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Health and wellness instructor vs certified personal trainer

The differences between health and wellness instructors and certified personal trainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a health and wellness instructor and a certified personal trainer. Additionally, a health and wellness instructor has an average salary of $39,996, which is higher than the $32,039 average annual salary of a certified personal trainer.

The top three skills for a health and wellness instructor include home health, CPR and yoga. The most important skills for a certified personal trainer are CPR, customer service, and injury prevention.

Health and wellness instructor vs certified personal trainer overview

Health And Wellness InstructorCertified Personal Trainer
Yearly salary$39,996$32,039
Hourly rate$19.23$15.40
Growth rate19%19%
Number of jobs76,45165,615
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age3737
Years of experience1212

What does a health and wellness instructor do?

A health and wellness instructor or coach is someone who guides people and helps them set goals for their lives. These goals may be to manage stress better, improve energy, lose weight or even attain a certain body goal. You may be required to give nutrition and exercise counseling to clients as well as give advice on lifestyle and behavioral changes to help improve the lives of people.

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.

Health and wellness instructor vs certified personal trainer salary

Health and wellness instructors and certified personal trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Health And Wellness InstructorCertified Personal Trainer
Average salary$39,996$32,039
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $58,000Between $21,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-City and County of Denver Government
Best paying industry-Retail

Differences between health and wellness instructor and certified personal trainer education

There are a few differences between a health and wellness instructor and a certified personal trainer in terms of educational background:

Health And Wellness InstructorCertified Personal Trainer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorKinesiologyKinesiology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Health and wellness instructor vs certified personal trainer demographics

Here are the differences between health and wellness instructors' and certified personal trainers' demographics:

Health And Wellness InstructorCertified Personal Trainer
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 33.7% Female, 66.3%Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between health and wellness instructor and certified personal trainer duties and responsibilities

Health and wellness instructor example responsibilities.

  • Lead group exercise classes and teach CPR classes.
  • Conduct testing for BMI, flexibility, height, weight, and blood pressure.
  • Teach yoga, mindfulness meditation and body awareness tailor to clients' mental and emotional needs.
  • Design programs for clients, including nutrition, yoga, Pilates, cardiovascular and weight training.
  • Educate patients about healthy lifestyle behaviors -Developed anaerobic and aerobic exercise routines derive from a doctor's physical examination of patients
  • Instruct group exercise classes including tabata, tone, and spinning.

Certified personal trainer example responsibilities.

  • 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.
  • Show more

Health and wellness instructor vs certified personal trainer skills

Common health and wellness instructor skills
  • Home Health, 29%
  • CPR, 13%
  • Yoga, 12%
  • Wellness Programs, 5%
  • Membership Sales, 4%
  • Physical Education, 4%
Common certified personal trainer skills
  • CPR, 21%
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Injury Prevention, 9%
  • Group Training, 6%
  • NASM, 6%
  • Weight Loss, 5%

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