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The differences between personal fitness trainers and skills 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 personal fitness trainer and a skills trainer. Additionally, a personal fitness trainer has an average salary of $38,198, which is higher than the $32,779 average annual salary of a skills trainer.
The top three skills for a personal fitness trainer include CPR, program design and customer service. The most important skills for a skills trainer are money management, adaptive, and independent living.
| Personal Fitness Trainer | Skills Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $38,198 | $32,779 |
| Hourly rate | $18.36 | $15.76 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 33,387 | 21,389 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
Skills Trainers are responsible for creating and teaching courses that are specialized for employees of an organization. Their duties include conducting initial analysis through questionnaires, surveys, and focus groups, create program budgeting, design training courses, organize the class schedule, produce study materials, and implement trial run. They track key performance metrics, create progress reports, and continuously improve training methodologies to deliver better results. Skills Trainers also work with outside vendors in using instructional technology to facilitate teaching.
Personal fitness trainers and skills trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Fitness Trainer | Skills Trainer | |
| Average salary | $38,198 | $32,779 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $57,000 | Between $25,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Grand Forks, ND |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Four County |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a personal fitness trainer and a skills trainer in terms of educational background:
| Personal Fitness Trainer | Skills Trainer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between personal fitness trainers' and skills trainers' demographics:
| Personal Fitness Trainer | Skills Trainer | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2% | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% |
| 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% |