Your future as a Fitness Pro
From personal training, to group fitness, to health coaching—discover how you can live your passion and make money in fitness.
Find the opportunity that fits YOU
Click below to learn more about each role.
Certified Personal Trainer
Help people of varying fitness levels, from obese and physically inactive to athletic, achieve their health and fitness goals. You can work with clients one-to-one, or in small group settings. You'll design and instruct exercise programs to match client's abilities and provide motivation through behavior change techniques.
Being a personal trainer can go far beyond working in a gym setting. You can train clients at their homes, a park, or through virtual training sessions and connect with clients anywhere.
Career Opportunities
Virtual Coach / Online Trainer
Go virtual and reach a broader audience of clients anywhere in the world when you lead sessions online.
Gym Owner
Create a place where you can help others find their passion for fitness. With your certification, you can specialize and serve specific groups that you are passionate about while bringing people together in your community.
Athletic Coach
Participation in competitive sports among youth and adults is on the rise. You can help athletes perform at their best, training them in ways that result in a competitive advantage for them on game day.
Corrective Exercise & Injury Prevention Specialist
Musculoskeletal pain and imbalances are the most common and debilitating issues affecting Americans today. You can help people eradicate their pain so they can regain or continue active lifestyles without limitations.
Director of Fitness
Be responsible for managing all aspects of a Fitness Department including personal training, small group, and specialty programs. You can be a leader for coaches and trainers who are enriching the lives of club members!
How to Start
-
1. Choose a Study Program
As low as $675
-
2. Start Learning
Self-paced, taking 3-6 months on average
-
3. Pass the Certification Exam
Available online, from your home
Get paid to do what you love!
$75,589
average annual income
with a range of $57K - $102K
according to Glassdoor.com
19%
Expected increase in Personal Trainer Employment between 2021-2031
U.S. Department of Labor
Certified Health Coach
Connect with the whole client and help them reach their goals with exercise, nutrition and psychology. As a health coach, you will recognize that people have unique dietary, emotional and physical needs and help them discover exactly what works for them to become the happiest, healthiest versions of themselves.
Career Opportunities
Virtual Wellness Coach
Use technology to build your business and connect with your clients with minimal overhead. You will have the ability to coach your clients from anywhere.
Nutrition Coach
Help your clients become more knowledgeable and develop life-long dietary habits using behavior change strategies paired with science-backed nutrition information.
Corporate Wellness Coordinator
Businesses—large and small—are being proactive in finding cost-effective ways to reduce healthcare costs and increase employee engagement and morale. You can work for a company encouraging and educating employees on how to take care of their health.
Behavioral Health Case Manager
Behavioral health case managers assess patients and work with counselors on developing treatment plans. You'll work within insurance or healthcare fields, developing plans and providing assessments to improve the health or quality of life for clients/members.
How to Start
-
1. Choose a Study Program
As low as $850
-
2. Start Learning
Self-paced, taking 3-6 months on average
-
3. Pass the Certification Exam
Available online, from your home
Get paid to do what you love!
$62,196
average annual income
with a range of $49K - $80K
according to Glassdoor.com
12%
Expected increase in Health Coach Employment between 2021-2031
U.S. Department of Labor
Certified Group Fitness Instructor
Use your passion to lead, inspire and motivate groups of diverse participants while building community. From strength training to dance-based workouts to mind-body classes, you will bring the energy to one of the most versatile fields in health and fitness.
Whether you choose to work in a gym, health club or studio, or lead virtual classes, from the moment you put on the microphone, you'll be the leading voice, encouraging your class participants to give it their all.
Career Opportunities
Online Class Instructor
Demand for virtual classes is rapidly increasing. You can use technology to connect with your participants' experiences, keeping them engaged and motivated from anywhere.
Outdoor Class Coach
With increased demand to train and workout in open spaces, outdoor group fitness classes are on the rise. Create structured exercise classes and programs at shared spaces in your community, maximizing your impact and growing your client base.
Rec Center Group Exercise Coordinator
Schedule and coordinate classes at one or more facilities. You may work at an organization with special needs populations or a general fitness organization.
Youth Program Coach
You'll impact lives today and far into the future by helping to improve the overall health and well-being of children and teens, instilling the value of physical activity at an early age.
