Here's how YOU can be SRK's fitness trainer!

Nowadays, in spite of busy schedules, people make it a point to squeeze in time for working out. Whether it's the college student who wants abs like Shah Rukh Khan or the busy businessman who wants to get rid of his tummy or the housewife who doesn't want to give aerobics a miss while juggling between her husband and kids -- a day doesn't pass by without going to the gym.

With millions of people getting health conscious, the fitness industry is booming. It offers a wide platform, involving anything that is concerned with keeping the population fit -- gym exercise, yoga, aerobics, kickboxing, spinning and many others. And what's more, now everyone is on a look out for a qualified fitness trainer by his or her side to guide them!

From gyms to health clubs, every place needs professional fitness instructors who would look into issues relating to the health and fitness of the clients. They should be such that the client can blindly trust them with their lives. Good news is that not only do instructors find a place in gyms and fitness centres but today with many people opting for personal instructors, they are even more in demand.

NEXT: Huge scope for fitness trainers

Huge scope

You find swanky gyms at every corner today but the number of fitness instructors available does not match up to them. Satyajit and Devashish Chourasia, the founders of Barbarian Power Gym and the fitness trainers for Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan among others say, "There is huge scope for people who want to take up fitness training as a profession. It is one of the most desired and rewarding jobs but people lack seriousness. There is a need for more qualified and passionate people in the industry."

What it involves

If you think becoming a fitness trainer is an easy way out to earn big bucks then you're wrong because this job requires lot more than that. It requires you to have knowledge about the anatomy of the human body, exercise physiology, kinesiology and nutrition along with formal training. As the clients practically hand over their lives into the hands of the fitness instructors, the job of a fitness instructor is a complex one and needs to be done with a lot of care.

"A fitness instructor needs to grasp the importance of his role as he's dealing with human lives. He needs to understand the human body scientifically as well as the mental strength and discipline of the person. You're as good as a doctor in this aspect," says Prashant Sawant, the owner of Body Sculptor gym and the man responsible for SRK's six-pack abs.

NEXT: Do you have what it takes? 

Do you have what it takes?

Needless to say, to become a fitness instructor you have to be in the best of shape yourself before you could help others get fit. Along with that, having good communication skills is a must because you will be dealing with different kinds of people on an everyday basis. It is necessary to decipher what they want and help them achieve their goal.

"Being a fitness instructor, you have to constantly be on your toes and motivate your clients. Yes, it requires a lot of physical work but understanding the psyche of the clients is also equally important," says Jennifer Sadri, a fitness instructor at Mumbai's Qi Gym. So, you need to constantly motivate, educate and coach your clients.

Lastly, like every job even this one needs passion and love for what you're doing. Pooja Sharma, an instructor trained under Leena Mogre's Fitness Institute says, "You have to be a complete fitness freak to take this up as your career. Fitness instructors are required to follow a very strict culture and unless you are passionate enough, you cannot sustain in this industry for long."

NEXT: How to make your mark as a fitness trainer?

How to go about it?

If you are a qualified fitness trainer, then nothing can stop you from earning good money in this field. To be a qualified fitness trainer, you have to invest a lot of time in educating yourself first. But knowledge is useless if you don't know how to apply it so the next step would be to train under someone with experience.

"At least a year or two of training is advised. The idea is to deal with as many people as possible because these are the experiences that will help you in the long run. The more exposure you get, the better you deal with your clients," adds Jennifer.

Once you're trained, you could start working with a gym and make a clientele. So, keep expanding your reach and try and make as many contacts as possible. If you think you're ready, you could also go to become a personal instructor where you are your own boss. Whatever you do, you need to constantly upgrade yourself with the latest developments.

NEXT: Pay packets of fitness trainers 

Pay packet

The starting salary ranges anywhere from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000. It might be slightly less, to begin with, but once you've made your place and established yourself, then there's no looking back, it only gets better.

"The salary completely depends on the organisation you join. Whether the trainer is prepared to work hard independently or joins an organisation, if he's good at his work then she/he can earn from Rs 20, 000 to Rs 60,000 a month." says Zareen Watson, the owner of Watson Fitness.

Where to train

Just because you work out doesn't make you a fitness trainer. It's a must to be trained under a certified course. Some popular international certifications are Exercise Safety Association (ESA) and American College for Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Back home, institutes like Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, New Delhi; Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, Trivandrum; Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, Gwalior and the institutions set up by Sports Authority of India (SAI) across the country provide regular training programmes.

People can also opt for the Reebok Instructor Certification Program or the Nike Aerobics Course which is an 80-hour professional course after which you are certified as a fitness trainer.