How to Become a Personal Trainer in New Mexico in 2024

For you to become a personal trainer in New Mexico, you will need the following.

1. You should be at least 18 years old
2. Hold a GED or the equivalent
3. Have a current adult CPR/AED Certification
4. Get a certification through a recognized personal training organization

Personal Trainer Certification New Mexico

Here are the best personal training certification options in New Mexico: 

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 recommend you take the quiz to find out which certification will be most helpful for your specific New Mexico personal trainer career goals.

Personal Trainer Certification New Mexico Cost

You can expect to pay anything from $450 to $1000 in order to become a personal trainer in New Mexico, which will largely depend on which certification you choose.

Do you need a license to be a personal trainer in New Mexico?

It is not mandatory to have a personal trainer license in New Mexico, but It is highly recommended that obtain a personal trainer certification from a well recognized institution since most employers are inclined towards certified professionals.

Personal Trainer Schools in New Mexico

From my years of experience, personal trainers with certifications in exercise science fields typically find themselves in the top earnings bracket. There is a small selection of exercise science schools in New Mexico you can choose from, and they are:

• Eastern New Mexico University Health and Physical Education  
• New Mexico Highlands University Exercise and Sports Sciences  
• New Mexico State University Kinesiology and Dance  
• University of New Mexico Department of Health, Exercise and Sports Sciences    
• University of the Southwest Physical Education  
• Western New Mexico University Allied Health

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 New Mexico?

An average person trainer in New Mexico will make approximately $61,400, and this can start at $44,293 up to $75,428 depending on their academic qualifications and certifications, the city, other relevant skills, and years of experience. Learn more about this report here.

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

State Fitness Rating

Before we begin discussing personal trainer jobs in Rio Rancho and how to become a personal trainer in Albuquerque and other cities, we need to take a look at the fitness trainer industry in New Mexico.

To do this, I’ve pulled data from the talented team at exercise.com. They’ve done a great job of breaking down the fitness stats for each state.

The main aspects we will deal with are obesity prevalence and top gym access.

Obesity prevalence is a good indicator of the health of a population.

By extension, the obesity rate also shows us how engaged the population is with fitness services, the same services you will be delivering as personal trainers in Albuquerque.

New Mexico has an obesity prevalence rate of 28.3%. This puts it in the 19th position across all states.

With a decent obesity rating, you can expect this to translate into a good engagement with the fitness industry by the local market.

In my view, there are many opportunities to be tapped into by a new personal trainer who needs working experience.

Now onto the topic of top gyms.

Top gyms are categorized as popular commercial gyms. The household names such as Gold’s Gym, Planet Fitness, and 24 Hour Fitness, to name a few.

These gyms offer affordable memberships, are relatively widespread, and have an easy use you won’t find in specialist gyms, such as boxing gyms or CrossFit boxes.

Here are a few of the gym brands that fit this description:

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

I will advise you to also check out some other top gyms that are not mentioned above, like:

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• GoTime Fitness
• Iron Soul Gym
• Mandrill’s Gym

Based on this categorization, top gyms represent the most accessible option for the general public to engage with wellness services.

The more of them there are in each city, the bigger the fitness market. This also presents more job and business opportunities for you as a fitness trainer.

New Mexico has 100 top gyms, according to exercise.com. With a population of 2,081,015, there are 4.81 gyms per capita (per 100,000 residents).

This low figure puts New Mexico in the 41st place regarding gym availability.

The gym’s per capita ranking starkly contrasts the promising obesity figures.

This indicates a market that is starved for accessible options but still willing to take its personal fitness training program seriously.

From my findings, there is a gap waiting to be filled by personal trainers who know what they want and have plans that will benefit the populace.

Fitness Market Makeup

Before you become a personal trainer in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, or anywhere else, you need to understand the fitness market’s nature.

