Personal Trainer - Adaptive Fitness

Special Strong Naples and Fort Myers; Naples (FL); On-site; USD 28,000 - 41,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Flexible schedule

Training & development

Performance bonus

Free uniforms

Job summary

Special Strong SWFL is seeking an Adaptive Fitness Trainer to work with athletes in partner gyms and community spaces around Collier County. This part-time role offers flexible hours, typically up to about 20 hours per week, with opportunities for schedule growth as demand increases.

You will run one-on-one and small-group sessions, adapting programs to fit each athlete’s physical, cognitive, and developmental needs, and coordinating with families about progress and goals.

Qualifications

• Patience, empathetic, no-judgment approach.
• Comfort with individuals of all ability levels, including nonverbal or special needs.
• Reliable and self-motivated; punctual and consistent.
• CPR/AED certified or willing to certify before starting.
• Experience with individuals with disabilities is a strong plus.
• PT certification preferred but not required; path through Special Strong University is available.

Responsibilities

• Conduct initial assessments and track progress over time.
• Build and adapt fitness programs to fit each athlete's needs.
• Communicate regularly with families about athlete progress.
• Show up reliably; athletes and families rely on you.
• Create a safe, welcoming training environment every session.
• Grow skills through Special Strong's training and certification pathway.

Skills

Patience

Empathy

Reliability

Family communication

Education

CPR/AED certification

Personal training certification (NASM/ACE/NSCA/ISSA)

Job description

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Flexible schedule
• Training & development
• Bonus based on performance
• Free uniforms

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 personal best or being 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 needing to step 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.

But if something about that description made you sit up a little, if you've ever wished you could do this kind of work and didn't quite know it existed, keep reading.

About Us

Special Strong SWFL is the proud franchise of the nationally recognized Special Strong brand, dedicated to 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 compassionate, results-driven approach fosters confidence, strength, and independence, and our job is to be that person, every session.

About the Role

We're looking for an Adaptive Fitness Trainer to join our mission-driven team and work directly with our athletes at partner gyms and community spaces around Collier County. In this rewarding role, 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 part-time work, and for most trainers, it won't be a full schedule on its own. Hours flex with athlete demand, your availability, and your location within Collier County — often just a few hours a week to start, sometimes because that's what fits your schedule, sometimes because we're still building the roster in your area, with hours growing as demand does. We cap any one trainer around 20 hours a week so no single trainer, or athlete, gets stretched too thin. That's a great fit for someone adding meaningful work on top of what they're already doing: a personal trainer wanting more clients, an ESE teacher wanting to do more outside the classroom, a caregiver ready to bring those instincts into a paid role.

Responsibilities

• Running initial assessments and tracking real progress over time, in whatever form that progress takes
• Building and adapting fitness programs — including modifying exercises and techniques — to fit each athlete's physical, cognitive, and developmental needs
• Communicating consistently with families so they always know how their athlete is doing
• Showing up reliably; the families and athletes counting on you are the reason the schedule matters
• Creating a training environment that feels safe, patient, and welcoming, every time, even on hard days
• Growing your skills through Special Strong's training and certification pathway

Requirements

Attitude and heart first. Experience second. We've met plenty of "qualified" trainers who weren't right for this, and unlikely candidates who turned out to be exactly right.

• A patient, empathetic, no-judgment approach where curiosity comes before conclusions, always
• Comfort and confidence working with individuals of all ability levels, including those who are nonverbal or have behavioral needs
• Reliable and self-motivated; you don't need someone standing over you to show up ready
• CPR/AED certified, or willing to get certified before starting
• Experience with individuals with disabilities is a strong plus, whether that's professional (PT/OT, special education, direct care) or personal
• A personal training certification (NASM, ACE, NSCA, ISSA, etc.) is preferred, not required; the right person without one will be supported through Special Strong University's certification pathway