Is Fitness the Right Fit – Exploring Personal Training Schools

Is Fitness the Right Fit – Exploring Personal Training Schools

Health awareness is becoming an increasingly prevalent part of the way we live – on a daily basis we are bombarded with reminders of how important it is to eat well, exercise right, and stay in shape. If the inclination to stay fit and educated about your own health comes naturally to you, personal training schools could provide you with an opportunity to shift those interests to a lucrative personal training career.

Typical coursework at personal training schools covers both the physical hands-on demands of the field, as well as the more academic components. Topics like exercise science, weight management, and bodybuilding are critical to completing a degree at personal training schools. However, while graduates of personal training schools need to be equipped with the skills to lead and advise future clients in these areas, a thorough textbook understanding of the mechanics behind the human body is equally important. Most curriculum’s at personal training schools include heavy coursework in physiology and anatomy, so graduates are just as attuned to what is going on inside the human body as what needs to take place in the training room.

The public’s growing interest in health education and fitness education has resulted in growing opportunities for students at personal training schools. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fitness professionals held about 205,000 jobs in 2004 and that number has been growing ever since. In fact, the Bureau projects jobs in the fitness education realm will continue to grow much faster than the average for all jobs, due to this explosion of mass interest. The aging baby boomer population has contributed significantly to this expanding field, as it is the largest demographic of health club members. On the other hand, an increasing concern and awareness of child obesity has parents seeking out fitness and exercise opportunities for their children. These are among the many factors that are boosting the value of an education from personal training schools.

A large number of workers in the fitness field work part-time, and flexibility is an integral part of a personal training career. As for earnings, a personal training education can yield $15-$18 an hour for entry level positions and as much as $85-$125 if they are experienced trainers. Certification from personal training schools can also be a springboard for other opportunities in the fitness industry like becoming a health center manager, a fitness program director, or a fitness marketing director.