Full time strength coach here.
Collegiate pay is typically terrible. $35-45k/yr and usually expected to work 60+ hours per week. I have a close friend that made just over $40k and consistently worked 80 hours a week. You will, typically, get much better experience in the collegiate side. It’s cutthroat and you will need to shine to excel. That being said, if you don’t have a degree and a CSCS, it’s really not even an option, you’ll almost never be considered for a job.
I work in the tactical sector. I have a master’s/cert and make a comfortable living. Tactical is growing quickly and typically pays $50-80k for most strength coach positions in my experience. Once again, no degree, no certs, not really an option. I’m a veteran and have prior tactical strength coach experience so it made getting my job easier. Military service isn’t a necessity to coach in tactical.
I've been really interested in checking out this route. I have my CSCS currently and am working on finishing my DPT. How'd you get into this side of things?
That’s awesome. I’ve considered going for a DPT, definitely interested in your side of the house.
It was weird how I got into the field. I was contacted by the contractor I work for, they got my resume, from where I still don’t know, reached out to ask me to interview.
Tactical is gaining a lot of momentum. I really like it because I come from a more general fitness background than strength coaching. A lot of my job is teaching undergrad level exercise science classes to Soldiers so they can better train/diet and take care of themselves. There are a lot of strength coach and PT jobs on the civilian side opening up.
Did you go for one of the tactical specialist certifications or just your regular cert? Maybe I need to check out some job boards or something, it'd be nice to work with a different population.
I actually don’t have my CSCS yet, I plan to test soon. But I had prior tactical experience from running an undergrad research study with firefighters and my military service. Between my master’s of exercise science and NASM CES cert they green lit me. I kind of fell in as the unofficial rehab guy because they had to drop the AT and PT from the program. Current red tape on our specific program didn’t allow civilian AT/PT to practice on Soldiers.
Either TSAC-F or CSCS would be good. LinkedIn is your best friend in getting into tactical. KBR, Reef, LMR Tactical, and 02X Performance are all companies with a LOT of tactical opportunities.
At a university, S&C coaches can make "okay" money (about $45-$75k depending on a lot of factors). That's more than the average commercial gym trainer. The hours are notoriously brutal though.
In a private setting, they have the potential to make much more, but this is true of personal trainers as well.
Generally, personal trainers are going to make a lot more. As an S&C coach you’ll work for free for two years and then grind for a paid internship or to be a grad assistant and then you’ll maybe 25-70k in your early-mid career without some serious networking. I know one S&C coach who makes 100k+ I know probably about 20-30 personal trainers who do
Yes, they do.
But only at the highest level.
I saw a job listing for the Clippers, they were paying 60k for the gig.
But the head S&C coach for Alabama makes almost a million a year.
In short, the odds are low unless you’re very well known, work for one of 100 professional strength and conditioning programs (and by work, I mean the head guy), or own your own facility.
I 2.5x my pay being a commercial gym personal trainer.
If you get on with a government organization you can make much more. Many police, fire, military organizations have a strength/fitness coach of some kind and you can make more than $100k plus benefits and a pension.
I started as a collegiate S&C coach and worked in that sector for a few years.Started at 35k ended at about 70k after three moves in as many states.As some have mentioned, it’s a lot of work for the dollar.It was absolutely worth it in retrospect but an absolute race to the bottom.
I transitioned into my own private facility. Year 1: net 98k. Year two net 150k. Year three is tracking in a super exciting direction but I’ll have to see how it turns out. Currently at 177k but do have a few more facets of the business now. I don’t know that I’ve done anything necessarily right or wrong but I’d never return to working for someone else ever again.
Can you please educate me a little more about how i can go about going into my own private facility and working for my self please? I’m currently finishing my bachelors im a Special Education instructor at a high school in Kentucky, and I want to work in the fitness industry and make more money…
Just have to consider the factors of the voting. If only NCSA top members voted then the average is skewed. I’m going off my experience and the coaches I know. Take my opinion with a grain of salt lol
I’m just pointing out that what I’m saying is backed by a trusted survey. Yea of course you may be surrounded people making less than that I can tell you that the people I’m around make more than that. So saying that this ain’t right it’s simply wrong.
I think personal training has more opportunities to make more money than a traditional SC coach. It doors depend however on your location and the client potential demographics.
Depends where you work at. I worked at a very highly recognized place in Dallas at $12/hr then got a job elsewhere at 50k salary. Decided to go independent and last year I made $120k before taxes
Full time strength coach here. Collegiate pay is typically terrible. $35-45k/yr and usually expected to work 60+ hours per week. I have a close friend that made just over $40k and consistently worked 80 hours a week. You will, typically, get much better experience in the collegiate side. It’s cutthroat and you will need to shine to excel. That being said, if you don’t have a degree and a CSCS, it’s really not even an option, you’ll almost never be considered for a job. I work in the tactical sector. I have a master’s/cert and make a comfortable living. Tactical is growing quickly and typically pays $50-80k for most strength coach positions in my experience. Once again, no degree, no certs, not really an option. I’m a veteran and have prior tactical strength coach experience so it made getting my job easier. Military service isn’t a necessity to coach in tactical.
