Teaching Fitness Certification

VeggieKelli
VeggieKelli Posts: 232 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I want to teach group fitness classes (spin, yoga, bootcamp, one of those), but am finding it hard to figure out which program is best to get certified (ACE or I forget what the other one is called atm). Also, I'm having a hard time figuring out the time commitment, from the websites it seems like you just study and take a test?!?! Which seems wrong to me...

Advice on this whole process would be great! I am going back to school in a year and a half to do a grad certificate in exercise science down in Australia, but in the meantime want to get involved in teaching fitness.

Replies

  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    It depends on what class you want to teach as well as what gym you're going to teach at. AFAA group exercise is a good baseline one. you can do the weekend training and then you have to pass the test. Unfortunately the fitness field is not very well regulated. If you want to teach a specialty class like Zumba, Spinning, TurboKick etc a lot of places will require you to have AFAA grou exercise as well as a certification in the specialty class. Feel free to add me and ask questions! I've been teaching various group exercise classes for about 6 years now.
  • ajaxe432
    ajaxe432 Posts: 608 Member
    bump
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    bumping because I was thinking about this certification as well. I'm kinda scared to take the final step....
  • yellowbd
    yellowbd Posts: 19 Member
    I am just taking my ACE certification now....I just got all the course material in the mail....seriously it's no joke. The fail rate iss aorund 50% and looking at all I need to learn I understand why.
  • ItsLessOfMe
    ItsLessOfMe Posts: 374 Member
    bump
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    The cert is just an accreditation of passing the test. Almost any nationally recognized organization will be accepted, but it's more about you as a person and how you instruct.
    I've been in fitness since '82, got my cert through A.C.E. first in '98, then ACSM and AFAA then back to A.C.E. again. At this point it's been more about spending as little as possible since the cert is just a piece of paper. One should still work on learning more information and studying peer reviewed clinical studies.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • jess_1993
    jess_1993 Posts: 151 Member
    Would It be too hard to study for the ACE exam while being a full time student? (I guess I'm asking about the difficulty and time commitment to studying for the exam)
  • ronadams52
    ronadams52 Posts: 176 Member
    Jess, In my case I chose World Instructor Training Schools. The reason being it is not just a piece of paper as most others are and as was mentioned. With WITS you actually attend a local college or university. You either go twice a week for 3 hours or once a week for 6 usually on a Saturday. I took the Saturday option. With WITS you spend your time in a classroom(not at home) learning or relearning material and then as you advance into actual exercise portions of physiology, etc.. half the class is spent in the classroom and the other half in a nearby health club where you demonstrate your ability to actually perform what you are learning. Upon successfully passing the written and functional (not required by most certifications) exams you must then get your CPR/AED certification and then be accepted into a health club (usually one that a person works out at) to serve a 40 hour internship which is normally lead by senior or master level trainers. They too must sign off on you. After that you receive your certification after completing one of the most thorough processes in the industry. Every two years after that you are also required to take additional courses related to the field with a minimum of 10 - 12 CEC's needed in order to recertify. Beyond that if you work for yourself (and even if you don't) you would need liability insurance. I usually carry $1,000,000. Although most health clubs cover their trainers that does not prevent an individual from suing you if God forbid they should be become injured.
  • jess_1993
    jess_1993 Posts: 151 Member
    Wow I've never heard of that option before, thanks alot for the info Ron!
  • elementxgirl
    elementxgirl Posts: 2
    To answer your question about studying for the ACE group fitness instructor certification while also being a a full time student, it's absolutely doable. If you have any background knowledge of anatomy and physiology, that will definitely make it easier, but I feel like they give you plenty of time to study before having to schedule your exam. There is a lot of information and knowledge, but as long as you're self-motivated to study, you'll be able to get through the material!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Would It be too hard to study for the ACE exam while being a full time student? (I guess I'm asking about the difficulty and time commitment to studying for the exam)
    It's all going to be dependent on the person. Some people do good with a lot on their plate, and some don't. You'd have to find that out for yourself. But I will tell you there is a lot of study material and workbook to do.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    A friend of mine took the test for her illiterate and mentally ill cousin, who spent years doing the job in various places.

    Personal Trainers don't know as much as people think. Some might, but little to no knowledge is necessary to get the job.

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