Personal trainers can be an arduous job unless you’re an Olympic-caliber athlete; expect to put in hours before and after work, on weekends, as well as possibly during lunch breaks.
Fitness instructors can make an excellent living by finding their niche.
Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science
Exercise science degrees offer a great path for those interested in turning their passion for health and fitness into a fulfilling career. From professional athletes to patients in clinical settings, everyone can benefit from trained fitness professionals.
With an exercise science degree, you will gain the fundamentals of how human movement impacts the human body and gain the foundational information you need to create effective workout programs for clients. Furthermore, you’ll gain knowledge on nutrition’s effect on performance as well as its value as an influencer of optimal performance.
A bachelor’s degree in exercise science can open doors to careers as personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach or pre-physical therapy assistant. You could also pursue a master’s degree, which would equip you with all of the credentials needed to become a physical therapist.
Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Physiology
An Exercise science bachelor’s degree can open many doors to careers in fitness and health-related fields, from personal training to health coaching and helping people adopt healthier lifestyles to reducing chronic diseases. Graduates could even pursue professional certification like the National Strength & Conditioning Association-Certified Personal Trainer certification.
Students pursuing a bachelor’s program typically take courses in physiology, biomechanics and kinesiology, fitness management, stress management, health nutrition and stress reduction. Furthermore, an advanced degree such as master of clinical exercise physiology allows for further exploration into how exercise affects human bodies.
Most exercise science professionals work during regular business hours at outpatient treatment facilities, or as clinical exercise physiologists, physical and occupational therapists and athletic directors. To increase earnings in this industry, those interested can choose a specialty area or pursue additional education such as earning their PhD.
Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition
If you are interested in nutrition as a potential career field, earning a bachelor’s degree can help. This degree program can teach you to understand how food and exercise interact to shape one’s quality of life as well as develop critical thinking and writing abilities.
Many personal trainers work in gyms, fitness centers or private practices settings; they may also opt to be virtual trainers who check-in with clients via email or phone calls. The type of establishment where they teach may affect their PT salary.
While the average PT salary may not be too impressive, it’s important to keep in mind that this is an entry-level job in the fitness industry. When starting out in fitness they won’t make much money at first but as their experience and client base increase their PT salary will rise substantially; particularly those specializing in specific areas like strength and conditioning or sports and fitness nutrition.
Bachelor’s Degree in Strength and Conditioning
Americans have increasingly adopted healthy lifestyle habits. From offering organic ingredients on menus to joining initiatives such as the White House’s “Let’s Move!” initiative, Americans have shown they prioritize living well – leading to increased demand for personal trainers.
An undergraduate degree in exercise science opens a wide array of career doors, such as personal training and pre-physical therapy. Students can even pursue specialization certificates like nutrition or group exercise to further increase their earning potential.
Personal trainers can either work independently or be employed by a gym’s payroll. When self-employed, trainers typically receive a percentage of what their gym charges per session in what is known as 1099 pay structure.
Independent trainers typically charge $50-75 per session and work several sessions every week, earning close to $70,000 annually – far above what government salary surveys report for 24-Hour Fitness and Equinox trainer tiers. Their clients’ location can also have an effect – trainers in New York City often make multiple times what is recorded by salary surveys.
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