Hello - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[MusclePro]

Hello.

I'm 23 years old. I'm looking to become certified through American Council on Exercise.

I have a significant amount of fitness knowledge, but my only problem is I'm a little unsure on the consistency of a career as a personal trainer.

Here's the things. I plan on working for a gym to get in some experience, then perhaps starting my own business. But that's after I get about 8 years experience in the fitness industry.

1] I plan on moving to Tennessee, what salary can I expect as my first job as a personal trainer in a gym? I'd like at least $9 per hour, is that too much?

2] Is it hard finding a job?

3] There's an awful lot of material in the book, what sections should I play the most attention to in order to prepare for the exam?

Thank you for responses.

[Murray]

Hello MusclePro,

Research the city in which are you moving into as far as job opportunities go. Use things like craigslist or gymjob.com to find job openings or use Google to search the area looking for gyms. Contact the gyms directly with employment inquiries. I have not worked in a gym like this but imagine if you follow ACE guidelines for exercise programming and don't have a sedentary individual doing 1 RM Squats or sprint intervals (I've seen "trainers" do this), then you will gain a lot of knowledge on interacting with clients, developing rapport, making programs, etc.

Your salary will depend on the type of place you work in. A lot of franchise gyms (Gold's Gym, 24 Hour Fitness, Snap Fitness, etc.) will push you to sell packages and supplements and will give you commission based on your sales; expect a low hourly wage with commission.

As for the ACE Exam, it is very straightforward. A lot of trainers who passed the exam suggest that if you get stuck or discouraged because of the content within the first 3 chapters, to continue through the manual as the content gets a little easier to understand and things start to make more sense. Everything is important in the manual, so don't be afraid to ask questions on these forums or seek help from ACE as they will be able to help you.

[Murray]

And I just realized this was posted almost a year ago.... haha

[Christina]

No worries, Murray. It still applies. Thanks for contributing!

Christina