Personal Trainer Resume Example & Writing Guide
- What should your personal trainer resume include?
- How can you create a professional summary?
- How should you describe your professional experience as a personal trainer?
- Include a fitting personal trainer resume education and certifications section
- Which key skills are relevant to being a personal trainer?
- How to select the most impactful personal trainer resume template
- Key takeaways for writing a personal trainer resume
The goal of any great personal trainer is to ensure their clients reach all of their fitness goals. In this role, you’ll be responsible for developing fitness plans, performing fitness assessments, and training and motivating your clients. Before you can do that, however, you’ll need to land the perfect job by crafting a great resume.
Our resume example and writing guide will help you create one that catches the eye of a hiring manager. Here is what we will cover:
What should a personal trainer resume include?
Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education)
Adding relevant key skills to your resume
Choosing the right resume template for a personal trainer
What should your personal trainer resume include?
To show you are a successful personal trainer, you will need to demonstrate how you’ve created successful training plans for past clients. You will also need to display your knowledge in nutrition and wellness and performance enhancement. On your resume, these skills should be shown throughout the document.
Here are the sections you will need to include:
The resume header with your contact information
The resume summary
The areas of expertise section
The education and credentials section
The professional experience section
How can you create a professional summary?
The first opportunity to show your experience as a personal trainer is in your professional summary. When crafting your summary, include any relevant skills as well as how much experience you have in the field. Some of the skills you should consider adding include developing customized training plans, client retention, and group instruction.
You can also include additional skills you want to highlight in your Areas of Expertise section. This section is a bullet point list of key skills that make you a successful personal trainer. Include skills in this list that are relevant to both you and the specific job you are applying for.
Here is an example of a professional summary.
Fitness expert with more than 7 years of industry experience and solid success helping clients achieve health and wellness goals through challenging, rewarding, and customized training plans. Personable and engaging; equally effective as a team leader, group instructor, and 1:1 trainer; with exceptional results in membership and training sales, business development, and client retention.
How should you describe your professional experience as a personal trainer?
When writing your professional experience section, you’ll want to arrange it in a way where your fitness and nutrition coaching experience shines. You’ll also want to make sure the information you include is relevant to the role you’re applying for. Include skills the employer listed in the job description that are relevant to your own experience.
For best results, list your roles in reverse chronological order. Start with a paragraph that describes the basic responsibilities you had in your role. Then, include bullet points of your top achievements in each of the positions you’ve held. Be specific and use quantifiable results when possible.
Below you can find an example of professional experience.
Personal Trainer Assistant Manager , 24-Hour Fitness, Pleasanton, CA 2018 — 2023
Developed and managed esteemed team of 34 personal trainers. Led team in providing clients with industry-best fitness and nutrition coaching.
Developed program scheduling and managed monthly program budget of $160K. Personally taught both large-group and personal training classes.
Participated in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring new trainers. Assisted trainers in setting and working towards performance goals. Maintained, repaired, and ordered equipment.
Top sales producer averaging $10K per month in fitness sales.
Delivered the club’s highest number of personal training sessions, averaging 160-200 sessions monthly.
Increased member participation and engagement through on-site fitness events and competitions.
Personal Trainer, 24-Hour Fitness, Pleasanton, CA 2016 — 2018
Designed and implemented customized personal fitness plans for client fitness goals.
Performed physiological and nutritional assessments.
Interviewed clients to assess needs, design strategies, and overcome challenges. Developed training programs and schedules, and led clients through rigorous and impactful sessions comprised of cardio and strength training.
Worked with cross-functional teams to assist clients and meet operational targets.
Maintained high client retention rates while consistently growing customer base.
Implemented creative strategies and lesson plans to onboard and develop new personal trainers.
Designed and led new trainers through a 6-week onboarding course.
Excelled at providing motivational and inspiring coaching to aid clients in doing their very best.
Recipient, Employee of the Month award.
