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Boston Career Explorer

Personal Care and Service

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness. Demonstrate techniques and form, observe participants, and explain to them corrective measures necessary to improve their skills. Develop and implement individualized approaches to exercise.

Also called: Aerobics Instructor, Fitness Instructor, Fitness Specialist, Fitness Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, Group Fitness Instructor

Compare with my current job (Animal Trainers)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$65,190
$31.34/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
7,350
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+14.0%
2,660 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$36,120$51,320$65,190$96,820$105,390

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement.
  • Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness.
  • Monitor participants' progress and adapt programs as needed.
  • Plan routines, choose appropriate music, and choose different movements for each set of muscles, depending on participants' capabilities and limitations.
  • Evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements.
  • Instruct participants in maintaining exertion levels to maximize benefits from exercise routines.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure17 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 0
  • Language-model AIOE 9
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 41

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors have lower AI exposure, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help with planning routines or tracking progress. Watching someone's form, correcting it, and adapting to each person's needs rely on people. Massachusetts jobs are projected to grow 14.0% from 2024 to 2034.

Likely to change

  • Planning routines and workout programs
  • Tracking participants' progress

Still relies on people

  • Watching form and giving live corrections
  • Motivating and adapting to each person

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

24 programs near Boston (plus 8 graduate)

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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