In order to become a personal trainer in New York, you will need the following:

  1. You must have attained 18 years of age
  2. Have a GED or its equivalent
  3. Have a current adult CPR/AED Certification
  4. Become certified through a well recognized personal training organization
How to Become a Personal Trainer in New York in [year] 2

What certification in New York do you need?

We developed this critical quiz to help you find the best certification for you and your goals.

Personal Trainer Certification New York

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

  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 makes the most sense for your specific New York personal trainer career goals.

Personal Trainer Certification New York Cost

For you to become a personal trainer in New York, you will need to spend from $449 to $999, and this can vary depending on the certification chosen.

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

You do not need a license to become a personal trainer in New York, however, a majority of gyms and health clubs prefer personal trainers who hold nationally accredited certifications.

Personal Trainer Schools in New York

Fitness trainers with nationally accredited credentials tend to be on the higher end of the income bracket. Let’s take a look at the best kinesiology schools that you may want to consider:

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 York?

New York state has some of the highest personal trainer salaries in the country, with an average of $78,214, and it can vary from $56,422 and $96,084 depending on the city, your professional and academic qualifications, other skills, and experience. Here are more details on the salary report.

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

How To Become A Personal Trainer in New York

State Fitness Rating

The first thing I will look at is the state fitness rating. This measures and ranks how healthy a state’s population is.

This is useful because it shows us how active the fitness industry is under how engaged the population is with services that promote health.

The data I’ll be using was gathered from exercise.com, which has done a tremendous job of analyzing and rating each state based on several key metrics.

The two statistics I’ll be using are the obesity prevalence and the top gyms per capita metric.

Obesity statistics accurately indicate a population’s health and fitness levels and health and fitness are strong indicators of the size and activity of the wellness industry.

As an exercise specialist in this industry, your success and potential opportunities are partially influenced by obesity prevalence.

New York has an obesity prevalence of 25.5%, putting it in 7th place out of 51 states and districts.

This is a useful statistic, indicating a below-average obesity rate, translating as the general population’s good engagement with the fitness industry.

Next, let’s look at top gyms and fitness facilities categorized by their mainstream appeal, affordability, and widespread accessibility.

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Top gyms or fitness centers include the likes of:

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

These gyms are a crucial indicator of the industry’s state because they represent the most accessible way for the average person to get a quality workout.

New York has 615 of these top gyms. With a population of 19,745,289, that’s a gym per capita ratio of 3.11 gyms per 100 thousand residents.

That makes New York the worst state for gym accessibility for the masses.

But is this bad news for you?

Well, not necessarily. From a consumer perspective, it might be more of a challenge than in any other state, but from a professional fitness perspective, your odds are still okay.

That’s because 615 gyms have a lot of employment opportunities. 

The fact that there is a high demand from the market means your experience working as an NYC personal trainer will provide accelerated benefits.

Fitness Market Makeup

New York City is a very cosmopolitan population center.

Fashion, beauty, and aesthetics dominate the fitness culture of this image-driven city.

A personal training program designed on weight management will be helpful for those interested in weight loss programs.

A large portion of your prospects will have aesthetic goals in mind.

As a certified health coach in New York City, you should create personal trainer programs and exercise programs that align with the populace’s needs.

This is where it would pay to brush up on skill sets concerning body transformation and bodybuilding.

New York also has a decent athletic heritage, so expect a significant portion of the market to be focused on performance enhancement training methodologies as part of their fitness goals.

Personal Trainer Certifications in New York

Personal trainer certification in New York City and other cities is needed to get a job as a personal trainer in New York.

With a personal training certification in NYC, you have a personal trainer license to operate effectively.

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

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

Having the best personal training certification in NYC gives you entrance to the best workplace as a personal trainer.

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Most Popular Cert
ISSA - Most Popular Online Personal Trainer Certification 3 Certs for
Best Study Materials
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A Good Option
ACE Certification- A Good Fitness Course Online Option - 25&percnt off
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Personal Trainer Jobs in New York

Personal trainer jobs in New York City come with diverse opportunities.

You have your commercial gym or health club positions, which I recommend should be your first option.

The reason being these are stable, albeit relatively low paying opportunities.

What you’ll lose in the size of your income, you’ll gain in security and benefits.

You’ll also be on a fast track in learning how to be an effective fitness instructor and fitness salesperson, essential skills for deciding to strike out on your own.

As an independent fitness business owner, few places are more exciting than New York City.

The variety of influences and cultures means you can find a niche and position yourself in a way that creates your sub-market.

You’ll need a blend of sticking to the basics while being creative and thinking outside the box with the fitness programs.

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 York

As I’ve already mentioned, New York City is the best place to work as a CPT in the state.

The sheer size of the population eclipses that of entire states in many cases.

It would be foolish not to focus on your career aspirations here.

However, if you don’t have the option of being based in NYC, Buffalo, Rochester, and Yonkers offer similar opportunities to most other cities I’ve reviewed.

Fitness is a numbers game at the end of the day, so population size is your primary opportunity indicator.

City In New YorkPopulation
New York City8,323,340
Buffalo255,244
Rochester203,792
Yonkers199,021
Syracuse140,987
Albany96,853
New Rochelle77,912

Personal Trainer Salary in New York

The annual average income for PTs in New York is $74,466. This is a remarkably high figure and would be a comfortable salary in most professions, not just fitness.

However, I hate to burst your bubble and point out that life in New York, especially NYC, is super expensive.

The cost of rent and housing is astronomical, so $74k per month is relatively conservative.

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

Quality of Life Rating

As one of the most populated states in America, New York has a lot going on that causes a tremendous fluctuation in the standard of living across all categories.

Health care, education, culture & entertainment, infrastructure, and business opportunities rank very high.

The cost of living and housing, unfortunately, had significant downsides. You’ll also have high taxation chewing into your income.

Overall, I’ll give New York a 6 out of 10 quality of life rating. It’s a great place to live if you can afford it, and affording it is the real issue.

Methodology

The methodology I used in reviewing this article on how to become a personal trainer in New York is stated below:

  • The population of the state and its major cities.  
  • The obesity figures as compared with other states.  
  • Personal trainer certifications are attainable in the state.  
  • 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 York

New York is an opportunity goldmine for fitness training, primarily when focusing on New York City.

As one would expect from one of the world’s biggest cosmopolitan cities, the fitness industry thrives there.

This does mean the market is saturated, and success will be hard-earned.

There’s also the challenge of affordability should you choose to focus on NYC.

But then, having the requirements for a personal trainer license in NYC will give you an edge with potential clients.

FAQs on How to Become A Personal Trainer in New York

What qualifications do I need to be a personal trainer?

The basic qualifications for obtaining a personal trainer certification are:

– A high school diploma
– An AED/CPR certification
– A First Aid certification

Some personal training certifying bodies may require an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

What certifications do I need to become a personal trainer?

The certifications needed are:

– American Council on Exercise (ACE)
– American Fitness Professional and Associates (AFPA)
– International Fitness Professionals Association (IFPA)
– National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT)
– National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
– Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA)
– American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
– The Cooper Institute

How to become a personal trainer in NYC?

To become a personal trainer in NYC, you should have the prerequisite nationally recognized personal trainer certifications that NCCA and DEAC approve.

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

Tyler Read - Certified Personal Trainer with PTPioneer

Tyler Read


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