ACE HEALTH COACH CAREER GUIDE | 1 American Council on Exercise 4851 Paramount D
ACE HEALTH COACH CAREER GUIDE | 1 American Council on Exercise 4851 Paramount Drive, San Diego, CA 92123 800.825.3636 l ACEfitness.org Becoming a Personal Trainer A career guide for an evolving industry. ACE HEALTH COACH CAREER GUIDE | 2 Many people just like you are passionate about living healthy, fit lives and inspiring others to do the same. With a current landscape plagued by a growing public health crisis of lifestyle-related diseases, many of which are the direct result of a lack of regular physical activity, there’s no better time than now to turn your passion into a profession by taking the next steps on your journey to becoming a personal trainer. While the profession of personal training continues to grow year after year thanks in large part to increased consumer demand for fitness-related services from various demographics, this field is also thriving due to the diverse and highly rewarding career options available to professionals. It can be exciting to have the ability to work in a number of settings specializing in different aspects of fitness, but for those new to the field of personal training the plethora of choices can prove overwhelming. Prospective personal trainers must navigate everything from workplace and certification organization options to how to assess income potential and future opportunities in the evolving field. While there’s not a “one-size-fits all” approach when it comes to pursuing a career in health and fitness, this career guide offers a comprehensive view of the profession of personal training, complete with a detailed look at the current and future state of the industry as well as an assortment of popular career track options and the pros and cons associated with each. In addition to demystifying the process of becoming a personal trainer, this guide features unique insights from currently practicing personal trainers as to how they have integrated their skills and passions into long-lasting careers in this flourishing field, and how you can too. Overview “Today’s health and fitness consumers need and demand comprehensive programs that are truly individualized based on their physical activity levels, current health status, and unique needs and desires.” SCOTT GOUDESEUNE ACE PRESIDENT AND CEO SAN DIEGO, CA ACE HEALTH COACH CAREER GUIDE | 3 Personal training is a service-focused profession centered on educating, motivating and inspiring individuals to live healthier, more active lifestyles. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) stated that personal trainers currently serve as the primary profession within the fitness industry1. The DOL went on to define the role of personal trainers as: + Working with a single client or small group + Training within a gym or in clients’ homes + Assessing client levels of physical fitness and helping set and reach fitness goals + Demonstrating various exercises and helping clients improve their exercise techniques + Maintaining records of clients’ exercise sessions to monitor clients’ progress toward physical fitness + Advising clients on how to modify their lifestyles outside of the gym to improve fitness SCOPE OF PRACTICE While this people-oriented profession is one that serves a diverse client demographic, throughout their careers the majority of personal trainers will primarily focus on developing and implementing safe and effective fitness programs for apparently healthy individuals or those who have a physician’s release for exercise. As a collective group with a primary focus on prevention, personal trainers have a general scope of practice, as outlined by IDEA Health & Fitness Association2. Identified as valuable members of the allied healthcare continuum, personal trainers’ scope of practice is outlined by the association to include, but not be limited to: + Coaching clients and providing general health and fitness information + Designing exercise programs and utilizing exercise to help improve overall health + Screening for exercise limitations and identifying Personal Training Defined potential risk factors through screening + Providing general information on healthy eating in accordance with MyPlate Food Guidance System + Following national consensus guidelines for exercise programming for medical disorders + Documenting client progress + Following physician, therapist or dietitian recommendations + Referring clients to an appropriate allied health professional or medical practitioner when necessary Because each state, province, city and county has different laws pertaining to the responsibilities of various healthcare professions, it is the responsibility of the personal trainer to adhere to the laws in his or her geographical area as well as to abide by the defined scope of practice. In doing so, personal trainers can provide effective services to their clients, gain and maintain support from healthcare community and avoid the legal ramifications of providing services outside their professional scope. ACE HEALTH COACH CAREER GUIDE | 4 A growing health crisis of obesity and inactivity coupled