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The differences between health fitness specialists 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 fitness specialist and a certified personal trainer. Additionally, a health fitness specialist has an average salary of $37,089, which is higher than the $32,039 average annual salary of a certified personal trainer.
The top three skills for a health fitness specialist include customer service, health fitness and administrative tasks. The most important skills for a certified personal trainer are CPR, customer service, and injury prevention.
| Health Fitness Specialist | Certified Personal Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $37,089 | $32,039 |
| Hourly rate | $17.83 | $15.40 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 57,379 | 65,615 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A health fitness specialist's role is to promote fitness through different strategies and health programs. Their responsibilities mostly revolve around researching and developing exercise routines for various people, conducting fitness training sessions for small or large groups, assisting clients in their fitness goals, and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all clients. Moreover, a health fitness specialist may provide private training sessions at home, to clients who are recovering from ailments or injuries, and even to private institutions such as universities and hospitals.
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 fitness specialists and certified personal trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Fitness Specialist | Certified Personal Trainer | |
| Average salary | $37,089 | $32,039 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $21,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | STG International | City and County of Denver Government |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Retail |
There are a few differences between a health fitness specialist and a certified personal trainer in terms of educational background:
| Health Fitness Specialist | Certified Personal Trainer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Kinesiology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between health fitness specialists' and certified personal trainers' demographics:
| Health Fitness Specialist | Certified Personal Trainer | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7% | Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 13% | 13% |