By: Vijay GarG
Everyone is fitness conscious these days. As awareness and craze for a fit body gains priority in people’s lives, it pays rich dividends to become a fitness instructor.
A strong mind resides in a healthy body. This saying had never been more significant. The fast pace of modern lifestyle has led to an unimaginable amount of physical and psychological stress on human body and mind. Consequently, demand for trained fitness instructors has increased manifold.
Modern work environment has led to a sedentary life style with little scope for physical exercise. This has resulted in a large section of the society, especially in urban areas, falling prey to deadly maladies such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and so on.
No magic pill is available that will help you and me escape this unpleasant situation. The only way out is to keep ourselves fit by adopting a suitable fitness regime.
Fitness has emerged both as a lucrative business opportunity and a sustainable career option. It is not just the celebrities and the rich who want to stay fit but the fitness bug has stung a large chunk of professional urbanites.
And what’s exciting is that modern day health clubs are not merely sweat shops where fitness enthusiasts pumped iron or bench pressed away their worries. Those were the days when ‘bodybuilding’ was in vogue. Now-a-days the concept of fitness has seen a revolutionary change.
Physical fitness is not just about staying healthy, it is also about looking good and leading an active life. The task of achieving a healthy body seems simple enough, yet it is not so. One has to follow a regular and a strict fitness regime to achieve this objective. At the same time, it is imperative to seek expert advice of a fitness instructor in this regard.
The role of a fitness instructor is a multifaceted one. The first and foremost responsibility is to guide trainees to get into shape. Other than gym routines, fitness trainers also have to provide guidance regarding posture, dietary intake, food supplements, latest fitness techniques, and so on. Furthermore, they have to cater to the special needs and requirements of their clients.
Overall, the career path of a fitness instructor is all the time saturated with excitement and verve.
It is not important to have a certification from a reputed institution in order to take up the job of a fitness trainer. However, it is better to be equipped with quality training to outdo your competitors.
You can also join a professional physical fitness training program such as the Reebok Fitness Instructor Certification program, the Nike Aerobics Course and similar courses offered by numerous private entities. BFY (Better Fitness for You), a private organisation offers a bouquet of certification courses dealing with different aspects of fitness.
Jobs openings are aplenty these days once you have completed your training in this field. Nevertheless, a good qualification is not the end of the road. Rather, you must continue to update and upgrade yourself all the time to keep abreast with the latest developments in the fitness industry. It is strongly advisable to constantly keep in touch with the latest research in this area, state-of-the-art training equipment, nutrition related studies, and so on.
Start off as a junior instructor or a trainee at a fitness club. Gradually pick up skills and contacts that will help you move to better avenues in the job market. A good option is to set up your own business. However, this requires meticulous planning, financial support and excellent management skills.
Start Early
It helps to start early in the realm of physical fitness. Try to inculcate the habit of sticking to a well-defined exercise program from the school days. Teenage is the right time to hit the gymnasium to get one’s body into perfect shape. Once you have zeroed on this particular career path, focus on the areas that would help you achieve your long term objectives in this regard.
Is it the Right Career for Me?
This is an ideal job for people who always want to be literally on their toes. This profile demands a career long rigorous dedication both from the body as well as from the psyche.
You must be prepared to sweat it out day after day relentlessly in the gymnasium to help others get into shape themselves. Moreover, you must have that zing in you that motivates people achieve their fitness goals. Furthermore, you should have an open mind to absorb new innovations in this field and to apply them for the betterment of your career prospects.
Pay Packet
The pay packet of a fitness trainer depends on a number of factors. At the entry level, a professional may not get too much. However, with experience and time a fitness instructor can on an average get a monthly salary in the range of Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000. This may considerably go up depending upon the reputation of the centre, the locality in which the fitness club is located, the clientele, number of students.
Fitness trainers associated with celebrities, ones who are successfully running their own fitness clubs or those associated with multinational fitness chains can easily rake in lakhs of rupees every month for their services.
Demand and Supply
There is great demand for this profile in the job market and this upward trend is expected to continue in the near future. Both government as well as privately owned establishments are doing their best to meet the growing demand.
Market Watch
The fitness industry is here to stay and grow in leaps and bounds in the future looking at the present job market scenario.
Positives/Negatives
Postive:-
- The best aspect of this profession is that you will always stay fit. After all, it is your job to keep one and all in perfect shape.
- You always get to meet and communicate with people from different walks of life and who knows how they may help you enhance your career or your fitness business.
- You are a role model for people who are under your tutelage.
Negetive:-
- This is a service industry and you cannot afford to loose your temper when dealing with uncooperative or difficult people.
- After a period of time, you might get complacent about your work and not take good care of your patrons as you did initially.
- This job demands you to be on your toes all the time. Slackness means loss of clientele, erosion of hard earned reputation and business.
Different Roles, Different Names
The role of a fitness instructor can be classified as:
- Aerobics instructor – a fitness instructor specialising in aerobic exercises and routines
- Clinical exercise specialist – a trainer who works with patients and assists them to overcome and recover from injuries and physical ailments
- Group fitness or gym instructor – a person who specialises in imparting the nuances of fitness routines to a group of people
- Personal trainer – a fitness trainer who is exclusively associated with a particular client and looks after their fitness schedule, diet and training.
Job Prospects
There is no dearth of employment opportunities for qualified fitness instructors. In fact, the fitness industry is undergoing a phase of boom owing to the massive upsurge of lifestyle related diseases in urban centres. Another factor that is boosting this industry is the increased level of awareness amongst common man with regards to physical fitness and wellness.
There are lots of opportunities for fitness trainers these days. If you want a smug government job then you can head for various government run institutions and sports bodies. There are ample positions for trainers in schools, colleges and universities. Fitness instructors who have earned a postgraduate degree or any other higher qualification can also apply for teaching jobs in different colleges and educational bodies.
The writer is Retired Principal malout
