Both personal training and physical therapy break the borders between basic physiology and personal well-being. Much of their jobs involve supervising individuals as they try to attain proper fitness better than they can do alone, offering feedback and help. However, they also differ in several fundamental areas that set them apart from one another and ultimately make them very different professions.
Function
Personal training and physical therapy involve designing a training regimen to improve the health of clients. Personal trainers are experts at guiding their clients to a better state of overall fitness. Physical therapists, as the name suggests, are more interested in a holistic approach. They must motivate and help their clients restore physical function and mobility that have been attenuated because of injury, disease, chronic pain or some disabling condition.
Features
Personal training uses techniques and exercises that most people already tend to do, including weight lifting, cardiovascular exercises, calisthenics and high-intensity routines. Physical therapy may use some of these techniques in low doses, but treatments also include massage therapy, electrical stimulation and work with medicine balls. If an injury or disability is severe enough, then a patient may have to relearn some basic movements.
Work Area
Most personal training occurs in health clubs, gyms, recreational areas and schools. It may also be conducted home training sessions. Physical therapists, on the other hand, work in hospitals, home health care services, nursing care facilities, outpatient care centers and universities as researchers and educators. Many of them also work out of the offices of private practices that include specially equipped facilities.
Education
Personal training does not require an advanced degree, but it is useful to have an accredited certification in the field. This accreditation demands plenty of time and rigor in areas of study such as anatomy, kinesiology, exercise science, fitness program development, nutrition, medical risk factors and business management concepts.
Physical therapists, on the other hand, must hold a master's degree from an accredited physical therapy program and pass national and state licensing exams. Physical therapy study tends to have even more of a scientific bent toward biology, chemistry and physics. Some specialized classes may include biomechanics, human growth and development, examination techniques and therapeutic procedures.
Income
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income for a personal trainer in May 2008 was about $39,640, depending on experience and job responsibilities. On the other hand, the median income for a physical therapist was $72,790. This is highly dependent on the line of work--home health care services pay about $77,630, but in offices of other health practitioners, the pay is about $71,400.
