fitness certifications abound, it is crucial to determine which one will help you achieve your career and personal goals.

The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America is one of the premiere, most trusted organizations issuing personal trainer certifications. To get the best employment opportunities, take the time to learn how to get certified as a personal trainer and make sure to get the right certification.

When a candidate fully knows how to become a personal trainer and has obtained the necessary certification, the next step is to explore the many job opportunities available, or better yet, start a personal training business.

Personal Trainer Insurance: Protect Yourself in Case of Injury

Personal Trainer Insurance

Engaging in personal training without personal trainer insurance is a huge risk. Today most gyms and fitness centers will not hire personal trainers unless they can present proof of business liability insurance. This is because the physical demands of personal training put clients at risk for various injuries.

Why Personal Trainer Insurance is Important

With personal trainer insurance, a personal trainer and other individuals included in the policy stay protected in case a client gets injured during training or as a result of training. Bear in mind that injuries include those sustained even in the absence of the trainer.

For instance, a trainer develops an exercise regimen that requires the client to do 30 sit-ups every day. The client breaks his neck or suffers a stroke while performing the exercise, then decides to sue. Personal trainer insurance will take over and try to save the trainer.

Without personal trainer liability insurance, a personal trainer will have to prepare his or her defense in court. Personal injury lawsuits are known for being extremely expensive and complicated, and a loss would mean payment of thousands of dollars in damages. Personal trainers can in no way afford such a huge setback in their career.

With personal training insurance, however, trainers can rest assured that the insurance company will defend them against such lawsuits. The insurer shoulders all legal costs and pays damages depending on policy limit. A business liability insurance policy with a limit of at least $250,000 is highly recommended. The American Council on Exercise encourages its members to get business insurance coverage amounting to no less than $500,000.

Also remember that personal training liability insurance policies of most gyms do not cover independent contractors. Employees, on the other hand, are usually covered. Hence, personal trainers must take the time to check their employers’ policy details and find out if they are protected. Those who serve clients independently, at home or in various locations outside the gym, should also protect themselves with personal trainer insurance.

Personal Training Courses: The Surest Step to Certification

Personal Training Courses

Personal training courses—home study or online schemes as well as on-campus programs offered by universities—are available through various certifying organizations.

To date, there is no available degree program in personal training at most universities. In place of such a degree are courses such as: applied exercise and health; athletic training; kinesiology; nutrition, fitness, and health; and sports medicine and fitness technology

While they may equip students with ample knowledge and skills, these undergraduate programs provided by sports medicine colleges do not guarantee certification upon graduation. Similarly, the personal trainer courses included in the non-degree program offered by universities are just meant to help students satisfy one of the certification requirements set by major accreditation councils.

Accreditation Bodies Offer Personal Training Courses

To increase one’s chances of entering and succeeding in the personal training arena, it may be wise to earn a college degree as suggested above and work on getting certified after graduation. A degree coupled with proper certification is a sure passport to a personal trainer post in large companies and premiere health and fitness centers.

As most universities do not assist in the certification process, the best way to find the most beneficial personal training course is to visit the websites or call the offices of various accreditation organizations. These bodies will advise inquirers as to which personal trainer course will best prepare them for the certification tests. Home-study options are also available.

Offering the widest range of training programs in preparation for certification is the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The organization collaborates with various two-year and four-year colleges and universities to provide such courses in personal training. ACE also works in tandem with vocational schools and high school outreach programs nationwide to provide such personal training courses.

Personal training courses online or home-study programs are also provided by most of the certifying organizations. This option may be the most practical for people who cannot study full time, but it can also prove ineffective, given that personal training is a highly interactive career involving one-on-one, face-to-face encounters with clients. Interpersonal and communication skills are best learned and developed through in-class personal training courses.

Personal Trainer Jobs: Limitless Opportunities to Serve and Succeed

Personal Trainer Jobs

The number of personal trainer jobs is expected to grow 32.7 percent from 2008 to 2018, a rate much higher than the average for all occupations, reports the Texas Workforce Commission’s Labor Market and Career Information Department. This comes as no surprise as more people invest more time and money on staying fit, and more companies realize the contribution of health and fitness programs to employee productivity and well-being.

Personality, a passion for and serious interest in health and fitness, and excellent communication skills are the surest passports to the most rewarding personal trainer jobs. For them to land the right personal training jobs, employment seekers should take the time to determine how well they would adapt to a particular work environment, whether their work style and ethic blend well with those of the company or facility. It is important for them to make sure that both they and their clients are comfortable at whichever location they choose to work as a personal trainer.

They can do this by dropping by corporate gyms, private fitness clubs, walk-in gyms, and corporate wellness centers in the community to inquire about available jobs in personal training. It would be worthwhile to talk with a fellow trainer or with fitness managers, program directors, and health club managers who may be around.

