Exercise Physiologist

The job of an Exercise Physiologist may seem in many ways to be like that of a Personal Trainer. Like a Trainer, an Exercise Physiologist creates customized workout plans, shows clients how to work different machines and perform specialized exercises, and monitors the health of clients. The big difference is that Exercise Physiologists work mainly with clients who need injury or illness rehab or prevention, and Athletes, making sure they don’t overstress their bodies while still continuing to train hard.

Your work environment varies; you might work in a hospital, wellness or recreation center with a group of clients or just one. Wherever you find work, your job is to create an exercise plan to help your clients heal from their injuries. This might mean working on flexibility, rehabilitating a torn ACL or teaching general health and diet improvement.

To do this you first listen to your client’s desires and then translate those into a work out and diet plan. From there you teach any new exercises and eating habits you want them to adopt to make the lifestyle changes they desire. Along the way you’ll keep close record of your client’s progress as well as monitoring them while they work out keeping an eye on things like blood pressure, strength and heart rate.

For this position need to know about different exercises and diets so you can pick the right combination for each client. A Professional Athlete who wants to eat more protein has a different need than a patient learning how to workout after heart surgery. And since new things are being confirmed daily about nutrition and health, this position will keep you learning.