Becoming a Personal Trainer in Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, as much as people enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle, it just isn’t possible year-round. As such, to maintain their level of fitness and stay active, many turn to using health and fitness clubs, and as a personal trainer, they turn to you for advice on how to stay in shape to be ready for warmer weather and getting back to their favorite outdoor activities.

As a personal trainer in Wisconsin, you will assess the needs of your clients and then design and implement exercise routines that are designed to help them reach their fitness goals. As necessary, you may also help incorporate a new, healthy, dietary program. Whatever your clients’ needs may be, they will turn to you for your professional advice.

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

One of the best advertising tools you have for your career as a personal trainer is your physique. By following the advice that you dispense and staying fit and healthy yourself, you show your clients that you are dedicated and that with hard work they too can achieve their fitness goals.

Depending on the services provided, high end fitness clubs in Wisconsin pay anywhere from $18 - $45 per hour. That along with staying fit while you earn and meeting people from all walks of life on a daily basis is a part of what makes being a personal trainer an attractive career option for many people.

Becoming a Personal Trainer in Wisconsin

Most studios, gyms and health clubs in Wisconsin expect personal trainers to have a relevant college degree in addition to a nationally recognized professional certification from a reputable certifying agency.

Formal Training and Education

Obtaining a two or four-year college degree in a field related to health and fitness is the best way to gain the requisite knowledge to perform the duties expected of a professional personal trainer. You will need the knowledge you accrue in areas such as nutrition, anatomy, and science of body movement on a daily basis. A degree in one of these areas are what Wisconsin’s top fitness industry employers are looking for:

• Personal Training

• Anatomy & Physiology

• Athletic Training

• Nutrition

• First Aid

• Aerobics

• Kinesiology

• Introduction to Community & Public Health

• Survey of Human Nutrition

• Principles of Weight Management

• Survey of Drugs and Health

• Human Disease & Epidemiology

• Exercise Science

• Biomechanics

• Exercise Physiology

• Care & Prevention of Athletic Injuries

• Principles of Strength & Conditioning

• Sports Medicine

• Sports Medicine Principles

• Biomechanics

• Exercise Physiology

• Therapeutic Modalities

• Injury Evaluation & Rehabilitation

National Certification Options

In order to obtain your national certification, you will have to comply with the standards of whichever agency you choose. Some will require a college degree while others do not. More and more, being CPR/AED certified is becoming a prerequisite. There are a several national organizations that offer certification exams as well as the workshops needed to pass the exams.

Some examples of professional certifications available and recognized by most fitness centers in Wisconsin include:

• American Council of Exercise (ACE)

• Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA)

• International Sports Science Association (ISSA)

• International Sports & Fitness Trainers Association (ISFTA)

• National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

• National Council on Strength & Fitness (NCSF)

• National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)

• National Exercise Trainers Association (NETA)

Specialty area certifications for personal trainers include but are not limited to the following:

• Senior fitness

• Youth athletics

• Nutrition

• Pre/postnatal

• Weight management

• Orthopedic exercise

Starting your Career as a Personal Trainer in Wisconsin

A big part of being a personal trainer is not just leading your clients in classes, but keeping them coming back. The best designed fitness programs are no good if clients never return to follow through on them. As such, it falls upon your shoulders to impress upon them the importance of finishing what they have started and providing them with the kind of workout experience that makes them want to return.

Examples of top employers throughout Wisconsin and the job requirements they expect their personal trainers to meet include:

Ellipse Fitness in Milwaukee is looking for the following qualities in its trainers:

• Organized and able to multitask

• Highly motivated, confident and results-driven

• Excellent communication skills

• Ability to inspire and positively influence others

• Possess strong desire to improve health and wellness

• National certification

Lake Country Racquet & Athletic Club in Hartland requires the following:

• Accredited national certification

• Friendly, energetic personality

• Time management and follow-up skills

• Group and private training experience

• Four year degree is preferred

Goodyear Health Center in Glendale is seeking trainers that have the following experience:

• Certified with functional movement screen (FMS)

• Familiar with corrective exercise and strength and conditioning

Wisconsin can be a great place to pursue your dreams. Look into becoming a personal trainer in Wisconsin and find out how close you are to a great career in fitness.