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Career Description

Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness. Demonstrate techniques and form, observe participants and explain to them corrective measures necessary to improve their skills. Develop and implement individualized approaches to exercise.

What Job Titles Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Might Have

• Fitness Specialist
• Aerobics Instructor
• Fitness Instructor
• Group Fitness Instructor
• Personal Trainer

What Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Do

• Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness.
• Plan routines, choose appropriate music, and choose different movements for each set of muscles, depending on participants' capabilities and limitations.
• Evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements.
• Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement.
• Monitor participants' progress and adapt programs as needed.
• Teach proper breathing techniques used during physical exertion.
• Instruct participants in maintaining exertion levels to maximize benefits from exercise routines.
• Teach and demonstrate use of gymnastic and training equipment such as trampolines and weights.
• Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations governing sports, recreational activities, and the use of exercise equipment.
• Provide students with information and resources regarding nutrition, weight control, and lifestyle issues.
• Conduct therapeutic, recreational, or athletic activities.
• Administer emergency first aid, wrap injuries, treat minor chronic disabilities, or refer injured persons to physicians.
• Maintain fitness equipment.
• Advise clients about proper clothing and shoes.
• Teach individual and team sports to participants through instruction and demonstration, utilizing knowledge of sports techniques and of participants' physical capabilities.
• Plan physical education programs to promote development of participants' physical attributes and social skills.
• Maintain equipment inventories, and select, store, or issue equipment as needed.

What Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Should Be Good At

• Stamina - The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
• Gross Body Coordination - The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
• Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Should Be Interested In

• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

What Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Need to Learn

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.