with a greater global focus on preventive health measures has resulted in a strong demand for personal trainers. As reported by IBISWorld, the personal-training industry has enjoyed steady growth over the past five years, fueled predominantly by rising demand for weight-loss services and greater interest in customized workout programs3. SNAPSHOT OF THE CURRENT PROFESSION Despite the recession, the total number of gym memberships in the United States rose from 40.3 million in 2009 to 54.1 million in 2014 as Americans have become increasingly more interested in personal fitness, especially in light of worsening nationwide health trends. This heightened focus on fitness and wellness has enabled the field of personal training to thrive, with an estimated 6.5 million Americans utilizing personal-training services in 2014, up from 4 million in 1999, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA)3. With increasing consumer demand, the majority of personal trainers are currently employed in health clubs and gyms, as 91% of these facilities are currently offering personal-training services to their members3. Given the evolving nature of the field, however, many personal trainers are self-employed, working out of clients’ homes or their own homes, training in studios, working with clients in outdoor settings, or training clients virtually utilizing Web-based technology. Additionally, personal trainers are employed in a wide variety of non-traditional settings, such as hospitals, schools, resorts, wellness and recreation centers, and corporations3. Given the dynamic nature of the industry, the hourly rate and yearly salary for a personal trainer can vary greatly based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to geographic location, years of professional experience, and type of services offered. A 2013 American Council on Exercise (ACE) survey of more than 3,000 certified fitness professionals nationwide found that full-time personal trainers on average earn $52,537 annually4. Industry Landscape FULL-TIME PERSONAL TRAINER AVERAGE SALARY IN 2013 $52,537 AMERICANS UTILIZING PERSONAL TRAINING SERVICES 4 MILLION 1999 6.5 MILLION 2014 ACE HEALTH COACH CAREER GUIDE | 5 With the continued evolution of the industry and intensified consumer demand for tailored health and fitness solutions, employment of personal trainers is expected to increase by 13% over the 10-year period between 2012 and 2021. The projected growth is attributed to a number of factors, including: + Increasing number of baby boomers who want to stay healthy, physically fit and independent + Increase in businesses opening on-site fitness facilities and offering incentives for employees to join gyms + Growing concern about childhood obesity, driving parents to increasingly invest in individualized exercise programs for their children + Increasing health club memberships among young adults concerned about physical fitness + An aging population seeking relief from arthritis and other ailments through individualized approaches to exercise In response to these diverse populations seeking training services, from 2014 to 2019 the number of industry establishments is projected to rise at an annual rate of 2.4%, to an estimated 68,601 facilities throughout the United States3. This will include both large, traditional health clubs and gyms as well as smaller personal-training studios, many of which will be owned and operated by personal trainers. OPPORTUNITIES IN HEALTHCARE With decades of research validating the pivotal role that physical activity plays in ensuring optimal health and well-being, there exists a great opportunity for qualified personal trainers to fill a much-needed role in the patient- centered model of care, particularly as it pertains to the prevention and treatment of chronic disease such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. With fitness professionals, such as personal trainers, perfectly poised to offer practical, science-based wellness solutions, several leading health and fitness certification organizations are calling for public policies that recognize properly credentialed health and fitness professionals as those who are equipped to deliver programs and interventions for the treatment of lifestyle diseases on the healthcare continuum. This includes, but is not limited to, the establishment of systems and processes by which physicians and other healthcare professionals may refer patients to well-qualified health and fitness professionals for health-related interventions that are both affordable and readily accessible. “I became a certified fitness professional and ultimately a fitness educator because I wanted to help elevate the general public’s perception of what fitness professionals do and how they can play a pivotal role in promoting good health.” PETE MCCALL ACE CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER uploads/Voyage/ career-guide 8 .pdf
Documents similaires
-
30
-
0
-
0
Licence et utilisation
Gratuit pour un usage personnel Attribution requise- Détails
- Publié le Jui 26, 2022
- Catégorie Travel / Voayage
- Langue French
- Taille du fichier 0.1779MB