How to hire exercise physiologists

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines.
• Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercise science standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing requirements.
• Explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants.
• Interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes.
• Interview participants to obtain medical history or assess participant goals.
• 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.
• Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree]
• Strong active listening, reading comprehension, speaking, critical thinking, monitoring and writing skills
• Working knowledge of medicine and dentistry, customer and personal service, English Language and biology
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $28.59 an hour ($59,460 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for exercise physiologists

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercise science standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing requirements. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
6. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
7. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What exercise physiologists do

• Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines.
• Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercise science standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing requirements.
• Explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants.
• Interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes.
• Interview participants to obtain medical history or assess participant goals.
• 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.
• Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingMonitoringWritingMedicine and DentistryCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageBiology

Education, experience and outlook for exercise physiologists

• Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
• Job outlook: +12.8% over ten years, much faster than average · about 1,400 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay exercise physiologists

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See exercise physiologists pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Physicians, All Other
• Physical Therapists
• Physical Therapist Assistants
• Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
• Athletic Trainers
• Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
• Dietitians and Nutritionists
• Recreational Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Cardiologists

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.