Exercise Physiologists work towards maintaining the health and fitness for various clients or a company and can be independent individuals like a personal trainer or can work in hospitals, recreation as well as wellness centers. Their job is to chart out diet programs and exercise routines for their clients and teach their students or patients about maintaining healthy lifestyles.
Exercise Physiologists work with different age groups, people who are sick and obese, and aspiring athletes as well as people who just want to keep themselves fit. For all of this, Exercise Physiologists should be aware of the proper food and diet schedules, the benefits of these diet plans, exercises that help in maintaining a well-balanced body and basically should possess a thorough knowledge of cardiovascular and strength training exercises.
Step 1: Get an Undergraduate Degree
On the question of How to Become an Exercise Physiologist, you could opt for a four year college course like a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science. Choose a reputable college with a strong focus on Exercise Science program and browsing online or going through college guide books and manuals are very useful for choosing the right college.
Step 2: Get Work Experience
Start working at a nearby health care center or local hospital. Find an internship with or without salary to gain a hands-on experience about being an exercise physiologist. Nothing tops theoretical knowledge better than practical experience.
Step 3: Get a Certification
Get certified by the American Society of Exercise Physiologists by sitting for the Exercise Physiologist Certified Exam. If you want to work as a clinical exercise physiologist, take the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exam and once you have this certificate, you can pursue your Master’s Degree. Alternatively, you can opt for working as an exercise physiologist with companies that insist on a just a bachelor’s degree.
Step 4: Apply For a Job
Kinesiology, physical education, physiology and nutrition are the basic expertise levels that a company looks for when hiring an exercise physiologist. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of increase of fitness workers is increasing by 29% every year and it is definitely a very promising career to pursue.
Apart from the above lessons, an exercise physiologist may also be required to be an expert on aerobics, swimming, karate, yoga etc and all this depends a lot on the companies that hire you.
Salary
The earning potential of exercise physiologists can be anywhere from $26 to $58 per hour and this again depends on the place you work in, your level of experience etc. Generally, working in hospitals can be very worthwhile financially rather than as an independent individual personal trainer.
To conclude, it can be said that when it comes to the question of How to Become an Exercise Physiologist, there are a few other factors that one needs to keep in mind like very good communication skills – both written and verbal, good marketing and business acumen, being healthy and fit themselves, ability to encourage and motivate their patients and even possess a sensitive approach to their problems which can work wonder with patients!