Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor 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.
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor is Also Know as
In different settings, Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor is titled as
- Aerobics Instructor
- Fitness Instructor
- Fitness Specialist
- Fitness Technician
- Fitness Trainer
- Group Exercise Instructor
- Group Fitness Instructor
- Personal Trainer
- Private Trainer
- Yoga Instructor
Education and Training of Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education Required for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Degrees Related to Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor
- Bachelor in Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- Associate Degree Courses in Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- Masters Degree Courses in Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- Bachelor in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitnes
- Associate Degree Courses in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitnes
- Masters Degree Courses in Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitnes
- Bachelor in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
- Associate Degree Courses in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
- Masters Degree Courses in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
- Bachelor in Physical Fitness Technician
- Associate Degree Courses in Physical Fitness Technician
- Masters Degree Courses in Physical Fitness Technician
- Bachelor in Yoga Teacher Training/Yoga Therapy
- Associate Degree Courses in Yoga Teacher Training/Yoga Therapy
- Masters Degree Courses in Yoga Teacher Training/Yoga Therapy
Training Required for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor in different industries are
- Exercise Physiologists
- Fitness and Wellness Coordinators
- Coaches and Scouts
- Self-Enrichment Teachers
- Recreational Therapists
- Physical Therapist Assistants
- Physical Therapist Aides
- Recreation Workers
- Occupational Therapy Aides
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Athletic Trainers
- Training and Development Specialists
- Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
- Training and Development Managers
- Occupational Therapists
- Dietitians and Nutritionists
- Adapted Physical Education Specialists
- Animal Trainers
- Physical Therapists
- Health Education Specialists
What Do Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor do?
- Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations governing sports, recreational activities, and the use of exercise equipment.
- 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.
- Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement.
- 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.
- Maintain fitness equipment.
- Conduct therapeutic, recreational, or athletic activities.
- Monitor participants' progress and adapt programs as needed.
- Evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements.
- Plan physical education programs to promote development of participants' physical attributes and social skills.
- Provide students with information and resources regarding nutrition, weight control, and lifestyle issues.
- Administer emergency first aid, wrap injuries, treat minor chronic disabilities, or refer injured persons to physicians.
- Advise clients about proper clothing and shoes.
- Teach individual and team sports to participants through instruction and demonstration, using knowledge of sports techniques and of participants' physical capabilities.
- Promote health clubs through membership sales, and record member information.
- Organize, lead, and referee indoor and outdoor games, such as volleyball, baseball, and basketball.
- Maintain equipment inventories, and select, store, or issue equipment as needed.
- Organize and conduct competitions and tournaments.
- Advise participants in use of heat or ultraviolet treatments and hot baths.
- Massage body parts to relieve soreness, strains, and bruises.
Qualities of Good Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- 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.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- 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.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Tools Used by Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor
- Automated external defibrillators AED
- Balance boards
- Balance disks
- Body fat measurement calipers
- Elliptical trainers
- Emergency first aid equipment
- Exercise bands
- Exercise steps
- Exercise tubing
- Fitness jog belts
- Fitness trampolines
- Free weights
- Jump ropes
- Laptop computers
- Lower body weight machines
- Manual blood pressure cuffs
- Medical tape measures
- Medicine balls
- Microphones
- MP3 players
- Multi-speaker stereo systems
- Pedometers
- Personal computers
- Personal digital assistants PDA
- Physical conditioning treadmill exercisers
- Pilates training equipment
- Rowing machines
- Stair climbers
- Stationary exercise bicycles
- Upper body weight machines
- Water ankle weights
- Weighted exercise balls
- Weighted swim vests
Technology Skills required for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor
- Appointment scheduling software
- BioEx Systems Exercise Expert
- BioEx Systems Fitness Maker
- BioEx Systems Nutrition Maker Plus
- Blink
- DaySmart Software Appointment-Plus
- DietMaster Systems DietMaster
- Email software
- EZFacility Trainer Management System
- ICTraining
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- MYOB BusinessEssentials
- Online River Software Personal Trainer Pro
- Sage 50 Accounting
- Sage Simply Accounting
- Visual Health Information The Trainer's Exercise Toolbox
- Web browser software