Exercise Physiologists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1128.00United States
Assess, plan, or implement fitness programs that include exercise or physical activities such as those designed to improve cardiorespiratory function, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance, or flexibility.
- Median annual earnings
- $60,358
- Projected change
- +11.6%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 14.41K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
59.1% of the workforce
Growing to 16.08K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What exercise physiologists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress.
- Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercise science standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing requirements.
- Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines.
- Recommend methods to increase lifestyle physical activity.
- Interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes.
- Prescribe individualized exercise programs, specifying equipment, such as treadmill, exercise bicycle, ergometers, or perceptual goggles.
- Provide clinical oversight of exercise for participants at all risk levels.
- Explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants.
- Interview participants to obtain medical history or assess participant goals.
- Assess physical performance requirements to aid in the development of individualized recovery or rehabilitation exercise programs.
- Teach behavior modification classes related to topics such as stress management or weight control.
- Conduct stress tests, using electrocardiograph (EKG) machines.
- Measure oxygen consumption or lung functioning, using spirometers.
- Educate athletes or coaches on techniques to improve athletic performance, such as heart rate monitoring, recovery techniques, hydration strategies, or training limits.
- Evaluate staff performance in leading group exercise or conducting diagnostic tests.
- Calibrate exercise or testing equipment.
- Teach group exercise for low-, medium-, or high-risk clients to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning.
- Teach courses or seminars related to exercise or diet for patients, athletes, or community groups.
- Mentor or train staff to lead group exercise.
- Measure amount of body fat, using such equipment as hydrostatic scale, skinfold calipers, or tape measures.
- Perform routine laboratory tests of blood samples for cholesterol level or glucose tolerance.
- Supervise maintenance of exercise or exercise testing equipment.
- Present exercise knowledge, program information, or research study findings at professional meetings or conferences.
- Order or recommend diagnostic procedures, such as stress tests, drug screenings, or urinary tests.
- Plan or conduct exercise physiology research projects.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $35,316
- 25th percentile
- $45,678
- 50th percentile
- $60,358
- 75th percentile
- $77,232
- 90th percentile
- $112,046
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $60,358 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+11.6%faster than average
202514,413 jobs
2035 projected16,083 jobs
1,670 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 59.1%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 31.8%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 9.1%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Exercise Physiologists1,972 postings
- 02Exercise Specialists825 postings
- 03Fitness Specialists432 postings
- 04Clinical Exercise Physiologists303 postings
- 05Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists132 postings
- 06Injury Prevention Specialists125 postings
- 07Exercise Planners88 postings
- 08Clinical Exercise Specialists69 postings
- 09Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Interns60 postings
- 10Wellness Specialists48 postings
- 11Exercise Technicians46 postings
- 12ECMO Specialists35 postings
- 13Metabolic Specialists34 postings
- 14Group Exercise Instructors32 postings
- 15Lead Specialists32 postings
- 16Practitioners32 postings
- 17Exercise Science Interns30 postings
- 18Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists29 postings
- 19Strength and Conditioning Specialists28 postings
- 20Fitness and Wellness Specialists25 postings
Top employers
- 01FOX Rehabilitation166 postings
- 02Optum110 postings
- 03US Physical Therapy100 postings
- 04Applied Training Solutions78 postings
- 05Meridian71 postings
- 06HCA Healthcare54 postings
- 07Colleyville Lifetime Fitness51 postings
- 08Life Time51 postings
- 09BAYADA Home Health Care49 postings
- 10Stretchlab45 postings
- 11Ati Physical Therapy43 postings
- 12YMCA42 postings
- 13Corewell Health39 postings
- 14Lincare39 postings
- 15Providence37 postings
- 16Sentara Health35 postings
- 17Ascension32 postings
- 18Cleveland Clinic32 postings
- 19Atrium Health30 postings
- 20Aquila Fitness Consulting Systems29 postings
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