How to Become a Personal Trainer in Arkansas in 2025

If you want to become a personal trainer in Arkansas, you will need the following:

1. You must be at least 18 years of age.
2. Be sure to have a GED or the equivalent
3. Have an up-to-date adult CPR/AED Certification
4. Be certified through a recognized personal training institution

Personal Trainer Certification Arkansas

Here are the best personal training certification options in Arkansas:

1. International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA-CPT)

2. National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT)

3. National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF-CPT)

4. National Personal Training Institute (NPTI)

As a health fitness specialist, having the appropriate personal training certification and skill set is important to help you perform your job effectively.

Be sure to take the quiz and find out which certification makes the most sense for your specific Arkansas personal trainer career goals.

Make sure to check out the general guide on how to become a personal trainer.

Personal Trainer Certification Arkansas Cost

Becoming a personal trainer in Arkansas will depend on the certification taken, and this can vary from around $450 and $1000 on the higher end.

Do you need a license to be a personal trainer in Arkansas?

Generally, you do not need a personal trainer certification in Arkansas, but at the minimum, you will need a high school diploma or equivalent, and an exercise related educational background or both. Having a personal trainer certification in Arkansas will enable you to get better pay and bigger opportunities.

Personal Trainer Schools Arkansas

As far as getting your personal trainer license in Arkansas, there are numerous options to choose from that can boost your odds of getting a job in the state. They are:

• • Arkansas State University Health, Physical Education, and Sport Sciences

• • Arkansas Tech University Health and Physical EducationHarding University Kinesiology

• • Henderson State University Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Athletic Training

• • Hendrix College Kinesiology and Health Sciences

• • John Brown University Kinesiology

• • Ouachita Baptist University Kinesiology and Leisure Studies

• • Philander Smith College Health, Physical Education, and Recreation

• • Southern Arkansas University Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation

• • University of Arkansas Department of Health Science, Kinesiology, Recreation and Dance

• • University of Arkansas at Little Rock Counseling, Human Performance, and Rehabilitation

• • University of Arkansas at Monticello Physical Education with Exercise Science

• • University of Central Arkansas Kinesiology and Physical Education

• • University of the Ozarks Physical Education

• • Williams Baptist College Physical Education

An associate’s or bachelor’s degree can be leveraged for higher positions such as management or working within sporting leagues.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to take the quiz to find out the best personal trainer certification for your career.

Going for a degree is a big investment in time and money.

How Much Do Personal Trainers Make in Arkansas

As a personal trainer in Arkansas, you can expect to make $60,661, but this can start from $43,760 to $74,520 depending on various factors such as the specific city, educational background, and certifications, any additional skills as well as your professional experience.

This income margin according to salary.com is great but would require you to be at the top of the local industry.

Only through experience and a solid industry reputation cultivated over time can you realistically aim for this upper margin, especially in the fitness industry with such low engagement.

Make sure to check out the full guide on personal trainer salary.

State Fitness Rating

The first thing I will look at is the state fitness rating.

The general fitness of a population can help you paint a picture of where the wellness and fitness industry is headed, if anywhere at all.

In most cases, a fit population equates to a thriving fitness industry, and an unfit community indicates slow market trends in the sector.

In some cases, a low fitness rating shows potential for a market that hasn’t been engaged with fitness training programs to achieve its fitness goals.

The fitness ranking data I’m using was gathered from exercise.com and is a state ranking based on two prominent variables.

These variables are obesity prevalence and the number of top commercial fitness facilities.

Obesity is used because it is a great indicator of a population’s health and fitness habits. It’s fair to distinguish between being overweight and being obese.

An overweight person can be healthy and fit, especially if we use BMI as a metric. An obese person is categorically unhealthy.

The other value used to determine fitness ranking is the number of top gyms per 100,000 residents.

The reason top gyms, which refer to mainstream franchise gyms, are used is that these are the most accessible fitness facilities.

These gyms include:

• • YMCA

• • Snap Fitness

• • 24 Hour Fitness

• • Anytime Fitness

• • Planet Fitness

• • Orange Theory Fitness

• • LA Fitness

• • Gold’s Gym

• • Crunch Fitness

For the general population, a commercial gym is less complicated and less costly than many private boutiques, fitness centers, or specialist fitness clubs.