Other Sources of Personal Trainer Jobs

The corporate offices of big companies in one’s area are among the best bets for finding a personal trainer job. Visit them and explore opportunities for personal trainer jobs; they are known for giving higher-than-average compensation.

High-end condominiums are also a key job source. Just one satisfied client at a condo fitness center could open doors to other would-be clients.

Country clubs are probably the best place to seek well-heeled prospective clients, those who can afford to pay as much as needed to stay fit and healthy.

Those who love to travel and dream of doing so for free can apply for personal fitness trainer jobs at luxury hotels and tropical beach resorts. In major metropolises, there are many hotels with large, full-service fitness centers.

Personal trainer jobs on cruise ships are also promising. Other sources of personal trainer jobs include fitness retreats and recreation centers.

Personal Fitness Trainer: Helping People Hit Their Fitness Goals

Personal Fitness Trainer

Fitness-conscious people hire a personal fitness trainer to help and instruct them in health-related areas such as exercise, weight training, weight reduction, diet and nutrition, and medical rehabilitation. Personal fitness trainers conduct one or a series of sessions with their clients, teaching them how to set and attain realistic health and fitness objectives.

Promoting cardiovascular fitness among individuals and groups also ranks high on the work priority list of personal fitness trainers. They assess clients’ physical condition and abilities to be able to develop the most suitable personalized exercise program. These they do while ensuring that the exercise techniques used benefit clients without unnecessarily injuring them. Physical fitness training involves a myriad of activities—from light ones such as aerobics and calisthenics to more challenging ones such as weightlifting and kickboxing. For this reason, most trainers choose to focus on one or several areas.

The proper use of weight and exercise equipment, the correct performance of calisthenics and cardiovascular exercises, and healthy dieting for nutrition and weight loss are among the things that a personal trainer teaches clients.

Aside from demonstrating new exercises and workout machines and supervising clients during workouts, a personal fitness trainer also offers sound advice on dietary and nutritional matters.

A passion for fitness, excellent physical condition, and superior interpersonal and communication skills are the marks of a competent and successful fitness personal trainer.

Work Environment, Requirements for Personal Fitness Trainer

Trainers are expected to stay in great shape and good health, given the rigors of fitness personal training. Working conditions differ, with some trainers working in the comforts of their home and others sweating it out at gyms, health clubs, spas, and resorts. Most of them also work at night and on weekends.

While the physical training arena does not demand a college diploma, trainers stand to expand their knowledge and skills base by enrolling in fitness-related college programs such as health education, exercise and sports science, fitness program management, and athletic training.

Furthermore, employers and certification bodies are setting higher qualification and employment standards. Major job providers such as fitness centers and spas are requiring personal fitness trainer certification of a prospective personal fitness trainer.

Personal Trainer Salary: The Keys to Higher Compensation

Personal Trainer Salary

People inquiring about the average personal trainer salary may be perplexed with the varying rates that they will find online or learn by asking practitioners. Nationwide surveys conducted by credible sites like Payscale.com and Salary.com report hourly wages as low as $9.41 and $12.58, respectively. A probable reason behind such figures is the inclusion in the study of non-certified trainers who probably double as aerobics instructors in fitness clubs.

At the opposite end of the personal training salary scale is the upper-tier personal trainer whose clientele includes the moneyed elite such as professional athletes, well-known entertainers, and corporate bigwigs. This type of trainer can fetch a personal fitness trainer salary of over $100,000 per year, a rate that surpasses the average sports medicine salary.

Such huge compensation, however, is a product of years of personal training education and relevant work experience. These trainers had worked hard to build their reputation as fitness experts, using previous clients’ recommendations to expand their client base. The same compensation scales furnished by the abovementioned salary studies would thus indicate higher-end certified personal trainer salary of $34.39 per hour (Payscale.com) and $36.51 per hour (Salary.com).

Personal Trainer Salary in the U.S.

According to Salary.com, the average personal trainer salary in the U.S. stands at $52,869. This personal trainer salary may sound impressive, but keep in mind that the figure covers survey respondents holding jobs other than personal training in the field of general sports medicine. This explains why the wage rate seems higher than what most people expect.

Perhaps a more accurate way of determining actual personal training salaries is to get the figures directly from the more credible accreditation councils for certified personal trainers. The American Council of Exercise, for instance, places the annual salary of certified personal trainers at $53,323 ($25.64/hour) while the National Academy of Sports Medicine estimates it at $44,000 ($21.15/hour).

Self- or independently employed personal trainers claim the highest compensation in the U.S., with clients paying them per session. As they run their own business, they determine how much they can or wish to earn.

Determination, motivation, and excellent communication skills are the three major factors that can help practitioners obtain their desired personal trainer salary.

Personal Trainer

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Personal Trainer: Helping People Stay Fit and Healthy