Have a question? To become a personal trainer in Indiana, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- You must have a GED or the equivalent
- Have an updated adult CPR/AED Certification
- Become certified through a recognized personal training institution
Personal Trainer Certification Indiana
Here are the best personal training certification options in Indiana:
- International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA-CPT)
- National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT)
- National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF-CPT)
- National Personal Training Institute (NPTI)
I highly recommend that you take the quiz and find out which certification will be most beneficial for your specific Indiana personal trainer career goals.
Personal Trainer Certification Indiana Cost
The cost of becoming a personal trainer in Indiana will depend on which certification you choose but generally varies from $445 to $995.
Do you need a license to be a personal trainer in Indiana?
A majority of health clubs and gyms in Indiana will require that their personal trainers have the necessary professional certification, besides CPR and first aid skills. However, it is not mandatory to have a personal trainer certification to practice in Indiana.
Personal Trainer Schools Indiana
There are a number of kinesiology schools in Indiana that you could consider for your personal trainer certification. Below, we give you a list of the top kinesiology schools.
- Anderson University Kinesiology
- Ball State University School of Kinesiology Bachelors
- Bethel College Kinesiology
- Butler University Physical Education and Health
- DePauw University Kinesiology
- Franklin College Kinesiology
- Goshen College Physical Education
- Grace College and Seminary Sport Management
- Hanover College Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
- Huntington University Kinesiology and Sport Leadership
- Indiana Institute of Technology Sports Management
- Indiana Institute of Technology Physical Education
- Indiana State University Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport
- Indiana University Department of Kinesiology
- Indiana University Bloomington Health, Physical Education and Recreation
- Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis Kinesiology
- Indiana Wesleyan University Health and Human Performance
- Manchester College Exercise and Sport Sciences
- Oakland-City University Physical Education
- Purdue University Department of Health and Kinesiology
- Taylor University Kinesiology
- Trine University Health and Physical Education
- University of Evansville Exercise and Sport Science
- University of Indianapolis Kinesiology
- University of Southern Indiana Kinesiology and Sport
- University of St. Francis Kinesiology and Nutrition
- Valparaiso University Kinesiology
If you haven’t yet, be sure to take the quiz to find out the best personal trainer certification for your career.
How Much Do Personal Trainers Make in Indiana?
As a personal trainer in Indiana, you can expect to make $64,914 per year. But the salary can range from $46,828 to $79,746 depending on the city, your professional education and certifications, other skills, and experience. Check out the report on salary.com.
Make sure to check out the general guide on how to become a personal trainer.
State Fitness Rating
First, to understand how to become a personal trainer in Fort Wayne or Indianapolis and the state’s potential, we need to learn a bit about the population and its health status.
I’ve used data gathered by exercise.com to look in-depth into Indiana’s health and fitness rankings, which will shine a light on the fitness trainer market there.
Two important factors go into this statistic and come together to give the state an overall ranking against the other 50 states.
These factors are the obesity rate and the presence of top gyms.
Top gyms are large commercial gyms with many chains and franchises nationwide.
These gyms are household names due to their accessibility and affordability, meaning their presence influences how the general population could fit in.
Gyms in this category include:
- Crunch Fitness
- Anytime Fitness
- Snap Fitness
- Planet Fitness
- Orange Theory Fitness
- LA Fitness
- Gold’s Gym
- 24 Hour Fitness
- YMCA
As far as Indiana is concerned, there are 403 top gyms available.
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That means for a population of 6,633,053, there are 6.08 gyms per 100 thousand state residents.
This figure indicates good health and fitness access and reveals any job opportunities if you have the right personal training certification.
This figure puts Indiana in 17th place out of all states as far as gym presence is concerned.
As for obesity, Indiana lags behind.
With an obesity prevalence of 32.5, Indiana ranks 41st out of 51 regarding this health and wellness indicator.
Obesity is a massive problem, no pun intended, and a high rate would indicate a population with a low fitness industry adoption.
It could also suggest a gap in the market, so let’s see what Indiana’s fitness market actually looks like.
Fitness Market Makeup
With a high rate of obesity, expect many of your client prospects to be people simply looking to get in shape and to a healthy weight through intensive training sessions or program designs.
This isn’t your typical LA muscle beach crowd looking to get shredded or your Denver, Colorado, adrenalin junkie contingent.
Some clients also have different fitness goals unrelated to weight loss.
You will find people from all walks of fitness at fitness centers and health clubs but expect your most significant client base to be healthy weight loss candidates.
