If you’re a fitness-motivated and oriented individual, if you love careers that help other people, or if you have simply found that you’re good at what you have done, then you might want to start looking at the long-term potential of your job at the gym. There are plenty of directions you can take it as well, so let’s look at a few of your potential pathways.
Group fitness instructor
If you already work in the gym and you have specific knowledge of a type of fitness, then why not put your hat in the ring to work as a group fitness instructor? From martial arts to spin classes to yoga, or specific training exercises to meet specific goals HIIT training sessions, or weight training clubs, there is a lot of room for people to open their own gym classes.
Gym manager
Of course, you could also have the opportunity to work your way directly up the ladder in the gym that you’re working at. If you think that you are well-suited to a leadership role, you could talk to your employer about it. They might even be willing to help you get some management training to help you get closer to that role, though you may have to pursue that on your own time or dime if they can’t or won’t help. Either way, it helps you get away from the front-line of working directly with gym-goers and into a more lucrative position.
Gym owner
Perhaps you might not want to keep working for another person. The day-to-day duties of being a gym owner aren’t that different from a gym manager, at first. The big barrier to most people is whether or not you will be able to find the capital. To attract any kind of investment or loan, you will need some industry experience.
Personal trainer
If you work in a gym, lead any classes, or help people with their fitness in general, why not take the next step and become a certified trainer? Personal trainer certification makes sure that you have the training in fitness, nutrition, and recovery necessary to create programs that can help your clients change their lives. If you develop a good rapport with the people that go to the gym and have the gym owner’s permission, you can even start building a client base from the gym.
Specialist trainer
This is an add-on to the idea of becoming a personal trainer as, in order to become a specialist trainer, you need to become a personal trainer first. However, additional education, such as being licensed as a dietician, could see you opening up paths to specialist careers in nutrition, athlete training, exercise therapy, corrective exercise, and more. What’s more, you could find work in a variety of specialized settings, from hotels, spas, and cruise ships to retirement homes or corporate offices.
The health and fitness industry is welcoming to people working their way up, but it requires serious training and education to proceed. You have better make sure that you’re committed before you start looking for the next rung on that career ladder.