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Sports trainer vs certified personal trainer

The differences between sports trainers and certified personal 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 sports trainer and a certified personal trainer. Additionally, a certified personal trainer has an average salary of $32,039, which is higher than the $31,455 average annual salary of a sports trainer.

The top three skills for a sports trainer include professional athletes, CPR and strength training. The most important skills for a certified personal trainer are CPR, customer service, and injury prevention.

Sports trainer vs certified personal trainer overview

Sports TrainerCertified Personal Trainer
Yearly salary$31,455$32,039
Hourly rate$15.12$15.40
Growth rate19%19%
Number of jobs22,16465,615
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age3737
Years of experience1212

Sports trainer vs certified personal trainer salary

Sports trainers and certified personal trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sports TrainerCertified Personal Trainer
Average salary$31,455$32,039
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $44,000Between $21,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-City and County of Denver Government
Best paying industry-Retail

Differences between sports trainer and certified personal trainer education

There are a few differences between a sports trainer and a certified personal trainer in terms of educational background:

Sports TrainerCertified Personal Trainer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorKinesiologyKinesiology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Sports trainer vs certified personal trainer demographics

Here are the differences between sports trainers' and certified personal trainers' demographics:

Sports TrainerCertified Personal Trainer
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 71.4% Female, 28.6%Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5%
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, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between sports trainer and certified personal trainer duties and responsibilities

Sports trainer example responsibilities.

  • Achieve high customer satisfaction and budget efficiency in the group fitness department and yoga department.
  • Launch an ongoing event agenda that include soccer practices and games and numerous community excursions.
  • Administer a strict curriculum of basic soccer skills and technique to several youth and adult teams.
  • Create feedback and progress reports regarding development for on boarding new associates and provide official information on a SharePoint database.
  • Incorporate a monthly fit test and BMI calculation to evaluate individual client growth.

Certified personal trainer example responsibilities.

  • Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
  • Train in CPR in case of emergencies.
  • Develop circuit training and small group Pilates classes.
  • Instruct Pilates classes and create a custom Pilates class for senior clients.
  • Coach and tutor colleagues on exercise science concepts as outlined in NASM certification material.
  • Assist in the cardiac rehabilitation clinic which include implementing progressive rehabilitation methods with education for long term health and wellness.
  • Show more

Sports trainer vs certified personal trainer skills

Common sports trainer skills
  • Professional Athletes, 39%
  • CPR, 22%
  • Strength Training, 9%
  • Soccer, 7%
  • Sports Training, 7%
  • Student Athletes, 4%
Common certified personal trainer skills
  • CPR, 21%
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Injury Prevention, 9%
  • Group Training, 6%
  • NASM, 6%
  • Weight Loss, 5%

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