Original research on where the fitness workforce stands: who is hiring, what employers say is missing, and how artificial intelligence is changing the job. Free, ungated, and open to quotation with attribution.
Sources: ISSA Gym Partner Hiring Survey (March 2026), ISSA Global Summit 2026 Attendee Survey (June 2026), ISSA AI in Fitness Survey (October 2025, n=90), and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 projections. Full methodology and limits are stated on each paper.
Each research program is written up three ways — for the operators who hire, for the professionals building careers, and for the industry and trade press. Start with whichever describes you.
Fitness hiring is slow in the strongest market the industry has seen. Why 94% of gym partners want a pre-vetted pipeline, and what closes the gap.
Operators say applicants are missing business readiness, not exercise science. The three competencies that decide who gets hired, and the order to learn them in.
Garmin and InBody executives answered this themselves at the ISSA Global Summit. Why technology is expanding the coach's reach rather than replacing it.
The 50+ client has disposable income, strong motivation and few qualified trainers competing for them. What serving this market requires, and why it pays.
The professionals using AI most are the most confident certification is gaining value. A 55-point gap, and the subgroup analysis the topline concealed.
What certified professionals actually use, what it is good for, and where it will get you into trouble. A practical guide for the newly certified.
Two-thirds of professionals say clients have never mentioned AI. The five intake questions that turn that silence into a retention conversation.
Looking for the original hiring report? Read The 2026 Fitness Hiring Report in full.
Every paper on this page is free to read, requires no registration, and may be quoted with attribution to ISSA. Each carries its own methodology section stating the instrument, sample size, field date and limits.
Media enquiries: Tami Nealy, VP Communications & Reputation, tnealy@issaonline.com.
International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) is the world’s most connected fitness and wellness ecosystem. Since 1988, ISSA has gone beyond traditional certification to build the industry’s career operating system, giving professionals the skills, confidence, and connections to build meaningful futures, while providing operators with the trusted, work-ready talent they need to grow. Its premier workforce platform, Career Connect, bridges a global community of over one million students across 176 countries with more than 23,000 global partner locations. ISSA aims to connect 100 million people to healthy living by 2030.
This paper may be quoted with attribution to ISSA. Media enquiries: Tami Nealy, VP Communications & Reputation, tnealy@issaonline.com.