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Becoming a Personal Trainer in Oregon

Oregon has the fifth highest concentration of personal trainers in the US according to statistics from a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of all cities in the nation, the Eugene-Springfield metro area has the highest concentration of personal trainers anywhere. Furthermore, Bend comes in at number five on the list just furthering the point that the people of Oregon are taking their fitness needs seriously.

In case you are thinking to yourself that just because there is a high concentration of personal trainers in Oregon, it doesn’t necessarily mean people are healthy, you are correct. Correlation in no way equals causation. However, in this case, it may. Oregon fifth lowest in the nation for the number of adults who would be regarded as overweight or obese. As a personal trainer, this is exactly the type of people you want to work with.

Penn Foster Career School's Online Personal Trainer Programs

Take the first step towards preparing for your career in the fields of personal fitness and nutrition through Penn Foster Career School's online programs:

Personal Trainer Career Diploma

From day to day, you may find that as a personal trainer in Oregon you are doing a little bit of everything. Depending on the abilities, needs and goals of your clients, you may find yourself doing any of the following at any given time;

  • Teaching a group fitness yoga class in Eugene’s Alton Baker Park

  • Providing jogging technique suggestions for a client who is preparing to run the Portland Marathon

  • Working with a client regarding diet and endurance advice for a long hike on the Pacific Crest Trail

  • Leading a tidewater kayaking class along Oregon’s coast

  • Working with a client to develop the right muscle groups for a mountain biking trek through the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge

To be a personal trainer in Oregon, you have to make sure that you have built the type of resume that helps you stand out from the pack. The first step to doing this is making sure you have your qualifications completed. With so many personal trainers in the state, employers have options when it comes to hiring and they expect the best. Having the proper credentials lets them know you are to be taken seriously.

Earning Your Personal Trainer Qualifications

The two most important qualifications for a personal trainer in Oregon, or any state, are their education and certification form a nationally recognized agency. Without either, the prospects of establishing a long term stable career

A relevant college degree and personal trainer certification from a nationally recognized agency are two of the most important qualifications you can develop for long-term are a bit weak. In a state where the expectations placed on personal trainers are so high, Oregon’s employers prefer, and often even require both of these qualifications.

Earning a Degree Related to Fitness and Health Promotion

There are plenty of options in Oregon to pursue an education that will help prepare you for a career as a personal trainer. You will find a number of institutions now offer a portion of the classes you will need online to better accommodate students with challenging schedules.

Here we have included some of the more popular two and four year degree programs that will be most beneficial to you as you prepare for your career as a personal trainer:

AS degree in Fitness Technology, with classes like:

  • Team sports training

  • Tools in fitness technology

  • Structure and function of the human body

  • Mind-body disciplines

AS degree in Health and Wellness, including courses such as:

  • Human health and stress

  • Food and nutrition

  • Personal health

  • First aid, CPR, and AED training

  • Male and female health

BS degree in Exercise and Sport Science, with courses like:

  • Exercise physiology

  • Motor behavior

  • Critical issues in exercise and sports science

  • Biomechanics involved in human movement

  • Psychology of physical activity

BS in Nutrition and Health Sciences, including classes such as:

  • The human life cycle and nutrition

  • Medical nutritional therapy

  • Nutrition and community heath

  • Science of human nutrition

  • Exercise physiology

Personal Trainer Certifications

Upon completing a degree program, you will want to pursue your nationally recognized certification as a personal trainer. Please be aware that each agency operates under their own guidelines regarding eligibility and some will require a college degree to be considered eligible. Also check with your employer to see if they have a preference regarding certifying agencies. Some of the better known agencies include:

  • American Council of Exercise (ACE)

  • American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

  • International Sports Science Association (ISSA)

  • Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA)

  • National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

  • National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)

  • National Federation of Personal Trainers (NFPT)

  • National Exercise Trainers Association (NETA)

  • International Fitness Association (IFA)

  • The Cooper Institute

  • National Personal Training Institute (NPTI)

  • Lifetime (LT) Academy

Working as a Personal Trainer in Oregon

Once you begin your career, you will take the knowledge obtained via your studies to work with you each day to help yourself work through scenarios similar to the following:

Using your degree in Fitness Technology to put together a sensible workout routine for a client that is trying to get in shape for a tryout with a local roller derby team.

You may use knowledge acquired pursuing your Health and Wellness degree to help a client needing healthy diet tips and pointers on reducing stress prepare herself to take part in Fisher Poets Gathering.

An Exercise Science degree would be invaluable in helping an athlete design a rehab program to come off of a broken leg playing high school football.

Below, we have compiled for you a small sampling of job announcements, from March of 201, posted across Oregon. Here you can see what qualifications employers of personal trainers are looking for in candidates. While these are presented solely for informational purposes, they serve as a good indicator of what you can expect to encounter as an applicant:

24 Hour Fitness in Portland was advertising for a personal trainer with a nationally-recognized certification or a college degree in Exercise Fitness, Kinesiology, or a closely related field.

VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa in Beaverton was searching for a personal trainer with a nationally-recognized certification as well as first aid and CPR training.

Planet Fitness in Springfield was advertising for a personal trainer with an upbeat personality as well as a nationally-recognized certification.

Anytime Fitness in Bend was searching for a personal trainer who had a basic knowledge of nutrition and fitness, plus certification through a national organization.

Health Fitness in Corvallis was looking for a personal trainer with a professional certification as well as these preferred qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, Health Promotion, Exercise Science, or a related field

  • One year of prior work experience

As you can see, there are many opportunities for a brand new personal trainer in Oregon.

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