But one industry is showing promising growth: fitness. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a> projects employment for fitness trainers and instructors will grow 7% from 2025 to 2035. That equates to approximately 68,000 job openings each year.<\/p>\n For personal trainers, having a four-year college degree isn\u2019t necessarily a requirement. Online training and certification programs provide aspiring personal trainers new ways to break into the industry. The International Sports Sciences Association<\/a> (ISSA) is among them, and students can complete their programs in as little as 12 weeks. <\/p>\n According to ISSA\u2019s latest Fitness Hiring Report<\/a>, the industry actually faces a readiness gap. <\/p>\n Gyms need more than trainers who know how to design customized workouts and coach clients. They\u2019re also looking for professionals with business skills who can attract new clients and retain existing ones. It\u2019s not just about working out; it\u2019s about building a clientele that brings business to the gym. <\/p>\n According to the report, about 94% of ISSA gym partners would use a platform that delivers pre-vetted, job-ready trainers \u2014 and in response, ISSA designed an advanced program to help close that gap. <\/p>\n Earlier this year, ISSA announced its fully revised Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and Nutrition Coach <\/a>certifications, which are available in English and Spanish.<\/p>\n The new program moves beyond a traditional textbook curriculum in favor of a coaching-first approach. Students learn through scenario-based decision-making exercises, interactive anatomy training, simulated client case studies, and a video library, alongside live, instructor-led support.<\/p>\n The result is a more holistic approach to education, which is meant to prepare them for every element of the personal training business. <\/p>\n \u201cISSA is bigger than certification,\u201d said Warren Heffelfinger, ISSA CEO. \u201cWe are building a connected workforce ecosystem, and these updated programs ensure our pros are market-ready from day one.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond the training program, ISSA students are also given access to Career Connect, ISSA\u2019s talent platform linking certified coaches to more than 23,000 hiring gyms across the globe. Every offer includes a 100% job placement guarantee or your money back \u2014 for U.S. based students who meet the requirements.<\/p>\n ISSA offers a range of programs tailored to specific career goals and budgets. Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) courses start at $599, while Elite Trainer bundles cost around $950 and include additional nutrition coaching and strength and conditioning courses. <\/p>\n For a limited time, ISSA offers flexible payment plans that let students get started with a $1 verification, with the option to cancel within seven days.<\/p>\n This article was written by Miska Salemann<\/a>, New York Post Commerce Writer\/Reporter. As a health-forward member of Gen Z, Miska seeks out experts to weigh in on the benefits, safety and designs of both trending and tried-and-true fitness equipment, workout clothing, dietary supplements and more. Taking matters into her own hands, Miska intrepidly tests wellness products, ranging from Bryan Johnson\u2019s Blueprint Longevity Mix<\/a> to the viral Oura Ring<\/a> to Jennifer Aniston\u2019s favorite workout platform<\/a> \u2013 often with her adorable toddler by her side. Before joining The Post, Miska covered lifestyle and consumer topics for the U.S. Sun and The Cannon Beach Gazette.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York Post may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":890481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[167,337,97,1244,134,520],"class_list":["post-890480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-deals","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-health-and-wellness-products","tag-jobs","tag-shopping"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=890480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/890481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=890480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=890480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=890480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/issa_232e90.jpg\")
<\/a> International Sports Sciences Association <\/p>\n