Before you keep reading.
This is not a typical personal training job, and we'd rather tell you that now than have you find out on day one.
Progress with our athletes doesn't always look like a new PR or five pounds down. Some days, a win is an athlete making eye contact for the first time in weeks, getting through a full session without stepping away, or just showing up and trying. Some sessions will be hard. Some families are exhausted, and you'll be one of the steadiest parts of their week. If you need fast, visible results to feel like you're doing good work, this probably isn't your role.
This is also a small-number role, especially at the start.
Many of our trainers begin with just one or two athletes a week, and that may be all that's available in your area for a while. We match athletes with trainers within about 15 minutes whenever we can, so no one takes on a long drive. If you want a full client load or set weekly hours, this isn't the right fit right now, and that's completely okay.
But if you'd be glad to give one or two athletes your full heart each week, and you're excited to grow with us as more families find us, if you've ever wished you could do this kind of work and didn't know it existed, keep reading.
About Us
Special Strong SWFL is the proud franchise of the nationally recognized Special Strong brand, providing adaptive fitness training for individuals with physical, cognitive, and developmental challenges. We don't train the diagnosis, we train the individual in front of us. Families come to us after searching for someone who actually gets it, someone who sees their athlete, not their diagnosis. Our clients and their families love us for our compassionate, results-driven approach that fosters confidence, strength, and independence. Our job is to be that person, every session.
About the Role
We're looking for individuals passionate about fitness and the community we serve to work directly with our athletes at partner gyms and community spaces around County County. You'll work one-on-one and in small groups with individuals of all abilities, building real relationships with athletes and their families, not just running a program. This is a part-time role built around your availability and the athletes near you: one or two athletes a week to start, growing as our families do.
Responsibilities
- Run initial assessments and track real progress over time, in whatever form it takes
- Build and adapt programs for a wide range of physical, cognitive, and developmental needs
- Modify exercises to fit each athlete's abilities and limitations
- Communicate consistently with families so they always know how their athlete is doing
- Show up reliably; the families counting on you are the reason the schedule matters
- Keep every session safe, patient, and welcoming, even on hard days
- Complete Special Strong's required training courses and adaptive fitness curriculum, so you're fully prepared to serve each athlete well.
Requirements
Attitude and heart first. Experience second. We've met plenty of "qualified" trainers who weren't right for this, and plenty of unlikely candidates who turned out to be exactly right.
- A patient, empathetic, no-judgment approach where curiosity comes before conclusions
- Comfort working with all ability levels, including nonverbal athletes and those with behavioral needs
- Reliable and self-motivated; you don't need someone standing over you to show up ready
- Comfortable with a small weekly schedule (one or two athletes) if that's what's available near you
- CPR/AED certified, or willing to get certified before starting
- Experience with individuals with disabilities is a strong plus, professional (PT/OT, special education, direct care) or personal
- A personal training certification (NASM, ACE, NSCA, ISSA, etc.) is preferred, but not required