With the obesity stats showing a relatively fit population but the gym access figures indicating a lack of infrastructure, the fitness market in New Mexico is naturally engaging with other fitness options.

This could mean a high demand in other areas, such as specialist gyms, group fitness instructors, or independent trainers.

Because of this, your success might lie in fast-tracking the implementation of your own fitness center business and capitalizing on market demand.

To do this, you should thoroughly understand how personal training in Albuquerque works.

Personal Trainer Certifications in New Mexico

Personal trainer certification in Las Cruces and other cities is needed to get a job as a personal trainer in New Mexico.

The cost of becoming a certified personal trainer is not as much as you think.

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

Overall here are my top 2 best personal training certifications in New Mexico. Ensure you have all or any of them when you decide to become a personal trainer in Las Cruces and other areas.

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

My findings so far reveal that going through any of these fitness certification programs will get you your desired job in any of the top gyms in major cities of New Mexico.

Personal Trainer Jobs in New Mexico

As I’ve already discussed, the sparsity of commercial gyms means you have limited options regarding fundamental job prospects in fitness in New Mexico.

So, what effect does this have on the prospect of personal training in New Mexico?

Ideally, as a fledgling trainer, having a job in a popular commercial space is a great way to springboard your career.

With the safety of a fixed income and benefits, along with the experience and exposure you will gain. Gym employment is an excellent place to start.

So, you might as well try your luck and apply to one of the one hundred top gyms.

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Moving forward from there, a career as an independent business owner is the next phase. 

Given the lack of gyms, this might be the more sensible way to work as a New Mexico trainer.

An essential consideration in this regard is online fitness. 

As the fastest-growing sector in the fitness services industry, it would not be very smart to not have online training as a component of your business model.

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 New Mexico

Regarding New Mexico, the best city to work in is Albuquerque.

With a population nearly as large as the next six biggest cities combined, it’s definitely the place to be.

Albuquerque personal trainers with the right specialized certification will find potential clients easily if effective physical fitness guides are on the ground.

Other cities like Las Cruces and Rio Rancho offer modest but adequate CPT job posting opportunities.

From there, the population figure offers fewer and fewer opportunities for fitness professionals.

If you are a seasoned personal trainer, you’ll still be able to maximize the opportunities these cities with less population have to offer.

You can also offer specialized fitness training sessions to those not novices in the personal training industry and help them achieve their fitness goals.

Personal Trainer Salary in New Mexico

The median annual income for PTS based in New Mexico is $57,013 annually.

This is considerably lower than the national average, which sits at $61,802, according to salary.com.

This might seem like a loss, but remember, what you earn is only really worth what you have to spend.

It’s all about the cost of living. And as far as New Mexico is concerned, the cost of living is way cheaper than the national average.

That means a lower than average salary potential will sting very little if at all.

I can tell you that a personal trainer who decides to practice in New Mexico does not have to worry much about the cost of living.

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

Quality of Life Rating

Along with affordability and population fitness, New Mexico ranks pretty high in many quality of life categories.

A significant contributor to this is the booming oil industry, which sures up the local economy.

However, in a bizjournals.com survey, the state placed 48th out of 50.

This is mainly due to the lackluster education statistics, which make the state the worst for education.

Healthcare also pulls the state down.

Overall, I’ll give New Mexico a 6.5 out of 10 for QoL. It should be lower, but the key categories concerning your career as a PT manage to keep it somewhat in good graces.

Methodology  

The methodology I adopted in approaching this review is dependent on well-research facts and figures and the final verdict was based on the following:  

• 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 New Mexico

New Mexico is a mixed bag of opportunity and challenge. 

Success is possible but would require a slightly different approach from how a typical fitness career would unfold.

It doesn’t matter if you are a personal trainer in Santa Fe, a personal trainer in Las Cruces, or a personal trainer in Albuquerque; if you have a strong entrepreneurial drive, this is the right place for you.

FAQs on How to Become a Personal Trainer in New Mexico

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