Viral Now - Break into the Fitness Industry and Find the Right Job

The health and fitness industry is booming in the last 5 years close to 2.4% annually. It’s no wonder that more people are trying to get involved in the industry by selling products, opening gyms, or doing personal coaching. The number of people enrolled in fitness programs in college, has grown a lot, too, over the years. It can be hard to make money in this industry because people are always looking for the best coaching, products, and equipment so you must be one of the best in the industry. This doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to be a major player in health and fitness, but it is important to know what’s required so that you have a good start.

A few of my clients are personal trainers whom I met because they needed help marketing their brand. I learned a lot from their experiences and how they started in the field. Here’s some of the advice they provided.

Passion and Fuel

My clients told me that health and fitness needs to be your passion, but that’s not all because you must have fuel (hunger and motivation) to push you through the tough days. Passion is good enough to get you involved and moving in the right direction. However, this industry is tough so you need something to keep pushing you forward when all else fails. You’ll spend long hours training, learning, and building your brand with all of this taking a toll on your mind, body, and emotions. You have to start with a passion but need “fuel” which drives you to keep pushing forward. That level of motivation can be achieved if you want to be the best and want to change the world.

It also helps to have a deeper meaning as to why you’re in this industry. For example, someone close to you got sick, your parents wanted you in this industry, etc.

Consistency and Education

To break into the industry you must have vast knowledge on equipment, fitness programs, nutrition, and supplements. The best way to gain this knowledge is by moving up slowing while simultaneously educating yourself. As you start to work with people and learn about fitness, you’ll educate yourself on the different types of workouts, supplements, and nutrition plans which work better for some than for others. This knowledge is what differentiates you from others in the industry.

Start by working at a gym and teaming up with a mentor so that you can move up at a steady pace. Always work with someone who is better than you are to educate yourself at the same time.

Certification

Let me ask you a question. When you walk into a doctor’s office, what is the first thing you look for? If you answered “certifications” or “degrees”, then you and I have the same mentality. I always look for qualifications because it’s reassuring to know that the person can get the job done right. Therefore, having certifications within your industry will help you find clients because they’ll know you have the knowledge, experience, and expertise to help them achieve their goals. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enter the industry without them, but I would suggest working on becoming qualified as much as possible while gaining experience within a fitness facility. Here are some certifications you should acquire:

• Fitness certifications
• Nutrition certifications
• Personal trainer certifications
• Specialty credentials

Check out American Fitness to find out what’s available.

Start a Website or Portfolio

The internet has changed the way we apply to jobs and showcase our qualifications. Many of us now have online resumes with the domain registered under our names. For example, www.johndoe.com will lead to your personal website with all your qualifications, clients, quotes, expertise, etc. If you are serious about getting involved in fitness, have a professional set up a website for you showcasing your skills. Get some business cards with your website URL so they can browse to find what they need. Remember, these days everyone has smartphones so they can access your website almost immediately.

Don’t Limit Opportunities

With the right qualifications, you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one location or type of job. Did you know fitness experts make money from coaching, consulting, nutrition, custom products, and even private lessons abroad? For example, Bali weight loss is a website that hires yoga instructors, nutrition coaches, and fitness gurus from all over the world. That’s not all. If you do a quick search in Google, you’ll find a handful of websites abroad looking to hire experts from the United States. The point is that you should not limit yourself to one location and should consider gaining experience somewhere else. With extra experience you’ll have an easier time finding clients closer to home.

Featured photo credit: fitnessbin.com via fitnessbin.com

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