However, if you do feel like tapping into a more specialist market, there are a few trendier options, such as:

• • Ozark Iron Gym

• • 10 Fitness University

• • Fit Factory Little Rock

The obesity prevalence in Arkansas is 35.7%, tied in 3rd place with Alabama, giving Arkansas an overall obesity ranking of 48!

The top gyms ranking is 49 out of 51, putting it close to the bottom.

With all that considered, Arkansas comes last out of all 50 states (as well as DC), ranking 51.

Fitness Market Makeup

From the ranking stats above, it would seem Arkansas is the least viable state in the country to work as a PT.

Your best bet is to look for personal trainer jobs in Little Rock, as it is the most populous city in the state.

Other options would be Personal trainer jobs in Fayetteville and personal trainer jobs in Fort Smith.

From what I’ve seen, the most sought after fitness services in Arkansas gyms are those of group fitness instructors.

That may be because group fitness classes are more of a social gathering than a dedicated approach to improving fitness for many people.

Since Arkansas residents aren’t known for being big on health and fitness, it makes sense that such is the case.

Personal Trainer Jobs in Arkansas

After dealing with personal trainer certifications in Arkansas, the next step is to figure out what sort of work you’ll be getting into as a personal trainer in Little Rock, AR.

As mentioned earlier, being a group fitness instructor is a popular job description since group classes are among the state’s most popular fitness training session services.

Another option is being a physical education teacher. This is both a popular route as well as a necessary one.

That’s because Arkansas’ fitness culture begins with educating the youth, so by contributing to the growth of health and fitness in the youth, you are contributing to the growth of the fitness industry.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to take the quiz to find out the best personal trainer certification for your career.

Best Cities to Be a Personal Trainer in Arkansas

The best cities are typically the most populated cities. A fitness career is a numbers game. The more client prospects you have, the higher the odds of conversion.

So the more people in your location, the more clients you will have access to.

The most populated cities in Arkansas are, of course, Little Rock, Fayetteville, and Fort Smith.

It’s important to note that even the most populous cities have considerably low populations, as Arkansas is known for having a large rural population.

Let’s look at some of the top cities by numbers:

City In Arkansas	Population
Little Rock	197,312
Fort Smith	87,891
Fayetteville	87,590
Springdale	81,125
Jonesboro	78,394
Rogers	68,669
Conway	67,638

As you can see, very few of Arkansas break past the 200k population mark.

This means you’ll generally have slim pickings as compared to other major cities in the US.

You can still make a career out of it, especially personal training in Little Rock.

You’ll have to bring your A-game to the table.

 

Quality of Life Rating

Arkansas is considered one of the worst states to live in, according to a survey conducted by cnbc.com.

High crime stats and a relative lack of social tolerance between groups and classes make some believe it isn’t the best place to be.

The fitness ranking also mentions as an unhealthy society is often unpleasant.

On the flip side, Life in Arkansas is quite affordable, and the weather is great.

It is one of the best cities in the United States, making it privy to some of the best trappings of modern civilization.

I give Arkansas a QoL rating of 5.5/10.

Methodology  

The methodology adopted in analyzing this article was based on the following parameters:  

• • The population of the state and its major cities.  

• • The obesity figures as compared with other states.  

• • Personal trainer certifications that are available in Arkansas 

• • Availability of personal training schools & colleges.  

• • Career prospects for personal trainers.  

• • Earning potential for certified PTs.  

• • Quality of Life (QoL).  

Final Words on How to Become A Personal Trainer in Arkansas

There are better places to live and work than in Arkansas.

In fact, almost anywhere else is better to live and work than Arkansas, so if you’re looking for greener pastures, I wouldn’t suggest this as an option.

However, if you are an Arkansas native and need a place to start your career in fitness, you may as well take advantage of what opportunity there is.

You should aim to become a personal trainer in Little Rock, Fort Smith, or Fayetteville for better chances.

Education options are great, so even if relocation is your goal, personal trainer certification in Little Rock or any of the other major cities is not a bad idea.

FAQs on How to Become a Personal Trainer in Arkansas

References

https://www.arkansas-demographics.com

https://www.exercise.com/learn/ten-fittest-states-in-the-us/

https://www.salary.com

https://www.americankinesiology.org/SubPages/Pages/Kinesiology%20Institution%20Database

https://www.teleport.org