This means your change psychology and nutrition coaching skills will also be useful in designing exercise programs.
Personal Trainer Certifications in Indiana
Personal trainer certification in Indianapolis and other cities is needed to get a job as a personal trainer in Indiana.
Overall here are my top 2 best personal trainer certificates in Indiana. Ensure you have all or any of them when you decide to become a personal trainer in Indianapolis and other areas.
These certification programs will give you the best personal trainer certification in Indiana.
Personal Trainer Jobs in Indiana
Indiana has a good amount of gyms for its population size, so you have many options for gym employment.
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Starting as a gym employee is an excellent way to pay your dues and earn your stripes, but you should aim higher if you genuinely want to achieve greatness in the fitness business.
I’m talking about running your own independent CPT business. This allows you the freedom to price and schedule as you wish while also building a brand that conveys your message.
An important factor in success as an independent trainer is to add an online component to your business model.
As the fastest growing sector in the fitness industry, online training is essential for present and future success.
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 Indiana
With over 6 million residents, Indiana can be considered a middle-sized state by population.
I mentioned earlier that I’d only be looking at the top 3 cities, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Evansville.
However, with 886,220 inhabitants, Indianapolis has a significantly larger population than second-place Fort Wayne, with only 270,402 residents.
Let’s take a look at the top seven cities to paint a clearer picture for “personal trainers Indianapolis,” “personal trainer Fort Wayne,” and “personal trainer Evansville Indiana.”
| City In Indiana | Population |
|---|---|
| Indianapolis | 886,220 |
| Fort Wayne | 270,402 |
| Evansville | 117,979 |
| South Bend | 102,026 |
| Carmel | 101,068 |
| Fishers | 95,310 |
| Bloomington | 85,755 |
As you can see, Indianapolis’s total population is almost as large as all the other cities combined.
With this in mind, you’ll have to consider if any other city besides Indianapolis is worth it or presents the same level of opportunity for fitness jobs in Indiana.
Personal trainer jobs in Fort Wayne, for example, might only yield a third of the potential as personal training in Indianapolis, and the odds only decrease from there for “personal trainer Carmel” or “personal trainer South Bend.”
A quick search on Google for “personal trainer jobs Indianapolis” or “exercise science jobs Indiana” will give you more answers.
Personal Trainer Salary in Indiana
The average annual income personal trainers in Indianapolis are expected to earn $60,381.00
This is just shy of the national average of $61,802.00 per year.
In my opinion, this makes sense, given the state fitness rating, but at the same time, it’s not as sharp of a drop off from the national average as one would expect.
Make sure to check out the full guide on personal trainer salary.
Quality of Life Rating
Understanding the quality of life you can expect is just as important as understanding your job prospects and income potential as an Indianapolis personal trainer.
After all, once you’ve worked hard and made an income, you need somewhere pleasant to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Fortunately, Indiana isn’t a bad place to live, especially if you relocate to Indianapolis.
The state’s highlights are its healthcare and business freedom, adequate housing, a decent economy, and superb leisure and culture.
Travel connectivity, taxation, and education are some of the drawbacks you can expect.
Overall, I’ll give Indiana a 7/10 QoL rating, mainly because it’s actually Indianapolis that seems to be holding the state’s status up.
Methodology
The methodology adopted for this review was based on carefully analyzed facts and figures and my final verdict was based on these important variables:
- The population of the state and its major cities.
- The obesity figures as compared with other states.
- Personal trainer certifications are obtainable.
- 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 Indiana
Indiana may have an unhealthy population, but it also has the potential to allow you to turn that into gold.
The high number of gyms about the population size speaks to this.
The options for qualifications are also great. Getting a personal trainer certification in Fort Wayne and other areas is straightforward, with the option to go for a degree.
I do, however, suspect that most of the opportunities lie in Indianapolis, with very little to show in other cities.
FAQs on How to Become a Personal Trainer in Indiana
How to get a personal fitness trainer certification in Indiana?
How to get personal trainer certified?
– American Council of Exercise (ACE)
– American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
– National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
– National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
– National Federation of Personal Trainers (NFPT)
Do personal trainers need to be certified?
The right personal trainer certification also boosts their credibility and status, thus allowing them to earn more.
References
https://www.exercise.com/learn/ten-fittest-states-in-the-us/
https://www.americankinesiology.org/SubPages/Pages/Kinesiology%20Institution%20Database
Tyler Read
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