Are you passionate about physical fitness? Do you have a knack for instructing others? Then you might be interested in pursuing a career as a health fitness trainer. You may wonder what a health fitness trainer program is and what you learn.
A health fitness trainer program (HFT) is a college-led educational program that, upon earning your diploma, will unlock career doors for you. You could work in exciting roles as a fitness appraiser, clinical exercise trainer, group fitness instructor, or certified personal trainer.
In today’s guide, we'll introduce you to HFT programs, explaining what you’ll learn, what you can do with your degree, and how you can enroll in an online health fitness training program.
Let’s begin!
A health fitness trainer program instructs students interested in teaching fitness disciplines and provides them with the knowledge and skills needed to work in this exciting, rewarding role.
While the course curriculum varies by college, most health fitness trainer programs combine group exercise and personal training as well as clinical training and hands-on experience.
You’ll learn skills such as how to market yourself as a professional fitness trainer, how to start a successful business, and how to manage your finances to benefit your bottom line.
Your time in the program might include weight management and nutrition coursework as well as the basics of kinesiology, physiology, and anatomy.
By the time you complete the program, you’ll feel ready to begin working as a fitness trainer, helping people improve their health, their well-being, and their lives through your expertise.
Obtaining a health fitness trainer diploma opens doors to many career opportunities. Per the intro, let’s look at the career paths you can explore.
The job of a fitness appraiser is to take a variety of measurements that dictates a person’s fitness level.
For instance, you’ll determine how flexible a client is by asking them to sit and reach various limbs, what their muscular endurance and strength are (by doing push-ups and sit-ups), what their aerobic capacity is (by riding a bicycle for upwards of 15 minutes), and what their body composition is.
You can then make a personalized recommendation for a training program that best suits them.
Some clients struggle more with their health and fitness than others. These parties may need a fitness consultant.
As a fitness consultant, it will be your job to offer nutritional and fitness advice to your clients to help them meet their wellness goals.
Working as a fitness supervisor is an esteemed role. You’ll be hired at a recreation center to do a variety of jobs in a supervisory capacity.
For example, if anyone at the facility needs help understanding how the machines work or exercising, you’d be there to offer your assistance.
You’ll also maintain a safe, welcoming, and clean environment at the facility so that anyone who comes to exercise feels included.
With your health fitness trainer diploma, you could also be hired as a clinical exercise trainer, also known as a clinical exercise specialist.
In this specialist position, you’ll create exercise programs for unique populations, including those with physical challenges, medical conditions, and chronic diseases.
You’ll take into consideration the client’s health and degree of physical ability when creating these exercise programs.
It’s also your job to implement the program, oversee its success, and modify its elements as needed.
If you’re interested in helping groups of people become healthier, then you may look into the role of sports performance coach.
The role of a sports performance coach requires you to help athletes unlock their full potential. You’ll instruct your athletes on exercise modalities to implement and motivate them when they need a morale boost.
Another group exercise role you could use your health fitness trainer diploma for is the title of group exercise instructor.
As a group exercise instructor, you will lead others during group exercise sessions. The type of physical instruction varies and can include yoga, water aerobics, tai chi, HIIT training, spinning, and plenty of other group exercises.
Besides leading the class, as a group exercise instructor, you’ll also assist those who need extra help and be available to answer any questions students may have.
Probably the most popular role with a health fitness trainer diploma, you can work as a certified personal trainer.
You will need to obtain a personal training certification first, but once you have the certification you could be hired by a gym, rehabilitation center, or fitness facility to instruct others on a one-on-one basis.
You could even be a self-employed personal trainer who builds up your own client base and travels from house to house to offer your services.
Working as a health fitness trainer is one that we deem worthwhile. Here are all the benefits you can enjoy with your degree.
While some health fitness trainers are perfectly happy to work in a gym or another exercise facility, those who want some variety in where they go in their day-to-day working lives will have that freedom.
Many roles that you can occupy with a health fitness trainer diploma allow you to work where you want. It could be a client’s home, a group class setting, or wherever you feel your skills will be the most utilized.
How often do you get that kind of versatility with a career choice? Not very!
Nine-to-five? Not here! As a health fitness trainer, your work hours are as flexible as your work location.
You may have to work some odd hours at times, such as nights or weekends, but you don’t have to subject yourself to the tiresome grind of the nine-to-five lifestyle day in and day out.
As a fitness trainer, you also get far more say over your earning potential than most career tracks. It's especially true if you work as an independent personal trainer.
The more clients you accrue and the more hours you work the higher your earnings can be. If you want to focus more than one month on personal time, you have the freedom to scale back and then ramp up efforts the next month.
Being physically active and eating a nutritious diet are the pillars of good health.
As a fitness trainer, you’re going to be the mentor to many of your clients, so you’ll want to set a good example.
Your job will also allow you to get active alongside your clients throughout the day, which makes it easier to maintain your own health.
If you’re seeking a job where you can make a difference, then working as a health fitness trainer is undoubtedly it. You’re helping your clients meet their health and wellness goals, from losing a few pounds to transforming their bodies and lives.
Your job will always be a point of pride, and rightfully so!
As if all the above benefits weren't enough, you also have the opportunity to do what you love when you work as a fitness trainer. You’ll wake up every day looking forward to meeting with clients or leading a group class because you truly enjoy what you do.
That positive energy of yours is contagious and will rub off on others!
Are you looking for a health fitness trainer school? Bryan College’s online Health Fitness Trainer program will check all your boxes.
The program also includes preparation to take the National Academy of Sports Medicine or NASM certification test to become a certified personal trainer.
Graduating from the Health Fitness Trainer program lets you take your career in many directions. You could work at a rehabilitation center, corporate fitness center, fitness facility, gym, or even go the self-employed route.
Learn more about Bryan College's online Health Fitness Trainer program today!
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Registered as a career college under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005.
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