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The differences between personal trainers and fitness coaches 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 trainer and a fitness coach. Additionally, a fitness coach has an average salary of $38,462, which is higher than the $37,214 average annual salary of a personal trainer.
The top three skills for a personal trainer include CPR, customer service and resuscitation. The most important skills for a fitness coach are CPR, kids, and fitness programs.
| Personal Trainer | Fitness Coach | |
| Yearly salary | $37,214 | $38,462 |
| Hourly rate | $17.89 | $18.49 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 34,023 | 22,156 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A personal trainer is responsible for monitoring the client's fitness goals by assisting the client with specific and customized routines and exercises to promote healthy well-being. Duties of a personal trainer also include evaluating the client's fitness progress, creating safe programs to improve the client's stamina, educating the client with workout benefits, suggesting on a client's best nutrition plans, and motivating clients with their capabilities. A personal trainer should have excellent knowledge of the fitness industry to support the client's needs.
A fitness coach specializes in mentoring clients in their journey for a healthier lifestyle, assisting them in reaching their individual goals for physical fitness. Their responsibilities include developing training programs based on the clients' needs, facilitating physical fitness training sessions in an individual or group setting, learning the clients' medical histories for risk prevention, and monitoring the progress of clients, adjusting programs as needed. Furthermore, as a fitness coach, it is essential to build rapport with clients, motivating them to reach their goals.
Personal trainers and fitness coaches have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Trainer | Fitness Coach | |
| Average salary | $37,214 | $38,462 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $24,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | AEA Investors | AEA Investors |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Education |
There are a few differences between a personal trainer and a fitness coach in terms of educational background:
| Personal Trainer | Fitness Coach | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 personal trainers' and fitness coaches' demographics:
| Personal Trainer | Fitness Coach | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% | Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7% |
| 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% |