As demand for personal and small group trainers grows, Life Time and NASM are equipping fitness professionals with the tools needed to navigate the new wellness landscape
Life Time has renewed its relationship with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), giving its trainers and instructors complimentary access to the NASM ClubConnect platform, which offers continuing education courses, reduced rates for certifications and credentials, and exclusive access to workshops.
The announcement comes as the employment prospects for fitness trainers and instructors are bright, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting that employment in the fitness training sector will increase by 14% through 2032, considerably faster than the average of all occupations.
The luxury athletic country club operator is one of the largest employers in the training and group fitness industry, with over 3,500 personal trainers, stretch specialists, Pilates instructors, and more than 8,500 studio instructors.
“Our affiliation with NASM reflects our commitment to the professional growth and ongoing education of trainers and instructors at Life Time,” said Ryan Sonnenburg, Life Time’s vice president of personal training. “By expanding access to educational resources, we empower our experts to deliver exceptional results and maintain our culture of excellence within our athletic country clubs.”
David Van Daff, vice president of industry development and corporate affairs at NASM, remarked that Life Time offers significant opportunities and benefits for its fitness staff.
“Their dedication to certification, specializations, and development ensures that fitness professionals are continually equipped with the most advanced resources and continuing education, promoting a culture of lifelong learning and excellence,” Van Daff said.
Life Time has also launched a four-week paid internship personal training program that offers a fitness certification.
The Big Picture
In recent years, mobile personal training and fitness franchise GymGuyz and Equinox have increased the number of its trainers in response to demand. Zumba is also supporting its instructors in their professional development. Having recently partnered with Noom, the global dance fitness brand offered its Zumba instructors a pathway to become Noom Mindset Coaches and grow their network.
Personal training has become more than just a way for fitness clients to ensure accountability. New survey findings recently revealed that some of the most requested duties of personal trainers are personal wellness coaching, strength training, muscle gain, weight loss support, motivation, and mobility and flexibility training.
For its part, NASM has launched two new course offerings to better equip personal trainers for fitness consumers’ changing expectations – one of which features a wellness coaching simulation that provides real-time feedback from a mentor.
NASM also launched NASM One, a membership for fitness professionals that offers helpful client management tools, unlimited access to business courses, over 300 continuing education courses and webinars, and evidence-based reviews on relevant topics such as GLP-1s, supplements, and wearables.
