What does a certified personal trainer do?

A Certified Personal Trainer is a person who will guide, help, and motivate you to move forward and become successful. Anyone with a mastery of a specific subject can become a personal trainer; however, certification is given only by accredited organizations that can offer licensure or certification programs. Many hope to find their own certified personal trainer in this hectic and convoluted society to accompany them through thick and thin in life.
Certified personal trainer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real certified personal trainer resumes:
- Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
- Train in CPR in case of emergencies.
- Develop circuit training and small group Pilates classes.
- Instruct Pilates classes and create a custom Pilates class for senior clients.
- Coach and tutor colleagues on exercise science concepts as outlined in NASM certification material.
- Assist in the cardiac rehabilitation clinic which include implementing progressive rehabilitation methods with education for long term health and wellness.
- Train clients using dumbbells, boxing bags, nautilus equipment, operate and adjust all equipment according to client's needs.
Certified personal trainer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Certified Personal Trainers are proficient in CPR, Customer Service, and Injury Prevention. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Communication skills, and Listening skills.
We break down the percentage of Certified Personal Trainers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- CPR, 21%
Certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine; CPR and AED certified by the American Heart Association.
- Customer Service, 15%
Designed and implemented exercise programs for clients-Maintained cleanliness of facility-Front desk customer service answering phones, scheduling appointments, and assisting members
- Injury Prevention, 9%
Demonstrate all exercises and supervise to maintain proper form for injury prevention and effectiveness.
- Group Training, 6%
Perform one-on-one and small group training and lead weekly group fitness classes while building my business through prospecting and selling.
- NASM, 6%
Earned my Certified Personal Trainer Certification Remote certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
- Weight Loss, 5%
Received promotion from Certified Personal Trainer to Metabolic Specialist Responsible for performing metabolic tests for weight loss and sport specific clients.
Common skills that a certified personal trainer uses to do their job include "cpr," "customer service," and "injury prevention." You can find details on the most important certified personal trainer responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for a certified personal trainer to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what certified personal trainers do because "many fitness trainers and instructors sell their services, motivating clients to hire them as personal trainers or to sign up for the classes they lead." Additionally, a certified personal trainer resume shows how certified personal trainers use customer-service skills: "assist customers with choosing an appropriate and affordable diet, exercise and nutrition program. "
Communication skills. Many certified personal trainer duties rely on communication skills. "fitness trainers and instructors must be able to clearly explain exercises that they demonstrate to clients.," so a certified personal trainer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways certified personal trainer responsibilities rely on communication skills: "provide superior customer service and communication to clients. "
Listening skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of certified personal trainers is listening skills. This skill is critical to many everyday certified personal trainer duties, as "fitness trainers and instructors must listen carefully to what clients tell them in order to determine the clients’ fitness levels and desired fitness goals." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "communicated with clients and their families on a daily basis participated in direct sales of personal training programs. "
Motivational skills. A big part of what certified personal trainers do relies on "motivational skills." You can see how essential it is to certified personal trainer responsibilities because "to keep clients coming back for more classes or to continue personal training, fitness trainers and instructors must keep their clients motivated." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical certified personal trainer tasks: "skilled in motivational interviewing to keep people committed to their training programs. "
Physical fitness. Another common skill required for certified personal trainer responsibilities is "physical fitness." This skill comes up in the duties of certified personal trainers all the time, as "fitness trainers and instructors must be able to lead classes and to demonstrate exercises to participants or their clients." An excerpt from a real certified personal trainer resume shows how this skill is central to what a certified personal trainer does: "provided services as an outside contractor specializing in phase iv cardiac rehabilitation and senior fitness. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill commonly found on certified personal trainer job descriptions is "problem-solving skills." It can come up quite often in certified personal trainer duties, since "fitness trainers and instructors must evaluate members’ or client’s fitness levels and create appropriate fitness plans to meet their needs." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day certified personal trainer responsibilities: "provided excellent customer service to members and clients and addressed their concerns while finding a viable solution. "
The three companies that hire the most certified personal trainers are:
- Anytime Fitness13 certified personal trainers jobs
- Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center4 certified personal trainers jobs
- Active Wellness3 certified personal trainers jobs
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Certified personal trainer vs. Yoga teacher
A yoga teacher is responsible for teaching yoga as an exercise to enhance general body wellbeing and fitness. Yoga teachers primarily focus on teaching students how to practice meditation, perform different body stretching poses and improve mindfulness, which leads to general body wellbeing. As a yoga teacher, you're required to have a university degree or certification from private training organizations that offer specialist courses. Yoga teachers are also called "yogis" or "yoga instructors."
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between certified personal trainers and yoga teacher. For instance, certified personal trainer responsibilities require skills such as "cpr," "customer service," "group training," and "nasm." Whereas a yoga teacher is skilled in "anatomy," "thai," "asana," and "yoga." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Yoga teachers tend to reach higher levels of education than certified personal trainers. In fact, yoga teachers are 10.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Certified personal trainer vs. Strength and conditioning internship
Strength and conditioning interns are students, under an internship scheme, who provide assistance to staff in a comprehensive strength and conditioning programs' teaching and implementation. The programs integrate diverse curriculum focusing on the science and techniques associated with strength and conditioning. The interns supervise the rehabilitation sessions and workouts of varsity student-athletes. They execute motivational tasks in program implementation with the student-athletes. The skills necessary for the job include weight training, proper technique, and program design.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that certified personal trainer responsibilities requires skills like "cpr," "customer service," "group training," and "nasm." But a strength and conditioning internship might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "student athletes," "program implementation," "softball," and "soccer."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Strength and conditioning interns tend to reach similar levels of education than certified personal trainers. In fact, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Certified personal trainer vs. Fitness attendant
A fitness attendant oversees the daily operations of fitness establishments, ensuring that clients receive optimal services. They are primarily in charge of opening and closing facilities, setting up and sanitizing equipment, monitoring supply inventory, and maintaining the cleanliness of areas. They also greet and interact with clients, answer inquiries, provide instructions on how to use equipment safely, and assist them by spotting. It is also their responsibility to respond to distress and emergencies, resolving issues promptly and professionally.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, certified personal trainers are more likely to have skills like "injury prevention," "group training," "nasm," and "weight loss." But a fitness attendant is more likely to have skills like "cleanliness," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "general supervision."
Fitness attendants earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $30,796. Certified personal trainers earn the highest pay from the retail industry, with an average salary of $43,335.fitness attendants typically earn similar educational levels compared to certified personal trainers. Specifically, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Certified personal trainer vs. Yoga instructor
A yoga teacher or instructor is an individual who teaches yoga lessons and works at yoga studios, gyms, or fitness centers. Yoga teachers are wellness and fitness professionals who lead yoga classes. They teach their students a variety of practice meditation, promote mindfulness, and stretching poses. It is expected of them to know about mindful meditation and Chakra system implementation. They should be equipped with energy, inspiration, authenticity, attention to detail, and diligence.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between certified personal trainers and yoga instructors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a certified personal trainer might have more use for skills like "injury prevention," "group training," "nasm," and "weight loss." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of yoga instructors require skills like "class attendance," "teacher training," "yoga," and "ryt. "
In general, yoga instructors earn the most working in the education industry, with an average salary of $49,905. The highest-paying industry for a certified personal trainer is the retail industry.The average resume of yoga instructors showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to certified personal trainers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 6.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.4%.Types of certified personal trainer
Updated January 8, 2025











