The one business that seems to be popping up all over America in cities big and small is gyms. The craze to become leaner, fitter, and sexier has led to a wave of Americans looking for a place to hit the weights, do some cardio, and find the leaner meaner person inside. If you're a fitness freak maybe you should think about cashing in on this new trend by getting your personal trainer certification and entering into a career that fits your interest in fitness and working out.

You might wonder why you would need to be certified to be a personal trainer. It seems like it would be easy enough to go to your favorite gym, apply to be an attendant or other workout assistant and start making money doing what you like to do. That's a true enough statement, but there's a difference between having a job and a career with a real future and real perks.

Certified personal trainers can do so much more than just work at the gym, although many opportunities are opened up at the gym when you become certified. Many folks have quality home gyms and weight sets and choose to do their training at home. These individuals will often seek out a certified trainer for private training sessions in the home. As you might guess these sessions aren't cheap, meaning that the trainer with certification can earn far more than working in a gym or at the gym alone. For an hour at the gym with a client it's likely the trainer will make an hourly rate of $10-$12. For that same hour in a private session at a client's home a trainer might charge up to $150 per hour, and perform the same duties.

Another possible avenue for trainers is in the corporate and manufacturing sectors. With health insurance rates through the roof many companies are choosing to work to prevent illness and injuries. One way they're doing this is by opening gyms and training facilities at the workplace and by offering training and fitness advice by contractors in house. With your personal trainer certification in hand you could be the person running these facilities and/or advising the workforce as to their fitness and health choices. Here again this is work often handled by gym attendants at an hourly rate, but in the corporate world the position could pull down six figures!

Acquiring your personal trainer certification will also make you a better workout professional. Most programs of study that lead to personal trainer certification will help you learn about training techniques for special clients, learn common challenges trainers face, learn how to target specific muscle groups to satisfy the demands of the most seasoned fitness fanatic, as well as teaching the latest exercises and how to use the most up to date fitness machinery. You will also learn the science behind the techniques, proper diet basics, how to treat common training injuries, and how to create the right workout to fit a client's needs.

All told if you're looking for a job in personal training or in the fitness industry you would be foolish not to start by attaining your personal trainer certification. Certified personal trainers are the professionals of the fitness world and garner the respect and compensation worthy of their training. If you're into fitness and want to work in the field you love then a personal training certification can be the difference between having a job and having a career.