Strength and Conditioning Coach vs Personal Trainer

When considering your most suitable career options, you’ve likely seen many strength and conditioning vs personal trainer comparisons as the two are often mentioned together. 

In this article, we’ll explore these roles, as well as:

• Differences Between A Strength & Conditioning Coach And Personal Trainer
• Strength And Conditioning Coach Vs Personal Trainer Qualifications
• Experience For Strength & Conditioning Coach Vs Personal Trainer
• Career Progression For A Strength & Conditioning Coach And Personal Trainer

But before we begin, we have plenty of personal training courses for you to choose from! To make your ideal start, our Personal Trainer Diploma is the perfect foundation to build a fitness career in both personal training and strength and conditioning. 

Find out more by downloading our course prospectus here.

Differences Between A Strength & Conditioning Coach And Personal Trainer

Although many don’t see the difference when it comes to a strength and conditioning coach vs. a personal trainer, they actually aren’t the same. A strength and conditioning coach is essentially a specialised personal trainer, working with fitness professionals and athletes more than casual gym goers.

Personal Trainer vs. Strength And Conditioning Coach Salary

According to Indeed and based on over 2,000 salaries, the average personal trainer salary in the UK is £29,270.

While this is a general average, salaries will vary depending on location and the type of employment for a personal trainer. Depending on whether a PT is full time, part time, or self-employed, salary will be subject to the number of hours a trainer works.

According to Payscale, the average salary of a strength and conditioning coach is £24,544, based on 51 salaries.

However, similar to a personal trainer, this will vary depending on the number of hours worked.

Clientele Differs Between Those Of A Strength & Conditioning Coach Vs Personal Trainer

One of the biggest differences when it comes to a strength and conditioning coach vs. a personal trainer is the types of clients they work with. 

When becoming a personal trainer you will typically help beginners and casual gym goers improve their fitness, strength and conditioning coaches focus more on advancing the performance of athletes. These individuals are usually at peak performance, looking to take part in events, competitive sports, or intense physical changes.

Although personal training has similarities to this, PTs will train a range of clients, especially those who have never engaged in intense training before. 

The clients of personal trainers will often have more general goals focused on weight loss, muscle toning, or simply improving their general fitness. 

Intensity Of Workouts Vary With Strength & Conditioning Coaches And Personal Trainers

Although this will vary depending on the goals of individual clients, intensity and workout lengths generally differ greatly between the clients of a strength and conditioning coach and a personal trainer.

As strength and conditioning coaches often work with fitness professionals and help athletes reach peak performance, their workouts will usually be more intense. This may include targeting specific muscle groups or building up endurance.

Strength & Conditioning Coach Vs Personal Trainer Qualifications

The usual qualification route for strength and conditioning coaches is to gain a Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification or complete a Personal Training Diploma. The initial qualification allows them to gain basic employment as they will often be listed as a requirement on job advertisements such as this one for a strength and conditioning coach in Oxford:

While this is the same educational route as PTs, S&C coaches will typically undergo further training, either in the education sector or through their employers. 

Strength and conditioning coaches can also apply for personal training jobs as they will have these qualifications and the right level of experience. However, personal trainers may not be successful in securing jobs as strength and conditioning coaches if they don’t have more specialised qualifications.

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When it comes to a strength and conditioning coach vs a personal trainer, check out these articles to help you in these different roles:

• Strength & Conditioning Coach Skills To Develop
• Strength and Conditioning Coach Salary Guide UK (2023)
• How To Get Personal Training Work Experience

Experience For Strength & Conditioning Coach Vs Personal Trainer

When it comes to a strength and conditioning coach vs personal trainer, it’s important in both these roles to have a high level of experience. Most job roles in leisure centres or health clubs will expect at least a year of experience, especially as a strength and conditioning coach.

However, while this may seem like a lot, once you have the relevant qualifications you can apply for entry roles to gain this experience. The more roles and experience you gain, the more employment opportunities you will have.

Both strength and conditioning coaches vs personal trainers should begin by gaining experience in gyms and fitness centres. This will allow you to slowly build connections and become more confident training people and delivering sessions. 

For those looking to become a strength and conditioning coach, you should gain further experience by volunteering for sports and athletics teams. As most youth clubs and similar organisations rely on public help, this is a great place to start.

Career Progression For A Strength & Conditioning Coach And Personal Trainer

When examining career progression between a personal trainer vs strength and conditioning coach, you’ll find there are many industry roles you may not have considered beyond these two careers.

#1 - Sports Coach

A popular role many take after becoming a strength and conditioning coach is to train and coach sports teams. With athletes and sports people aiming to reach a higher level of peak fitness than most, they require expert guidance to continue helping them improve.

As a sports coach, you’ll be tasked with creating effective training programmes to build endurance and work specific muscle groups. For example, if you’re a football coach, your focus will predominantly be on the leg muscles alongside various upper body work.

With sports teams constantly improving their performance, a strength and conditioning coach with relevant qualifications and plenty of experience will be the most desirable candidate.

#2 - Athletic Trainer

Similar to a sports coach, when it comes to a personal trainer vs strength and conditioning coach for this career progression, you may consider training professional athletes.

Athletic trainers work with athletes and help them increase their performance or rehabilitate them through injury. As strength and conditioning coaches train more serious athletes, this is a great career to consider.

These trainers will work with doctors or health professionals to help athletes minimise injury risk and cover after training. They will also provide preventative guidance, ensuring the health and safety of the athlete.

#3 - Exercise Physiologist

When it comes to a personal trainer vs strength and conditioning coach, you may look to become an exercise psychologist. With this, you’ll need to secure a Level 4 British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACR). This works as a stamp of approval and confirms you’re experienced to work with clients with complex conditions.

A Level 3 Exercise Referral Course is also considered preferable as exercise physiologists analyse a person’s fitness level and medical history to develop tailored exercise programmes.

Exercise physiologists will also perform investigations such as exercise tolerance tests and work directly with patients on how to make changes to their lifestyles. They will often work in a medical centre, hospital, or private healthcare organisation.

#4 - Sports Teacher

When it comes to a personal trainer vs strength and conditioning coach, you may find you have a passion for planning and delivering sessions. This means it’s likely you’ll want to teach in a school. 

In addition to the Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification, you will need further academic qualifications to find employment in education. To progress to this career will involve a university degree in a related subject and a postgraduate degree in education (PGCE).

The role will be similar to planning and delivering personal training and strength and conditioning sessions but on a much larger scale. Although employment as a teacher can be competitive, having plenty of prior experience, knowledge, and qualifications is key to finding success.

#5 - Start Your Own Business

If being your own boss sounds appealing, you may decide to open your own fitness business. This could be either a personal training business, strength and conditioning coaching business, or a combination of both.

You can choose to either work independently or operate a freelance business from a club or gym. If you’re just starting out, freelance is the safest and most accessible option as you won’t have to purchase your own equipment, find a space, and will find it easier to gain clients.

It will be easier when it comes to marketing personal training business as there will already be a pool of potential clients to advertise your business too. 

If you’ve built up a reputation as a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach at a particular gym, your clients will also trust your service more than if you were just starting out.

While this is a great option for career progression for a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, this should only be considered once you have enough industry experience.

Before You Go!

With our breakdown of a strength and conditioning coach vs a personal trainer, you can make an informed decision about which career is most suitable for you.

Whichever career path you choose, our range of personal training courses means you’ll find the right one for you. Get started with our Personal Trainer Diploma to begin your chosen career today.

Download our course prospectus here to find out more.