Personal Fitness Trainer Information
Through the 1980s and 1990s, personal trainers began to gain in popularity. Gyms that had once focused on class-based instruction began to shift toward the one-on-one model of personal fitness training. Today, personal training is a fixture in nearly every gym nationwide, and it is still growing.
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Education, Training and Advanced Degrees
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On the higher end of the spectrum, trainers can obtain bachelor's and master's degrees in training-applicable areas of study like kinesiology, physical education and exercise science. Trainers with advanced degrees command higher rates and often work with higher level athletes. Some trainers will study in a collegiate setting but choose to gain a certification instead of following through on a degree. Fitness training certifications vary in credibility, but accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies is a sign of legitimacy. There are also area specific trainers for fitness disciplines such as yoga, pilates or martial arts that study for years under an expert before gaining instructor certification to teach on their own.
Certification Associations
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In most cases, for trainers to work with clients, a training certifications must be obtained. Accredited fitness training certifications include the American Council on Exercise (ACE), American Fitness Professionals and Associates (AFPA), International Sports Science Association (ISSA) and National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT).
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Types of Fitness Training
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There are three basic types of trainers: group exercise instructors, general trainers and area specific trainers. Group trainers run collective exercise sessions like yoga, pilates, aerobics and spinning classes. General trainers work on a one-on-one basis with a variety of clients, developing then taking them through exercise regiments. Area specific trainers are typically experts and current and former participants in a certain area of fitness. Examples could include champion runners, body builders or swimmers.
Employment Overview
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Personal trainers went from a rarity in the 1980s and early 1990s to a fixture of gyms nationwide in the 2000s. This trend is expected to continue, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 29 percent jump in nationwide totals from 261,000 in 2008 to nearly 338,000 in 2018. The Bureau also reports the 2008 median wage for a trainer to be $30,000, with the bottom 10 percent averaging $16,000, and the top 10 percent averaging $60,000 per year.
Benefits
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Whether he is there to motivate or instruct, having a fitness professional can have huge health benefits. As good as an improved diet and better than taking a pill, personal training helps keep people healthy and prevents diseases like diabetes and hypertension. With many Americans living sedentary lifestyles, personal training can function as preventative health care.
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References
Resources
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