How to Become a Personal Trainer in Illinois

Whether you want to work at your local gym or provide effective health and fitness advice to athletes in your community, a personal trainer job in Illinois is an excellent way to turn your passion for fitness into a rewarding career.

An upbeat attitude, friendly disposition, and a thorough understanding of physical fitness and exercise science are essential for those hoping to become personal trainers in IL.

Education & Training

Schools Near You

Required Courses

Many Illinois trade schools and community college courses teach trainers about:

Human Anatomy and Physiology
Kinesiology
Exercise Science and Physiology
Communication
Biology and Body Mechanics
Exercise Evaluation and Testing
Fitness Program Design

Other Classes

If you’re planning to take on private clients, taking business and marketing classes that teach you how to attract potential clients could be beneficial as well.

Also, while personal trainers in IL can make suggestions about healthy eating habits, they’ll need specialized nutritionist training and certification before they can prescribe any diets to their clients.

Additional Training

Fitness trainers also need to understand how to render aid if clients become injured during workouts. Many personal trainer educational courses include CPR, first aid, and basic physical therapy training so students can learn how to keep clients safe when completing exercises.

Basic Life Support Credentials

If your chosen personal trainer school doesn’t offer this training, you can obtain a Basic Life Support (BLS) credential through:

How Long is Personal Trainer School in IL?

Most personal trainers in IL complete their certificate programs in about three months. Some accelerated training courses only take about a month or so to finish. If you’re planning to work with a professional or college athletics team, you typically need to complete a four-year degree program.

Program Cost

Depending on where they enroll, personal trainers in IL might pay between $400 and $600 to complete their educational programs.

Those who take advanced classes to receive a specialized certificate might pay closer to $2,000. Meanwhile, an exercise science or kinesiology degree can cost upwards of $30,000 to $40,000 at some schools.

Illinois Personal Trainer Requirements

While you can become a personal trainer in Illinois without an official license, most gyms and fitness centers prefer to hire certified personal trainers (CPTs) for insurance purposes.

Having this credential can prove your skill level to potential employers and show them that you know the proper safety measures to use to prevent and address accidents and injuries.

Credential Options

Several fitness certification agencies offer courses and exams to license aspiring personal trainers in IL and throughout the United States. Depending on your preferences, you might choose to earn your personal trainer certification through one of the following:

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
The National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF)
The American Council on Exercise (ACE)

Special Trainer Credentials

While a versatile personal trainer certification can qualify you for a broader range of personal trainer jobs in Illinois, some trainers prefer to work with clients with more specific fitness goals.

Specialty Options

You might need to obtain a specialized degree or credential if you want to create fitness plans based on the following areas of the fitness industry:

Youth, senior, or group fitness
Strength training
Power Lifting
Athletics Conditioning
Runner training
Yoga, Pilates, Barre, Zumba, or Cross Fit workouts
Dieting and Nutrition
Triathlon, Pentathlon, and Decathlon training

Personal Trainer Salaries in IL

Annual earnings for personal trainers in IL vary depending on their experience levels. For example, although the average entry-level personal trainer salary in Illinois is about $27,828 per year, experienced trainers might make as much as $63,322 annually.

Your location can also determine how much you make as a personal trainer in Illinois. Check out the following list to learn about regional salary information for entry-level personal trainers in different Illinois cities:

Chicago $29,820
Springfield $26,850
Elgin $27,970
Kankakee $24,422
Peoria $25,411
Danville $26,044
Decatur $25,967

Applicants with a formal education and an official fitness trainer credential can sometimes negotiate higher wages when looking for personal trainer jobs in Illinois. Also, private health spas and fitness centers typically pay more than a typical community gym.

Job Description

Personal trainer jobs in Illinois involve developing and implementing workout plans to help people achieve their physical health and fitness goals. Occasionally, these professionals might lead group fitness classes and help gymgoers as needed. However, they typically work with individual clients, performing tasks like:

Discussing fitness goals with clients
Gathering information about the client’s body type, including height, weight, measurements, and current fitness level
Creating a realistic and safe health and wellness plan that helps the client reach their goals
Demonstrating how to perform workouts and use gym equipment
Motivating clients during workouts
Suggesting nutrition and habit changes that could help the client make better progress
Tracking the client’s progress and adjusting the fitness plan as needed

Career Outlook

Career projections from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show a 19-percent increase in demand for personal trainers over the next ten years. This translates to about 65,500 personal trainer job openings becoming available each year between 2021 and 2023. Hopefuls can take advantage of this projected growth rate by earning an official personal trainer certification that might impress potential employers.