Many fitness centers have adopted a fee structure that resembles those used at beauty parlors and hair salons. Fitness trainers boasting the distinction "master trainer" command significantly higher hourly fees than those referred to simply as "personal trainers." These distinctions imply a variety of credentials and often differ according to the specific facility.
Teacher Trainers
To maintain their certification, personal trainers must attend conferences and workshops to earn continuing education credits. Master trainers often present these workshops. When used to describe a teacher of teachers, the words "master trainer" describe someone who excels in a certain aspect of fitness and who has the teaching skills to teach other trainers. Examples of specialized fitness training may include workouts using specific types of equipment, exercise programs for different body parts and athletic conditioning or workouts for special populations, such as pregnant women, seniors or people with injuries. Master trainers must have extensive experience and education in their subjects. In some cases, they may work part time for a particular equipment manufacturer, as an athletic coach or as a physical therapist. In others, they may conduct the certification program for their organization.
Advanced Certification
Hundreds of personal training certifications are available, but some boast more clout than do others. Personal trainers who obtain American College of Sports Medicine certification, for example, must understand the complex interactions between exercise and certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure. Some master trainers have additional specialty certifications. The American Council on Exercise has an advanced health and fitness specialist certification, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine has a performance enhancement specialist program for trainers wishing to work with athletes and dancers.
Years of Experience
Some fitness centers assign the master trainer distinction to fitness professionals who have over 10 years experience in the industry or personal trainers who have a long history with the particular facility. Under these circumstances, the ability to maintain the master trainer title depends on the trainer's maintenance of her certification, reliability and adherence to the club's rules. In some cases, the master trainer title merely indicates seniority and does not necessarily imply advanced education or training skills.
Popularity
Some clubs award the master trainer title to their most popular personal trainers, but this criteria is not always the best way to judge the potential trainer's skills and education. The buff and handsome male trainer or the young, beautiful and shapely female trainer may naturally attract clients who want to look like them or clients who want to get to know them outside the fitness setting. Given the different definitions of master trainer, and given the significant price distinctions, always ask the fitness director what the term master trainer means at that facility. While credentials and experience play a key role in trainer quality, rapport and empathy hold equal value. The best personal trainer for you may not be the most expensive one.
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