Personal trainer, group exercise trainer, fitness instructor, gym instructor. With a myriad of titles, it’s easy to get lost when looking at a career in the health and fitness industry. How many roles, positions and job titles have you come across in your searches for a training provider? Have you looked at the course/role descriptions and wondered what the difference is, don’t they all train people?

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Dependent on the course description the roles can seem blurred, however a fitness instructor and a personal trainer are very different things. A fitness instructor, otherwise known as a gym instructor, will have undertaken a Level 2 Certificate. This means you could work on the gym floor delivering inductions (dependent on the facility they work in) showing new gym members how to use the equipment, touring the facilities and offering basic level guidance and advice.

Fitness instructors may also give simple advice on programmes based on a member’s goals, offering assistance on correct exercise form and technique. What a fitness instructor can’t do is offer long term one-to-one advice to a member. This is where the roles of a PT and a fitness instructor differ.

Find out more about becoming a Fitness Instructor

Working the floor as a fitness instructor is a great way to learn the ropes, become comfortable in a gym environment, understand how facilities work and how to build relationships with gym users. Often, a gym instructor course is a gateway/pre-requisite to a Level 3 Certificate in Personal Training. Once experience and confidence have been built, taking the next step becomes more desirable and realistic.

That isn’t to say that the level 2 course is lacking in content. Indeed, a fitness instructor course gives a fantastic grounding in planning programmes, understanding the basic principles of human anatomy, working to health and safety standards and covers the principles of exercise, fitness and health. These topics give a fantastic overview and develop real world skills.

A TRAINFITNESS Fitness Instructor course is YMCA Awards accredited and recognised by CIMSPA and REPs. This qualification is the starting point to bringing your passion for fitness to life, enriching the lives of others with physical training and exercise. The course will develop understanding and confidence, setting you up with all the skills for a great career in the health and fitness industry.

Further Reading

How to deliver a great exercise class

Putting the personal into group exercise

Why small group training?