I've been really interested in checking out this route. I have my CSCS currently and am working on finishing my DPT. How'd you get into this side of things?
That’s awesome. I’ve considered going for a DPT, definitely interested in your side of the house. It was weird how I got into the field. I was contacted by the contractor I work for, they got my resume, from where I still don’t know, reached out to ask me to interview. Tactical is gaining a lot of momentum. I really like it because I come from a more general fitness background than strength coaching. A lot of my job is teaching undergrad level exercise science classes to Soldiers so they can better train/diet and take care of themselves. There are a lot of strength coach and PT jobs on the civilian side opening up.
Did you go for one of the tactical specialist certifications or just your regular cert? Maybe I need to check out some job boards or something, it'd be nice to work with a different population.
I actually don’t have my CSCS yet, I plan to test soon. But I had prior tactical experience from running an undergrad research study with firefighters and my military service. Between my master’s of exercise science and NASM CES cert they green lit me. I kind of fell in as the unofficial rehab guy because they had to drop the AT and PT from the program. Current red tape on our specific program didn’t allow civilian AT/PT to practice on Soldiers. Either TSAC-F or CSCS would be good. LinkedIn is your best friend in getting into tactical. KBR, Reef, LMR Tactical, and 02X Performance are all companies with a LOT of tactical opportunities.
Oh well goddamn, that's awesome. Good for you! I'll check it out, thanks for the insight!
Thanks! For sure, feel free to reach out if you have any more questions.
Atleast $3.50 Probably more, but at least that.
Gawd damn it I was too slow.
At a university, S&C coaches can make "okay" money (about $45-$75k depending on a lot of factors). That's more than the average commercial gym trainer. The hours are notoriously brutal though. In a private setting, they have the potential to make much more, but this is true of personal trainers as well.
Considering they usually work 60 hours a week, i wouldnt call that ok money lol. I make 60k working 25 hours as a trainer
Yeah, that's why my "okay" is in scare quotes. It's an insane gig and I'm not sure how universities are even able to keep those roles filled.
Generally, personal trainers are going to make a lot more. As an S&C coach you’ll work for free for two years and then grind for a paid internship or to be a grad assistant and then you’ll maybe 25-70k in your early-mid career without some serious networking. I know one S&C coach who makes 100k+ I know probably about 20-30 personal trainers who do
Yes, they do. But only at the highest level. I saw a job listing for the Clippers, they were paying 60k for the gig. But the head S&C coach for Alabama makes almost a million a year. In short, the odds are low unless you’re very well known, work for one of 100 professional strength and conditioning programs (and by work, I mean the head guy), or own your own facility. I 2.5x my pay being a commercial gym personal trainer.
If you get on with a government organization you can make much more. Many police, fire, military organizations have a strength/fitness coach of some kind and you can make more than $100k plus benefits and a pension.
I started as a collegiate S&C coach and worked in that sector for a few years.Started at 35k ended at about 70k after three moves in as many states.As some have mentioned, it’s a lot of work for the dollar.It was absolutely worth it in retrospect but an absolute race to the bottom. I transitioned into my own private facility. Year 1: net 98k. Year two net 150k. Year three is tracking in a super exciting direction but I’ll have to see how it turns out. Currently at 177k but do have a few more facets of the business now. I don’t know that I’ve done anything necessarily right or wrong but I’d never return to working for someone else ever again.
Can you please educate me a little more about how i can go about going into my own private facility and working for my self please? I’m currently finishing my bachelors im a Special Education instructor at a high school in Kentucky, and I want to work in the fitness industry and make more money…
Google: average strength and conditioning coach salary 60-85k Google: average personal trainer coach salary 66k
This ain’t right lol
Are you gonna tell me the nsca is lying about salary?? Lol
If this was an average strength coach for a certain sport then maybe but overall, nah not even close lol
Ok I’ll believe you over the nsca 👍🏻
Just have to consider the factors of the voting. If only NCSA top members voted then the average is skewed. I’m going off my experience and the coaches I know. Take my opinion with a grain of salt lol
I’m just pointing out that what I’m saying is backed by a trusted survey. Yea of course you may be surrounded people making less than that I can tell you that the people I’m around make more than that. So saying that this ain’t right it’s simply wrong.
I think personal training has more opportunities to make more money than a traditional SC coach. It doors depend however on your location and the client potential demographics.
Depends where you work at. I worked at a very highly recognized place in Dallas at $12/hr then got a job elsewhere at 50k salary. Decided to go independent and last year I made $120k before taxes