Personal Trainer Certification
and Career Guide

girl taking a break from a workout

Motivation, key to any successful workout routine, is difficult to maintain. A New Year's resolution to lose weight, tone up, or improve cardiovascular health can fall by the wayside in the absence of the right inspiration. That's where personal training makes a difference.

More than counting reps and offering exercise guidelines, personal training is about building relationships and motivating clients to keep their commitment to lifelong fitness. If you have the spirit and energy to help people improve their health and change their lives, personal trainer certification might be an ideal career path for you.

Clients who decide to work with a personal trainer are devoting time and money to getting expert help in developing a routine for lifelong health and fitness. To meet this expectation, personal trainers need:

Here are some resources to help you learn more about personal trainer certification programs and personal training careers.

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Personal Trainer Career and Training Overview

Get a personal trainer career overview, and learn what you will study in a personal trainer certification program. Uncover the keys to building a full-time career in the personal training industry, and gain insight to personal trainer salaries and typical work schedules. Finally, discover the most common personal trainer certification options, and get the answers you need to find the right personal training school for you.

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How to Become a Certified Personal Trainer

Learn how to become a certified personal trainer. Understand how the industry currently self-regulates in an effort to ensure competency and professionalism, and get advice on choosing a personal trainer certification program. Gain insight on the importance of earning credentials that meet not only your professional goals but any impending regulatory laws your state might have on the horizon.

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Personal Training Programs

Personal training programs come in all shapes and sizes. Learn what degrees are available in personal training programs. And find out which degree specialties have a higher chance of leading to career opportunities in the personal training arena. After you earn your degree, you will need to get certified. Discover the most-recognized organizations offering personal trainer certification.

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Personal Fitness Trainer Requirements

Currently, the personal training industry itself specifies personal fitness trainer requirements. Learn how the growth of the industry has inspired some states to introduce legislation intended to standardize personal fitness trainer requirements for education and competency. Gain insight as to how you can build credentials that go above and beyond any impending legislative changes in your state.

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Top Personal Trainer Schools

Study the top personal trainer certification schools in the country, and learn which programs offers the best regimen for you. From school focus and training hours to program length and tuition costs, uncover different aspects of each personal training school. Plus, find out what services, such as job placement and post-graduation coaching, top personal trainer certification programs deliver.

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Careers in Personal Training

Earn your certified personal trainer credentials, and become a member of one of today's most thriving and versatile professions. Working in health clubs and fitness centers is just the start. Learn how certified personal trainers have become highly sought in spas, resorts, businesses, sports medicine and youth training programs. Learn more about your personal trainer career options.

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Personal Trainer Interviews

Get first-hand advice on personal training careers and education from two successful Seattle-based trainers. From diverse backgrounds, these women talk about what inspired them to become personal trainers. Learn from their insight on the rewards and challenges of the profession, what it's really like working one-on-one with clients and how personal training changes not only the client's life, but the trainer's too.

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About Hollywood Personal Trainers

Take a look inside the life of two Hollywood personal trainers, and discover how each decided to become a personal trainer. Find out where they went to school and their key advice to clients when it comes to maintaining health and fitness. Like every Hollywood star, every Hollywood personal trainer had to start somewhere. Learn how these two turned their personal trainer expertise and ambition into a dream career.

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Related Articles:

View all our Spa, Massage and Wellness Articles to learn more about spa and massage careers. You can also view the Spa and Beauty Articles to get more industry insight.

Return to the Spa & Massage Career Center home page.

Looking for Spa and Massage Schools?

Try our Spa, Massage & Beauty Schools page. There you will find a comprehensive list of schools which offer program descriptions. You can also request information from the schools that interest you most.

 

Sources:
American Council on Exercise, 2009
American College of Sports Medicine, 2009
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009

ABOUT THE BIGGEST LOSER TRAINERS

Learn how Bob Harper and Kim Lyons, personal trainers from the hit reality television show, The Biggest Loser, got their start. Discover how they turned their love of fitness into thriving careers.


The Biggest Loser personal trainer bios

News & Events

Personal Trainer Interviews

Learn how two successful women with unique backgrounds found a career that allows them the personal and professional lifesytle they want.

an interview with personal trainers

Discover how Rose Wetzel and Lisa Ballatore chose their Personal Training Career path.

Hollywood Personal Trainers

Would you like to spend your days with Jessica Alba and Matthew McConaughey? Learn how Hollywood personal trainers Ramona Braganza and Gunnar Peterson began their personal training careers.

learn how hollywood personal trainers got their start

Find the personal training school that's right for you.

How to Pay for School

Think you can't afford it? There are tons of loans, grants and scholarships for aspiring spa and beauty professionals.

How to Pay for School

Learn how to finance beauty school here.