Fitness Physiologist or Bodybuilding Coach: Which Career is Right for You?

Do you love working out? Do you love helping others achieve their fitness goals? A career as a physiologist or bodybuilding coach might be right for you! Both careers involve getting paid to help people stay fit, and both can earn you more money and prestige than other, similar jobs. However, these two careers are different in many ways, so it’s important to learn which one will suit your interests and skills the best before embarking on a new career path! In this guide, we’ll examine these two careers side-by-side so that you can decide which one is the best fit for you!

Differences Between the Two Careers

There are some significant differences between the two careers. Dietitians are more health-focused and rely on methods such as moderation and education to make healthy eating choices possible. Exercise physiologist work with people who have physical disabilities, injuries, chronic illness, pregnant women, the elderly, etc. to help them improve their quality of life through increased mobility and safety. Sports medicine physicians diagnose injuries sustained during competitive sports and provide treatments. On the other hand, bodybuilding coaches focus on the personal aspect of weight training and nutrition habits that affect your body shape while personal trainers tend to emphasize proper form when you're working out.

Skills Common to Both Careers

While you may want to be a fitness physiologist and bodybuilding coach, the two careers share some common skills. Dietitian excercise programs to improve your health and fitness; knows how diet, exercise, stress, genetics and medications affect your body; educates patients on disease prevention strategies such as prevention of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. A bodybuilding coach teaches athletes what they need to know about nutrition, training techniques and recovery strategies in order to maximize their potential. Sports medicine physician examines injured athletes; treats acute injuries; diagnoses diseases (e.g., torn ligaments) that affect joint stability and discusses surgical procedures with the athlete.

Considerations When Choosing a Career

When choosing a career as a sports medicine physician, you should be knowledgeable in dietetics and exercise. If you're looking to start your own business as a bodybuilding coach, knowing the ins and outs of an individual's personal fitness routine can help you develop new methods. A dietitian excercise focuses on eating right and staying healthy, so if you have this skill set then this may be the perfect fit for you.

Duties of a Physiologist

Physiologists can help their clients with the nutritional side of health, and they can provide medical supervision to those on an exercise program. Dietitians typically have a background in nutrition and are experts in diet, but don't work with people as much as physiologists. Exercise coaches on the other hand might be more hands-on with clients when it comes to exercise routines and physical activity. One has to decide which field appeals to them most before pursuing a degree or certification in that area.

Duties of a Coach

As a coach, it's important to be certified and credentialed in order to best help others achieve their fitness goals. Some job duties of a personal trainer may include teaching clients how to perform exercises correctly, developing safe workout routines, monitoring blood pressure and weight, assisting with injury prevention strategies, offering nutrition advice based on the client's needs and goals, reviewing exercise progress over time. Dietitian excercise. In contrast to trainers who focus on the physical aspects of health such as weight loss or strength building, dietitians are trained in the assessment of health status through diet and nutrition interventions. Dietitians must earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college before entering a supervised internship program.

Sample Job Titles

1. Fitness Physiologist A fitness physiologist will typically be an expert in exercise physiology and the science of physical fitness. This career has a focus on things like nutrition, metabolism, muscle fiber types, and gender differences in physical ability. 2. Exercise Therapist An exercise therapist's responsibilities can include designing programs for specific individuals who may have problems with muscle coordination or balance (such as those with Parkinson's disease), training clients to rehabilitate from illness or injury, and assessing people to see if they're fit enough to do high-intensity training before returning to sports participation after injury. 3. Medical Sales Representative Working in the medical industry involves selling products and services to hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, insurance companies and HMOs.

Pros and Cons

As a physiologist, your primary goal will be to assess and evaluate a person's physiological performance in relation to physical activity. For example, as a physiologist you may work with a patient to help develop an exercise plan that would best suit them in order to achieve their weight loss goals. As the field of sports science continues to grow, the opportunities available through this profession have also expanded. These days, fitness physologists can be found working with elite athletes at pro-teams and are involved in developing rehabilitative exercise plans for top athletes who suffer from injuries. A career as a fitness physiologist offers constant challenges and new opportunities on which you can focus your skillset.

Education Needed

A career in the fitness industry can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. Exercise physiology, a combination of biology and exercise science, requires a bachelor's degree and provides the opportunity to specialize in cardiovascular exercise science, human performance, clinical exercise physiology and others. A coaching role includes certification through one of many programs offered by major organizations like the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA). The NSCA has three levels of certification: Level I certifies that coaches have a college degree and have completed at least 75 hours of documented experience; Level II certifies that coaches are an expert who also possesses leadership qualities; and Level III is an elite level position that only expert coaches with years of experience can attain.

Licensing Requirements

A fitness physiologist's job duties can vary depending on their focus, but in general they measure body composition and heart rate, as well as maintain training schedules. To do this work, a professional must have a master's degree in exercise science and are licensed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The ACSM exam assesses knowledge about exercise physiology, sports medicine, exercise rehabilitation and prevention. The test covers concepts such as exercises to train the heart, techniques for rehabilitating injury victims, and various disease processes that are related to physical activity. In addition to these items, candidates need experience with rehabilitation techniques and research methods. A minimum of one year of clinical practice is also needed before taking the exam.

Average Salary Information

The two careers are fairly comparable in the sense that they have the same average salary. Fitness physiologist tend to earn a little more annually than bodybuilders, but the latter may have better benefits. Either career has room for advancement and it mostly depends on what your interests and passions are. The only downfall to becoming a fitness physologist is that you'll probably be responsible for networking with trainers and other therapists as opposed to conducting personal coaching sessions as you would if you became a personal trainer. Additionally, most employers require experience before hiring so it's not something you can just do after getting an undergraduate degree. Also, there's a higher demand for fitness specialists which means competition might be fierce. It all boils down to what you want out of this profession and whether or not you're willing to put in the time to see success.