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The differences between health fitness specialists and personal fitness 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 personal fitness trainer. Additionally, a personal fitness trainer has an average salary of $38,198, which is higher than the $37,089 average annual salary of a health fitness specialist.
The top three skills for a health fitness specialist include customer service, health fitness and administrative tasks. The most important skills for a personal fitness trainer are CPR, program design, and customer service.
| Health Fitness Specialist | Personal Fitness Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $37,089 | $38,198 |
| Hourly rate | $17.83 | $18.36 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 57,379 | 33,387 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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.
Personal Fitness Trainers are responsible for developing fitness plans entailing exercise routines for groups and individuals. Their duties include determining clients' health and fitness levels, facilitating exercise regimen completions, monitoring physical progress, and implementing individualized exercise plans. They are responsible for undertaking group and individual training sessions, supervising proper fitness equipment, and educating on comprehensive training techniques. Personal Fitness Trainers also assist in providing consultation regarding nutrition, health, and weight control inquiries. They ensure safety regulations are adhered to and can perform first aid.
Health fitness specialists and personal fitness trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Fitness Specialist | Personal Fitness Trainer | |
| Average salary | $37,089 | $38,198 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $25,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | STG International | - |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | - |
There are a few differences between a health fitness specialist and a personal fitness trainer in terms of educational background:
| Health Fitness Specialist | Personal Fitness Trainer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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 personal fitness trainers' demographics:
| Health Fitness Specialist | Personal Fitness Trainer | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7% | Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2% |
| 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% |