According to a 2014 report from the President’s Physical Activity Council, If you grew up in Massachusetts and were educated in the state’s public schools, you are more likely to be physically fit than U.S. citizens in other states. Massachusetts is one of only six states that require public schools to offer mandatory physical education classes in every grade from kindergarten to 12th. Despite that fact, however, a 2012 report from the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum found that 57 percent of Massachusetts’s high school students failed to meet general recommendations for a moderate level of regular exercise.
The good news is that Massachusetts has the fourth lowest rate of adult obesity in the nation, according to the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum. As a personal trainer in Massachusetts, you can help to improve the situation even further by promoting physical activity among state residents of all ages and fitness levels.
In the diverse field of personal fitness, you might find yourself introducing senior citizens to their first regimented fitness program one day, and the next day work with athletes preparing for the Boston Marathon or the Zero Gravity Nerr Hoop Festival in Pembroke.
You can rest assured that a career as a personal trainer is a smart choice in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development reports that jobs for personal trainers in Massachusetts will increase by a dramatic 29.5 percent between 2012 and 2022. Combine that encouraging statistic with the fact that Massachusetts had the highest concentration of personal trainers of any state as of 2012. Not to mention that personal trainer salaries in Massachusetts are the fifth highest in the nation for this profession!
Qualifying to Become a Personal Trainer in Massachusetts
Education is your first step along the way to becoming personal trainer. Earning the right type of college degree can make it much easier for you to seek professional certification, if desired, and find employment in Massachusetts’s personal fitness industry.
Degree Options for Personal Trainers in Massachusetts
Possessing an associate or bachelor’s degree will come in handy when looking for a personal trainer job in Massachusetts. A degree can also help you to achieve national certification, if that is your goal. Potential majors to pursue in preparation to become a personal trainer include, but are not limited to:
- Kinesiology and Exercise Science- courses will include:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Neuromechanics of human motion
- Motor control
- Exercise physiology
- Introduction to biostatistics
- Fitness and Health – courses will include:
- First aid/CPR
- Anatomy and physiology
- Nutrition
- Weight training
- Aerobics
- Sports Management- courses will include:
- Sports marketing
- Biomechanics
- Physiology of exercise
- Nutrition and weight control
- Kinesiology
National Certification for Personal Trainers
Many organizations certify personal trainers at the national level. Your degree will come in handy in qualifying to take an optional national certification examination. Some certifying bodies even require a degree as a condition for earning certification.
Some of the most common certification exams taken by personal trainers in Massachusetts include:
- National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF), with exam centers in:
- Boston
- Worcester
- Brockton
- West Springfield
- Lowell
- North Andover
- Burlington
- Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), with exams given in:
- Foxboro
- Cambridge
- Saugus
- Boston
- National Personal Training Institute (NPTI), with exams offered in:
- Boston
- American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), with exams given in:
- Seekonk
- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), with exams administered in:
- Boston
- International Sports and Fitness Trainers Association (ISFTA), with exams given in:
- Lowell
- World Instructor Training Schools (WITS), with exams offered in:
- Boston
- Beverly
- Wellesley Hills
- Brockton
A quick look at jobs available for personal trainers in Massachusetts indicates that the following employers prefer applicants who hold a college degree or national certification:
- Town Sports International – Canton
- Boston Sports Club- Boston
- Wellbridge Athletic Club- Cambridge
- Metrowest Health Club- Natick
- XFitness- Dracut
Working as a Personal Trainer in Massachusetts
Do you have ambitions to work with well-known athletes as a personal trainer in Massachusetts? This is entirely possible if you have the qualifications that the team desires – usually education, certification and experience. Strength and conditioning trainers work for professional teams in Massachusetts such as the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Bruins. You might also work as a personal trainer for college sports teams, such as the Massachusetts Minutemen, the Northeastern Huskies or the Harvard Crimson.
If you aspire to work with everyday Massachusetts citizens who are trying to improve their health and fitness levels, you have a wide variety of choices. Some of the state’s most popular health and fitness clubs include:
- Forever Fit Health & Fitness Center- Watertown
- Today’s Fitness Center- Woburn
- Orchard Hills Athletic Club- Lancaster
- Balanced Health & Fitness- North Falmouth
- Anytime Fitness- Agawam
Another type of career opportunity that you may decide to pursue as a personal trainer in Massachusetts is to work in combination with the tourism industry. Many resorts have personal trainers on staff to work with clients who come for a relaxing getaway but don’t want to let their fitness levels drop during their vacation. Examples of potential employers in Massachusetts’s resort and spa industry include:
- Canyon Ranch- Lenox
- Expale Spa at the Battery Wharf Hotel- Boston
- Cranwell Resort, Spa and Golf Club- Lenox
- Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health – Stockbridge
- Wellness by the Water Retreat- Boston