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The differences between personal trainers and group exercise instructors 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 group exercise instructor. Additionally, a personal trainer has an average salary of $37,214, which is higher than the $34,348 average annual salary of a group exercise instructor.
The top three skills for a personal trainer include CPR, customer service and resuscitation. The most important skills for a group exercise instructor are CPR, yoga, and kids.
| Personal Trainer | Group Exercise Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $37,214 | $34,348 |
| Hourly rate | $17.89 | $16.51 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 34,023 | 33,704 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 group exercise instructor is responsible for leading fitness training and programs for different class groups. Group exercise instructors develop correct conditioning techniques, as well as observing the proper form of the student from their movements and exercises. A group exercise instructor also recommends nutritional foods and beverages that would help the students maintain a healthy lifestyle and development. They identify each student's strengths and weaknesses and develop comprehensive training programs to address their needs.
Personal trainers and group exercise instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Trainer | Group Exercise Instructor | |
| Average salary | $37,214 | $34,348 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $22,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | AEA Investors | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Education |
There are a few differences between a personal trainer and a group exercise instructor in terms of educational background:
| Personal Trainer | Group Exercise Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| 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 group exercise instructors' demographics:
| Personal Trainer | Group Exercise Instructor | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% | Male, 23.5% Female, 76.5% |
| 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% |