The International Sports Sciences Association, a global leader in fitness and wellness education, today announced that Andrew Wyant will return as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Wyant, who led ISSA from February 2018 to April 2024, and continues to serve on its board of directors, succeeds Warren Heffelfinger.
Under Wyant’s previous leadership, ISSA grew from roughly $10 million to nearly $80 million in annual revenue. Wyant brings 15 years of experience in fitness certification and workforce development to his return. He previously led the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), gaining recognition as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
“Every week, someone decides to bet on themselves with ISSA. They trust us with their time, money, and future and it pays off,” said Wyant. “Our job is to get them across the finish line and into the work they love. I’m coming back because I believe ISSA can help start and build fitness careers better than anyone.”
Wyant returns as demand for fitness professionals reaches record levels. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 388,400 fitness trainers and instructors in the United States and projects employment to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 68,000 openings each year. More than half (55%) work in fitness and recreational sports centers, and 15% are self-employed. Member demand is driving the growth: a record 81 million Americans belonged to a fitness facility in 2025, up 5.2% from the year before, according to the Health & Fitness Association.
Employers say the harder problem is finding trainers who are ready to work on day one. In ISSA’s 2026 Fitness Hiring Report, gym operators said new trainers most often lack client acquisition, client retention and sales skills, regardless of which certification they hold. Filling a trainer role frequently takes two to four weeks or more, and 94% of ISSA’s gym partners said they would use a platform that delivers pre-vetted, job-ready trainers. The shortfall shows up at named employers: Anytime Fitness reports a deficit of roughly 1,300 coaches across its U.S. locations, Snap Fitness is seeking 4,000 additional trainers globally, and Equinox plans to hire more than 500 new coaches over five years.
“Gym owners tell us they need trainers who can sign a client, keep that client, and grow a business from their first week on the floor,” Wyant said. “That is what job-ready means. Every trainer we prepare makes a gym stronger, and every gym that hires from ISSA creates opportunities for the next graduate. We are going to build every part of the ISSA experience around that.”
Wyant’s priorities follow ISSA’s promise to deliver the certification, skills and connections that build careers, from the first lesson to the first paying client. He aims to help more students complete their coursework and pass their certification exams through clearer milestones and support. In 2025, ISSA ranked No. 1 globally with 35,293 newly certified personal trainers, up 12.8% from 31,298 in 2024. His focus also includes preparing trainers with the skills employers say they are missing, including finding and retaining clients and building a book of business, alongside essential exercise science. Every ISSA Certified Personal Trainer student can also take the NCCA-accredited exam offered through NCCPT, an ISSA subsidiary.
Wyant also plans to strengthen the path from certification to employment through ISSA’s job guarantee, Career Connect and its fitness employer network. Career Connect links more than 49,000 ISSA-certified coaches with more than 23,000 hiring gyms worldwide, while the job guarantee provides refunds to eligible CPT and Yoga 200 students who complete their programs and are not hired within six months. These priorities build on ISSA’s practical, open-book approach, helping graduates learn the way professionals work today, including how to use AI tools effectively on behalf of their clients.
“Our students are entering a profession where answers are everywhere, and trust is earned face to face,” Wyant added. “The coach who can apply knowledge, read a client and build a relationship will win. That’s who ISSA trains, and that’s the standard we are held to.”
Wyant will spend his first weeks meeting with ISSA’s teams, students, graduates and employer partners.
