Fitness Trainer and Instructor

I. JOB SUMMARY

Main Topic: Human Geography
Secondary Topic: Environment and Society

Overview:  Fitness trainers and instructors lead, instruct, and motivate individuals or groups in exercise activities, including cardiovascular exercises (exercises for the heart and blood circulation), strength training, and stretching. They work with people of all ages and skill levels. Both group fitness instructors and specialized fitness instructors plan or choreograph their own classes.   Personal fitness trainers design and carry out workout routines specific to the needs of their clients. They may work with individual clients or teach group classes. They start by evaluating their clients’ current fitness level, personal goals, and skills. Then, they develop personalized training programs for their clients to follow, and they monitor the clients’ progress.

The following are examples of types of fitness trainers and instructors: Personal fitness trainers work with an individual client or a small group. Group fitness instructors organize and lead group exercise classes, which can include aerobic exercises, stretching, or muscle conditioning. Specialized fitness instructors teach popular conditioning methods, such as Pilates or yoga. Fitness directors oversee the fitness-related aspects of a gym or other type of health club, including administrative duties.

Fitness trainers and instructors benefit by having geographic knowledge and skills.  There is a clear link between people’s environment and their fitness.  Some geographic areas have populations that are more “fit” and motivated to be active than others.  Fitness trainers and instructors need to understand the cultural context of their clients, and some of the opportunities and limitations that geography imposes on people’s abilities to be physically fit.

Geographers at work:  Human geographers, social geographers, environmental geographers

Recommended College Courses:  Human geography, social geography, environmental geography, physical geography

Skills:  Understanding locational patterns of fitness, cultural geographic variations, map reading and interpretation

Occupation Group: Personal Care and Service

Learn more about Fitness Trainers and Instructors from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor:  https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm#tab-2