Thread: PT Salary and Certification

Three certs through Can-Fit-Pro (Canadian PT agency) in PT, Nutrition and Sports Conditioning. CHEK Level One and Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach Level One. National Coaching Cert as well. Seven years experience and I've worked with athletic therapists, run corporate wellness centres and run fitness testing for corrections, police and fire agencies.

I do both, work for a gym and independently. Independent clients I charge from $60-$100 an hour (obviously all kept), at the gym it's anywhere from $60-$75 an hour and we keep roughly 60%.

NASM
Independent
I charge $30 an hour. (I have a full time job, so this would be higher had I not have it)

Originally Posted by AKIRA

NASM
Independent
I charge $30 an hour. (I have a full time job, so this would be higher had I not have it)

what else do you do besides train? I thought that was your only job.

Do you need a specific Nutrition cert to give advice on diet?

I've spoken to some of PT's at golds gym where I live and most of them don't make much. They say its because of ratio of trainers to clients, when I worked out today at 1pm I saw 14 PT's working at the same time. I don't know how lucrative it would be for someone just starting out in a busy area.

Originally Posted by fufu

Do you need a specific Nutrition cert to give advice on diet?

Nope, some people don't even have a PT cert and personal train. If some idiot is going to pay you without being insured.

I think if you have a PT cert, that would cover diet advice, but I wouldn't give advice to someone with diabetes or any other problem like that.

Originally Posted by fufu

Do you need a specific Nutrition cert to give advice on diet?

In this country, anyone that gives dietary advice is allowed to call themself a nutritionist. You can have a cert, you can have a degree or you can have nothing at all. You are not allowed to call yourself an RD (registered dietician), unless you are registered with the ADA and have taken the proper tests and done the years worth of interships that go along with it.

Most trainers give some sort of basic diet advice. You can look at someones diet journal and be general and give them advice and direction. If the person has some sort of health issue or is taking medication, I refer them out to a Nutrition Scientist or an RD who specialize in working with those populations.

Originally Posted by P-funk

In this country, anyone that gives dietary advice is allowed to call themself a nutritionist. You can have a cert, you can have a degree or you can have nothing at all. You are not allowed to call yourself an RD (registered dietician), unless you are registered with the ADA and have taken the proper tests and done the years worth of interships that go along with it.

Most trainers give some sort of basic diet advice. You can look at someones diet journal and be general and give them advice and direction. If the person has some sort of health issue or is taking medication, I refer them out to a Nutrition Scientist or an RD who specialize in working with those populations.

So I can call myself a nutrionist?

Originally Posted by fufu

So I can call myself a nutrionist?

yup. anyone can. it is a very gray area in this country.

I don't cosider you a nutritionist unless you hold a degree in Nutritional Science (RD's study dietetics usually, but some study nutritional science) or you have a certification (and even that can be a stretch......much like we call people with certifications 'personal trainers', even when they are dumb fucks and we wouldn't have them train our dog).

Originally Posted by P-funk

what else do you do besides train? I thought that was your only job.

Loss Prevention at department stores. I changed to a new store when I got certified. I got a higher pay rate with benefits. So, its hard to pass it on now.

But I keep up with current shit and train clients at their homes for experience. When I move or get fired (hah), Ill have enough confidence to get a full time job at a gym and a part time job either doing LP, bouncing, or training clients at their home.

I see. Interesting. I thought training was your only gig.

Id really like it to be, but Id have to start over, which I can do now that I have extra cash coming in from paying off my car. I can stack paychecks, then live comfortably until clientel builds.

I might want to work at my newer, shittier gym actually.

Sessions at my studio run $55-70 depending on how many you buy at a time. Trainers make anywhere from $18 to $30 an hour depending on how much experience you have and whatnot. So, basically the cut is sauce.

Originally Posted by AKIRA

Id really like it to be, but Id have to start over, which I can do now that I have extra cash coming in from paying off my car. I can stack paychecks, then live comfortably until clientel builds.

I might want to work at my newer, shittier gym actually.

NASM is a good cert to do that with. The one things most certs lack is good anatomy/physiology, I had to play catch up to pass the CSCS because I didn't have that firm of a grasp on the physiology, especially with sprinting and eccentric knee flexion and all of that shit. When anyone asks me which cert to get for CPT, I tell them NASM or ACSM.

Originally Posted by Dale Mabry

NASM is a good cert to do that with. The one things most certs lack is good anatomy/physiology, I had to play catch up to pass the CSCS because I didn't have that firm of a grasp on the physiology, especially with sprinting and eccentric knee flexion and all of that shit. When anyone asks me which cert to get for CPT, I tell them NASM or ACSM.

I just did an online survey for them (you do it too, P?) and I requested that they taught direct more attention to the difference between movements vs. body part training.

Th physiology is pretty technical. In fact, I wish it was written more clearly. Its almost written for someone in pre-med rather than the average schmo, which what weve covered, is the average trainer.

Believe it or not I can also call myself a psychotherapist because I have a degree in psychology - that's all it takes. I cannot call myself a psychiatrist but the average person doesn't know the difference. The difference is a medical degree of course. If someone calls themselves a nutritionist they can be anything.

Originally Posted by ponyboy

Believe it or not I can also call myself a psychotherapist because I have a degree in psychology - that's all it takes. I cannot call myself a psychiatrist but the average person doesn't know the difference. The difference is a medical degree of course. If someone calls themselves a nutritionist they can be anything.

BS or MS? I never knew that, I have a BS in experimental Psych.

Just a BA actually. Anybody can call themselves a therapist just like anyone can call themselves a nutritionist - another example of the lack of structure.