How To Become A Personal Trainer in Maine in 2024

For you to become a personal trainer in Maine, you will need the following:

1. At the minimum, be 18 years old
2. Hold a GED or its equivalent
3. Have a current adult CPR/AED Certification
4. Get certification through a nationally recognized personal training organization

Personal Trainer Certification Maine

Here are the best personal training certification options in Maine: 

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. American Council on Exercise (ACE-CPT)

I suggest that you take the quiz to find out which certification will be most helpful for your specific Maine personal trainer career goals.

Personal Trainer Certification Maine Cost

Becoming a personal trainer in Maine will cost anything from $500 to $1000 depending on the certification that you choose.

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

Maine state doesn’t require personal trainers to have a license, however, most employers prefer personal trainers with a nationally recognized certification, so it would help to get one.

Personal Trainer Schools Maine

Having a personal trainer certification in Maine is one of the surest ways to secure employment. Here are some of the top schools I came across. Let’s have a look.

• Husson University Physical Therapy/Kinesiology
• St. Joseph’s College Exercise Science
• Thomas College Sports Management
• University of Maine Kinesiology and Physical Education
• University of Maine- Machias Sport and Fitness Management
• University of Maine –Presque Isle Physical Education
• University of New England Exercise and Sport Performance
• University of Southern Maine Exercise, Health, and Sport Sciences

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 Maine?

In Maine, personal trainers earn $64,169 annually on average, which can range all the way from $46,290 to $78,830 depending on various factors like the city, other critical factors like education and professional qualifications, any additional skills, and years of experience. Here is the salary report.

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

State Fitness Rating

From my findings, I discovered that each state has a different attitude toward health and fitness, which is a consequence of several factors.

My first stop when looking at becoming a personal trainer in Bangor, Lewiston, and Portland is the state fitness rating.

This is a ranking of how conscious and engaged the general population is to staying healthy and their commitment level to personal fitness goals.

For this, we will be looking at two statistics: those being the obesity prevalence rate and the top gyms per capita.

Maine has an obesity prevalence of 29%. This isn’t great, but not the worst, either.

In fact, Maine’s obesity rate is so moderate; it lands them in the 25th position out of all the states.

This could point to a decent market engagement and a significant untapped opportunity in the fitness industry.

Obesity statistics show how willing and engaged a population is with their fitness journey, and engagement with fitness means business for personal trainers.

The second data set I’ll address is the top gyms per capita. Before we go into those numbers, it’s essential to define exactly what a “top gym” is.

In this case, a top gym is simply categorized as one of many popular commercial franchise gyms. The type that has become a household name synonymous with fitness.

Examples of such gyms include:

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• Crunch Fitness
• Planet Fitness
• Gold’s Gym
• Anytime Fitness
• 24 Hour Fitness
• LA Fitness
• Snap Fitness
• Orange Theory Fitness
• YMCA

These popular, mainstream gyms are included as a metric because they indicate a high level of accessibility to fitness for the general population.

They are easy to use, affordable, and available.

Maine only has 78 top gyms, but with a population of just over a million, there are approximately 5.86 gyms for every 100 thousand locals.

That’s a good ratio for locals who need a gym, but there are few opportunities for a CPT.

Maine has a state fitness rank of 20 out of 51, placing it in the top half.

Fitness Market Makeup

With such a small population, the Maine fitness crew would likely consist of a very general type of fitness consumers.

I wouldn’t expect many special population groups, such as athletes.

Therefore, I’ll advise you to focus on the fundamentals when you become a personal trainer in Portland, emphasizing weight loss and transformation.

You would also do well by engaging with the small group training class model; having basic knowledge of how a group fitness instructor operates will not be a bad idea.

Personal Trainer Certifications in Maine

Personal training certification in Portland and other cities is needed to get a job as a personal trainer in Maine.

I have written an article on my best personal trainer certifications. Use this as a guide on becoming a certified personal trainer in Maine.

Overall here are my top 2 best personal trainer certificates in Maine. Ensure you have all or any of them when you decide to become a personal trainer in Lewiston and other areas.

• NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine)
• ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association)

Having a national certification is helpful to the status of personal trainers in Maine.

Google “personal trainer certification near me” or “personal trainer certification Maine” to know the best one for your state.

Personal Trainer Jobs in Maine

When it comes to personal trainer jobs in Lewiston, Bangor, or Portland, your first business order is to secure employment in one of the top gyms.

These can be great launchpads for bigger things since you’ll have access to clients who want to maintain their fitness level and on-the-job training that will benefit you as an independent trainer.

Speaking of which, with the low availability of gyms and fitness centers, thus limiting employment potential, the quicker you establish your own self-sustained operation, the better.

My best suggestion is to add an online training aspect to your services.

This will enable you to captivate a more diverse market and reduce many of the limitations and resource expenditures associated with traditional coaching or personal training sessions.

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Gold Standard Cert	Most Popular Cert	Best Study Materials
A Good Option	A Good Option	Best CPT for you?

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 Maine

I’ve already pointed out how tiny Maine is as a population center, and the number of top gyms also attests to this.

So your best shot at success is to target only the top cities and settlements in terms of population and not even consider any others.

Your primary target is personal trainer jobs in Portland, with just over 66 thousand inhabitants.

That’s a pretty low population for a town or city by any standard, but that’s the most you will get out of Maine.

Lewiston and Bangor have very similar population sizes, both in the 30k range, then it only gets lower from there.

Ideally, Portland is your pot of gold, with Lewiston and Bangor being your secondary options.

“Personal trainers Portland Maine” definitely have the potential to get clients.

Personal Trainer Salary in Maine

When you become a personal trainer in Bangor, Lewiston of Portland, the average salary in Maine that you can expect is $60,227 per year.

The national average is $61,802 per year for trainers across America.

That means as a PT in Maine, you earn less than you can in the US.

But the value of salaries in Maine is actually determined by the cost of living you’re subject to.

To understand that, we’ll need to look at Maine’s quality of life rating.

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

Quality of Life Rating

Making a living isn’t just about what you earn. It’s also about the standards of living and what you need to spend your hard-earned money on.

Maine is an idyllic coastal State. Its relaxed ambiance and maritime quaintness make for a great experience if you’re not trying to be a city slicker.

This comes with a great outdoors and nature experience.

The catch with this is that the economy drives much slower than some busier metropoles. Business freedom is, however, pretty high, along with safety and healthcare.

The cost of living actually makes the below-average PT income attractive enough to settle in.

I’ll give Maine a 7.5/10 QoL rating for all this.

Methodology  

I analyzed this review based on meticulously chosen data and my final resolution was based on: 

• 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 Maine

The small seaside state of Maine doesn’t have as much to offer a fitness professional as some of the more fast-paced places in America.

But where people live, the need for health and fitness always exists.

You can optimize your chances by upskilling through personal trainer certification in Lewiston, Portland, or Bangor.

Although options are limited for personal trainer in Maine, there are several ways to get your personal trainer license and get started.

FAQs on How to Become a Personal Trainer in Maine

References

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