Include a fitting personal trainer resume education and certifications section
Your education and credentials are especially important as a personal trainer, which means you should highlight them earlier in your resume. It’s best to include that information directly following your areas of expertise.
In this section, include any degrees you hold as well as your certifications and training credentials. Here are a few tips to help you decide how to display them:
Mention certifications. Many personal trainers have several certifications, so simply listing your titles will quickly highlight your knowledge.
Include relevant training. Break out any specific education you have on specific training methods to further highlight what experience you bring to the table.
Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology Sport Management / Minor in Business, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Your education is important
Some statistics show that over 65 percent of personal trainers hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Displaying your education and training prominently on your resume is important for landing a role in this field.
Which key skills are relevant to being a personal trainer?
A fitness club that is planning to hire a new personal trainer will be searching for someone with a specific set of skills. To be considered for the role, you will need to show that you have the skills they are looking for.
Using the job description as your guide, choose skills that will be attractive for the specific role. You should also keep in mind that some hiring managers may use an ATS to identify resumes that have specific skills listed, which makes this process even more important.
For a personal trainer, a few critical skills might include:
Nutrition and wellness coaching
Fitness event management
Nutritional assessment
Equipment maintenance
Training program design
Membership management
Group training
How to select the most impactful personal trainer resume template
The goal of your resume should be to display your experience in the most impactful way possible. So, when choosing a template for your personal trainer resume, select one that streamlines the information and showcases your most relevant skills and experience. It’s best to keep your resume to one page whenever possible.
Summary example
Fitness expert with more than 7 years of industry experience and solid success helping clients achieve health and wellness goals through challenging, rewarding, and customized training plans. Personable and engaging; equally effective as a team leader, group instructor, and 1:1 trainer; with exceptional results in membership and training sales, business development, and client retention.
Employment history example
Personal Trainer Assistant Manager , 24-Hour Fitness, Pleasanton, CA 2018 — 2023
Developed and managed esteemed team of 34 personal trainers. Led team in providing clients with industry-best fitness and nutrition coaching.
Developed program scheduling and managed monthly program budget of $160K. Personally taught both large-group and personal training classes.
Participated in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring new trainers. Assisted trainers in setting and working towards performance goals. Maintained, repaired, and ordered equipment.
Top sales producer averaging $10K per month in fitness sales.
Delivered the club’s highest number of personal training sessions, averaging 160-200 sessions monthly.
Increased member participation and engagement through on-site fitness events and competitions.
Personal Trainer, 24-Hour Fitness, Pleasanton, CA 2016 — 2018
Designed and implemented customized personal fitness plans for client fitness goals.
Performed physiological and nutritional assessments.
Interviewed clients to assess needs, design strategies, and overcome challenges. Developed training programs and schedules, and led clients through rigorous and impactful sessions comprised of cardio and strength training.
Worked with cross-functional teams to assist clients and meet operational targets.
Maintained high client retention rates while consistently growing customer base.
Implemented creative strategies and lesson plans to onboard and develop new personal trainers.
Designed and led new trainers through a 6-week onboarding course.
Excelled at providing motivational and inspiring coaching to aid clients in doing their very best.
Recipient, Employee of the Month award.
Education example
Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology Sport Management / Minor in Business, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Skills example
Program Design & Scheduling
Team Building & Leadership
Facility Marketing & Sales
Nutrition & Wellness Coaching
Fitness Event Management
Physiological and Nutritional Assessment
Equipment Maintenance & Repair
You’ll find many examples of resume templates to choose from in our resume builder. With over 100 available resume examples, you can easily find one that fits your situation.
Key takeaways for writing a personal trainer resume
Showing your knowledge in nutrition, personal training, and fitness management is crucial on a personal trainer resume.
The education and credentials section is especially important for your personal trainer resume since certifications are so critical in this role.
Choose achievements that show your past success in personal training roles and that can be measured.