Specialized Program Instructor (Yoga, Pilates, Cycling, Senior Class Instructor)
The types of classes for group fitness is always growing. You can be at the forefront of the latest fitness movements, allowing you to reach clients in new and exciting ways.
How to Start
-
1. Choose a Study Program
As low as $285
-
2. Start Learning
Self-paced, taking 3-6 months on average
-
3. Pass the Certification Exam
Available online, from your home
Get paid to do what you love!
UP TO $80/hr
according to Glassdoor.com
19%
Expected increase in Group Fitness Instructor Employment between 2021-2031
U.S. Department of Labor
Is a health & fitness career right for you?
Take this True or False quiz to find out.
- You have a strong desire to help others achieve their goals and better themselves.
- You read fitness blogs and magazines and follow a variety of fitness experts on social media.
- You enjoy scheduling and planning your workout routines.
- Your friends and family regularly ask you for fitness advice.
- You meet many of your friends at the gym or in fitness classes.
- You've always been interested in a job that doesn't require you to work at a desk from 9 to 5.
- You have thought about opening your own business some day.
- You're extremely personable and have been told you're a good communicator and leader.
Did you answer "True" to most (or all)?
If so, it's time to think about your career in fitness.
Watch our FREE on-demand webinar!
Get answers to common questions in this conversation between an ACE Pro and a future Pro (just like you)!
Register for our 4-email series that will answer:
- What certification is and why it's important
- How much time and money it takes to get started
- What your career path can be
Hear how some of the 90,000 ACE Pros have turned their passion into their profession
Lisa Wilder | ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Health Coach, and Fit4Mom franchisee
New mom takes control of her schedule and creates flexible job that she loves
Lisa, a mom of three, began her fitness journey with Stroller Strides. After joining several group fitness programs, her passion skyrocketed. She felt driven to share the success she had with others and got her Group Fitness Certification with ACE. Being able to take control of her schedule provided her with the flexibility she needed as a working mom. Over the past year, Lisa has expanded her services to offer online classes. She learned that it's how she teaches classes, not where, that truly matters most. Her advice for those starting out is, "Go with the flow! Give your clients a great experience and they will keep coming back to you!"
Michael Phillip Katz | ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, and fitness expert
A sports injury led to a brand new career
Michael had been involved in athletics and fitness all his life, but he struggled picking a career path. Following a sports injury, he realized the impact that a healthy recovery made on his life. He decided then to get certified. Michael started training family and friends, but once he moved to a new town he used his ACE Certification to build his client list. He quickly became the busiest and most sought-after trainer at the gym. Michael loves to help people uncover strengths they have hidden inside, especially for the special populations he works with like senior citizens, rotary athletes and people recovering from injury. His advice for those starting out is, "Work hard, and believe in yourself. Gain experience, observe veteran trainers, learn lessons and have the confidence to create something special."
Hirari Watanabe | ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Hip Hop Dance Instructor
Dancer uses her specialty and her certification to create steady income
Newly certified, Hirari has combined her love for dance with her passion for exercise as a group fitness instructor. Working as a seasoned dance instructor, it was a challenge to make a full time living. With her ACE Certification she has found the perfect balance of having jobs that put her in control and in a place of being financially stable while doing what she loves. She has found it possible to set a competitive rate for her classes because of the niche that she serves.
While her first year as a fitness pro consisted of much adapting and evolving, it has been very rewarding. Her advice for those starting out is, "Trust the knowledge you have gained, but always be open minded to feedback from your class participants and clients. They will help you make your class experience be outside the box, special and unique."
Nancy McCarthy | ACE Certified Health Coach, Group Fitness Instructor, and Personal Trainer
From training to writing to vacationing, build a lifelong career in fitness
With over 35 years in health & fitness, Nancy is as passionate and inspired as ever. From writing fitness columns in her local newspaper to leading running camps, owning boutique gyms to running fitness vacations, Nancy has impacted hundreds of lives in her role as a fitness professional. Thinking back to her career, she had no idea where her certification would take her. After the ACE Exam, she used her confidence in her newfound knowledge and skills to push beyond the doors of the gym to reach her community and beyond. The new clients that she received as referrals from existing clientele proved that that she was in the right place. Nancy often finds herself thinking how lucky she is to be doing what she loves for a living. Her advice for those starting out is, "Be prepared for some long days in the beginning, but trust me, it will never feel like work as long as you keep your passion fitness alive!"