Sports trainer vs fitness specialist

The differences between sports trainers and fitness specialists 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 fitness specialist. Additionally, a fitness specialist has an average salary of $32,472, 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 fitness specialist are CPR, fitness assessments, and ACSM.

Sports trainer vs fitness specialist overview

	Sports Trainer	Fitness Specialist
Yearly salary	$31,455	$32,472
Hourly rate	$15.12	$15.61
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	22,164	28,175
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	12	12

Sports trainer vs fitness specialist salary

Sports trainers and fitness specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sports Trainer	Fitness Specialist
Average salary	$31,455	$32,472
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $44,000	Between $24,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University Settlement
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between sports trainer and fitness specialist education

There are a few differences between a sports trainer and a fitness specialist in terms of educational background:

	Sports Trainer	Fitness Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Kinesiology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Sports trainer vs fitness specialist demographics

Here are the differences between sports trainers' and fitness specialists' demographics:

	Sports Trainer	Fitness Specialist
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6%	Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%
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%

Differences between sports trainer and fitness specialist 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.

Fitness specialist example responsibilities.

Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
Lead group strength training exercises, conduct vitals, and monitor EKG telemetry before during and after exercise.
Conduct CPR and a workshops for facility.
Water safety, CPR, and a certified.
Maintain cleanliness of exercise equipment.
Maintain cleanliness and safety protocol of fitness equipment.

Sports trainer vs fitness specialist skills

Common sports trainer skills

Professional Athletes, 39%
CPR, 22%
Strength Training, 9%
Soccer, 7%
Sports Training, 7%
Student Athletes, 4%

Common fitness specialist skills

CPR, 16%
Fitness Assessments, 8%
ACSM, 7%
Sales Floor, 6%
Blood Pressure, 5%
Customer Service, 5%