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Personal trainer vs wellness coach

The differences between personal trainers and wellness coaches can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a wellness coach has an average salary of $40,248, 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 wellness coach are CPR, health education, and rehabilitation.

Personal trainer vs wellness coach overview

Personal TrainerWellness Coach
Yearly salary$37,214$40,248
Hourly rate$17.89$19.35
Growth rate19%12%
Number of jobs34,02321,963
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age3747
Years of experience12-

What does a personal trainer do?

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.

What does a wellness coach do?

A wellness coach is responsible for guiding clients on their fitness and health objectives, mentoring them on activities for a healthy lifestyle, and creating customized wellness plans to manage their developmental conditions. Wellness coaches conduct counseling sessions to listen to the clients' issues, including their stress, practices, meal plans, and other daily lifestyle activities. They also plan and suggest activities for the clients while observing their behaviors and create instructional guides to sustain a positive emotional and mental perspective.

Personal trainer vs wellness coach salary

Personal trainers and wellness coaches have different pay scales, as shown below.

Personal TrainerWellness Coach
Average salary$37,214$40,248
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $53,000Between $25,000 And $62,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaAlaska
Best paying companyAEA InvestorsStanford University
Best paying industryRetailFinance

Differences between personal trainer and wellness coach education

There are a few differences between a personal trainer and a wellness coach in terms of educational background:

Personal TrainerWellness Coach
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorKinesiologyKinesiology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Personal trainer vs wellness coach demographics

Here are the differences between personal trainers' and wellness coaches' demographics:

Personal TrainerWellness Coach
Average age3747
Gender ratioMale, 63.3% Female, 36.7%Male, 34.2% Female, 65.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage13%16%

Differences between personal trainer and wellness coach duties and responsibilities

Personal trainer example responsibilities.

  • Help clients achieve fitness goals through diet and heavy weight lifting with HIIT cardio.
  • Achieve high customer satisfaction and budget efficiency in the group fitness department and yoga department.
  • Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
  • Shape the social media aspect of the facility which include Facebook and Instagram.
  • Ensure trainers and team members are consistent in punctuality, dress code, compliance, and customer service.
  • Follow ACSM guidelines ensuring safe and healthy exercise technique for strength training and cardiovascular activity.
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Wellness coach example responsibilities.

  • Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
  • Develop nutritional classes and provide some exercises for patients with diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension and obesity.
  • Front desk liason for clients, aid in booking and rescheduling appointments, suggesting additional services.
  • Aid patients with EKG setup, monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels during exercise.
  • Calibrate EKG strips and transfer client data such as maximum blood pressure, heart rate, workload, and perceive exertion.
  • Teach TRX classes, abs and core.
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Personal trainer vs wellness coach skills

Common personal trainer skills
  • CPR, 23%
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Resuscitation, 7%
  • Fitness Programs, 7%
  • NASM, 5%
  • Physical Fitness, 4%
Common wellness coach skills
  • CPR, 20%
  • Health Education, 9%
  • Rehabilitation, 8%
  • Patients, 8%
  • Health Promotion, 7%
  • Wellness Programs, 5%

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