Activities	Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities and the fundamentals of sports. Demonstrate techniques and methods of participation. Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary to improve their skills. Those required to hold teaching degrees should be reported in the appropriate teaching category.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$26, 910 per year in 2006
Work Context & Conditions	Recreation and fitness workers may work in a variety of settings, e.g., a health club, cruise ship, woodland recreational park, or playground in the center of a large urban community.
Minimum Education Requirements	Bachelor's Degree
Skills	Social Perceptiveness, Learning Strategies, Monitoring, Instructing, Coordination, Speaking
Abilities	Oral Expression, Time Sharing, Manual Dexterity, Speech Clarity, Information Ordering, Oral Comprehension, Multilimb Coordination, Gross Body Coordination, Stamina, Speed of Limb Movement, Trunk Strength
Interviews	Barry Weidner

Job Category		Personal Care & Service
Job Description		Fitness workers instruct or coach groups or individuals in various exercise activities. Because gyms and health clubs offer a variety of exercise activities such as weightlifting, yoga, aerobics, and karate, fitness workers typically specialize in only a few areas. Fitness trainers help clients to assess their level of physical fitness and help them to set and reach fitness goals. They also demonstrate various exercises and help clients to improve their exercise techniques. They may keep records of their clients’ exercise sessions in order to assess their progress towards physical fitness. Personal trainers work with clients on a one-on-one basis in either a gym or the client’s home. Aerobics instructors conduct group exercise sessions that involve aerobic exercise, stretching, and muscle conditioning. Some fitness workers may perform the duties of both aerobics instructors and fitness trainers.
Working Conditions		Recreation and fitness workers may work in a variety of settings—for example, a health club, cruise ship, woodland recreational park, or playground in the center of a large urban community. Regardless of setting, most recreation workers spend much of their time outdoors and may work in a variety of weather conditions, whereas most fitness workers spend their time indoors at fitness centers and health clubs. Recreation and fitness directors and supervisors, however, typically spend most of their time in an office, planning programs and special events. Directors and supervisors generally engage in less physical activity than do lower level recreation and fitness workers. Nevertheless, recreation and fitness workers at all levels risk suffering injuries during physical activities. Many recreation and fitness workers work about 40 hours a week. People entering this field, especially camp counselors, should expect some night and weekend work and irregular hours. About 36 percent work part time and many recreation jobs are seasonal.
Salary Range		Median annual earnings of fitness trainers and aerobics instructors in May 2006 were $25,910. The middle 50 percent earned between $18,010 and $41,040. The bottom 10 percent earned less than $14,880, while the top 10 percent earned $56,750 or more. Earnings of successful self-employed personal trainers can be much higher. Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of recreation workers in 2006 were: $27,200 in other amusement and recreation industries; $22,630 in civic and social organizations; and $22,770 in other schools and instruction.

Education Required		An increasing number of employers require fitness workers to have a bachelor’s degree in a field related to health or fitness, such as exercise science or physical education. Some employers allow workers to substitute a college degree for certification, while others require both a degree and certification. A bachelor’s degree and, in some cases, a master’s degree in exercise science, physical education, or a related area, along with experience, usually is required to advance to management positions in a health club or fitness center. Many fitness workers become personal trainers, in addition to their main job in a fitness center, or as a full-time job. Some workers go into business for themselves and open up their own fitness centers.
Recommended High School Courses
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Education and Training, English Language, Psychology, Biology, Customer and Personal Service
Certification and Licensing		Generally, fitness trainers and aerobics instructors must obtain a certification in the fitness field to obtain employment. Certification may be offered in various areas of exercise such as personal training, weight training, and aerobics. There are many organizations that offer certification testing in the fitness field, some of which are listed in the Other Information section of this career description. Certification generally is good for 2 years, after which workers must become recertified. Recertification is accomplished by attending continuing education classes. Most fitness workers are required to maintain a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification. Some employers also require workers to be certified in first aid.

Interest Area		Social Involves working and communicating with, helping, and teaching people.
Work Values		Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Company Policies and Practices Treated fairly by the company. Social Service Do things for other people. Creativity Try out your own ideas. Authority Give directions and instructions to others. Responsibility Make decisions on your own.
Skills		Social Perceptiveness Be aware of others' reactions and understand why they react the way they do. Learning Strategies Use multiple approaches when learning or teaching new things. Monitoring Assess how well someone is doing when learning or doing something. Instructing Teach others how to do something. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Time Sharing Able to shift back and forth efficiently between two or more activities or sources of information, such as speech, sound, or touch. Manual Dexterity Able to make quick, coordinated movements of one or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. Speech Clarity Able to speak clearly so listeners understand. Information Ordering Able to correctly follow rules for arranging things or actions in a certain order, including numbers, words, pictures, procedures, and logical operations. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. Multilimb Coordination Able to coordinate movements of one or both limbs together (for example, one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down (and not while moving). Gross Body Coordination Able to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion. Stamina Able to to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath. Speed of Limb Movement Able to quickly move the arms and legs. Trunk Strength Able to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

Related Jobs		Therapist, Recreational, Psychologist, Counseling, Social Worker, Medical
Job Outlook		Opportunities are expected to be better for fitness trainers and aerobics instructors because of relatively rapid growth in employment. Job openings for fitness workers also will stem from the need to replace the large numbers of workers who leave this occupation each year. Overall employment of recreation and fitness workers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2016, as an increasing number of people spend more time and money on recreation, fitness, and leisure services and as more businesses recognize the benefits of recreation and fitness programs and other services such as wellness programs. Employment of fitness workers—who are concentrated in the rapidly growing arts, entertainment and recreation industry—is expected to increase much faster than average due to rising interest in personal training, aerobics instruction, and other fitness activities. Recreation and fitness workers held about 235,000 jobs in 2006, and many additional workers held summer jobs in this occupation. About 62 percent were recreation workers; the rest were fitness trainers and aerobics instructors. Of those with year-round jobs as recreation workers, almost 40 percent worked for local governments, primarily in the park and recreation departments. Almost all fitness trainers and aerobics instructors worked in physical fitness facilities, health clubs, and fitness centers, mainly within the amusement and recreation services industry or civic and social organizations. About 5 percent of fitness workers were self-employed; many of these were personal trainers.
More Information		National Strength Training and Conditioning Association, American Council on Exercise, American College of Sports Medicine
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Recreation and Fitness Workers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos058.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/39-9031.00