Specialty exercise jobs, such as personal trainers and yoga instructors, require more than physical fitness and a high school diploma. Certification and accreditation are necessary, and communication and teaching skills are important for motivating clients. Yoga and Pilates require a minimum of 200 hours of instruction for accreditation.
Jobs specializing in exercise and recreation-related careers are among the first to be considered by active people who love sports, exercise and movement. Careers in exercise and fitness are wonderful points for the energy and enthusiasm of those employed in this area; however, specialty exercise jobs also require more than physical fitness. Exercise specialists work with clients, one-on-one or in a classroom setting, and must possess sufficient communication and people skills to motivate and encourage their clients. Education about proper technique, nutrition, or anatomy is important, and therefore teaching skills are often required. Exercise specialist jobs or careers include personal trainers, yoga instructors, exercise class instructors, and sports-specific trainers.
All specialty exercise jobs require a high school diploma or a general education development (GED) certificate. Depending on their specialty, most people in exercise-related careers must also successfully complete online or in-person classes and sit a certification exam administered by an accrediting institution. Critically, all specialty exercise jobs require current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in an emergency. In the US and Canada, most exercise and fitness instructors hold certification from at least one of the three major certifying bodies as fitness instructors. Most also have multiple degrees and certifications available for different areas of expertise.
The most visible of the exercises specialist jobs are those of class instructors. The aerobics classes, the spin cycling or dance instructors have all taken multiple classes under different instructors and completed some type of classroom or internet instruction. Personal trainers hold at least one certification from a major accrediting institution, and many hold degrees in exercise science or kinesiology. Sports-specific coaches, such as baseball pitching instructors, are the exception to the certification rule. While some sport-specific coaches hold certifications or degrees in the field of fitness, the vast majority of their credentials come from experience as a professional athlete in that particular sport.
Certification and accreditation for specialized exercise jobs involving yoga and Pilates is more complex than most fitness jobs. Both forms of exercise require some form of training, be it a weekend workshop or a year-long apprenticeship. In the West, professional organizations have begun to insist that accreditation for either of these two fields consists of a minimum of 200 hours of instruction. Yoga strongly adheres to the teacher-student tradition, whereby any yoga instructor is also a student of another, more advanced yoga teacher at the same time.
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