school for personal trainers

casamelsmom

Anyone out there know if there are any classes/schools to become a personal trainer? I am looking at either online classes or somewhere in the Youngstown Ohio/ Pittsburgh PA area. Thanks

jennyfair24

My husband is looking in to it also....here are some websites I found for him:

http://www.acefitness.org/getcertified/prepare_ptmaterials.aspx
http://www.afaa.com/100.afa
http://exercise.about.com/cs/forprofessionals/a/personaltrainer_2.htm

Hope this is helpful and best of luck to you!

TaneeisFitforLife

Here is a website to compare them

http://www.starting-a-personal-training-business.com/personal-training-certification-school.html

TrainingWithTonya

ACE is a great certification. I've been ACE certified for years. You can get some certifications with just a test and others with a weekend course and others with studying at home and still others require a 4 year degree. Having been certified for almost 15 years with various organizations, I can honestly say you get what you pay for both monetarily and in time commitment. If you do an online program (like PCDI) it may not be accepted by anyone you want to work for, so I'd steer clear of those. Yes, I have my diploma from PCDI in Fitness and Nutrition. The materials were great and I learned quite a bit, but none of the gyms recognize it so it was a waste of money from the standpoint of getting a job. The Starting A Personal Training Business website is good for general information, but I'd recommend going to the actual websites of the certifications you are considering because some of their information isn't all inclusive. ACSM for example, has several different certifications depending on your level of education. As a graduate with a bachelors degree, for example, I can get a more advanced certification, for example. The more advanced your certification, the more recognition you can get in terms of job prospects. Also, because several states are looking at passing legislation requiring licenses for personal trainers, you want to get at least a certification that has an accreditation by NCCA. (Here is a chart of just NCCA accredited certifications from the previously mentioned website: http://www.starting-a-personal-training-business.com/accredited-personal-training-certification.html ) Some of those bills, however, are starting with a license requirement of a college degree, so if you have the time to devote to it, I'd recommend getting a degree in exercise science that can lead to the more advanced certifications. That way if the laws change in the future, you're already prepared for it and don't risk being out of a job when those laws are eventually passed. It does take longer (4 years or so for a bachelors) but the knowledge base is head and shoulders above any certification. That goes for job prospects too, not just knowledge. Being in a bachelors program has shown me that I didn't know squat from just a certification, so I recommend the degree even if it is just to be able to help your clients more effectively. I did a quick search and found that Chatham University in Pittsburg has an exercise science program. Here's a link to their info: http://www.chatham.edu/academics/programs/undergraduate/exercise/ If it is like mine, it will require taking a specific certification at the end in addition to the classes. This is usually the certification that is most accepted by the local gyms, hospitals (for clinical exercise physiology), or schools and athletic teams (for strength and conditioning). If you don't have that specific certification, you may be able to get work at the local gyms, but you won't even be considered at the hospitals, schools, or athletic teams.

TaneeisFitforLife

I'm planning on going back to college this fall since all of my minions (kids) will be in school I can't wait! The university near me has an awesome kinesiology program!

casamelsmom

ACE is a great certification. I've been ACE certified for years. You can get some certifications with just a test and others with a weekend course and others with studying at home and still others require a 4 year degree. Having been certified for almost 15 years with various organizations, I can honestly say you get what you pay for both monetarily and in time commitment. If you do an online program (like PCDI) it may not be accepted by anyone you want to work for, so I'd steer clear of those. Yes, I have my diploma from PCDI in Fitness and Nutrition. The materials were great and I learned quite a bit, but none of the gyms recognize it so it was a waste of money from the standpoint of getting a job. The Starting A Personal Training Business website is good for general information, but I'd recommend going to the actual websites of the certifications you are considering because some of their information isn't all inclusive. ACSM for example, has several different certifications depending on your level of education. As a graduate with a bachelors degree, for example, I can get a more advanced certification, for example. The more advanced your certification, the more recognition you can get in terms of job prospects. Also, because several states are looking at passing legislation requiring licenses for personal trainers, you want to get at least a certification that has an accreditation by NCCA. (Here is a chart of just NCCA accredited certifications from the previously mentioned website: http://www.starting-a-personal-training-business.com/accredited-personal-training-certification.html ) Some of those bills, however, are starting with a license requirement of a college degree, so if you have the time to devote to it, I'd recommend getting a degree in exercise science that can lead to the more advanced certifications. That way if the laws change in the future, you're already prepared for it and don't risk being out of a job when those laws are eventually passed. It does take longer (4 years or so for a bachelors) but the knowledge base is head and shoulders above any certification. That goes for job prospects too, not just knowledge. Being in a bachelors program has shown me that I didn't know squat from just a certification, so I recommend the degree even if it is just to be able to help your clients more effectively. I did a quick search and found that Chatham University in Pittsburg has an exercise science program. Here's a link to their info: http://www.chatham.edu/academics/programs/undergraduate/exercise/ If it is like mine, it will require taking a specific certification at the end in addition to the classes. This is usually the certification that is most accepted by the local gyms, hospitals (for clinical exercise physiology), or schools and athletic teams (for strength and conditioning). If you don't have that specific certification, you may be able to get work at the local gyms, but you won't even be considered at the hospitals, schools, or athletic teams.

Thanks for your help. I do have a BA, but not for personal training. I know I would have to take those credits, but I would be done with all the "weeder" courses. I did take anatomy and physiology, but chemistry was difficult for me. What other courses did you take for the degree?

ryan8b32

ACE, NASM, ACSM, NSCA are all the top accredited programs and required by most professional, legitimate gyms to get Personal Trainer jobs.

I went through the NASM and NESTA programs. Would not recommend NESTA. I am going to be starting the ACSM in a weekend seminar here soon.

Just find a professional gym where you'd like to get hired with or talk with a Personal Training Director to ask what they prefer.

TrainingWithTonya

ACE is a great certification. I've been ACE certified for years. You can get some certifications with just a test and others with a weekend course and others with studying at home and still others require a 4 year degree. Having been certified for almost 15 years with various organizations, I can honestly say you get what you pay for both monetarily and in time commitment. If you do an online program (like PCDI) it may not be accepted by anyone you want to work for, so I'd steer clear of those. Yes, I have my diploma from PCDI in Fitness and Nutrition. The materials were great and I learned quite a bit, but none of the gyms recognize it so it was a waste of money from the standpoint of getting a job. The Starting A Personal Training Business website is good for general information, but I'd recommend going to the actual websites of the certifications you are considering because some of their information isn't all inclusive. ACSM for example, has several different certifications depending on your level of education. As a graduate with a bachelors degree, for example, I can get a more advanced certification, for example. The more advanced your certification, the more recognition you can get in terms of job prospects. Also, because several states are looking at passing legislation requiring licenses for personal trainers, you want to get at least a certification that has an accreditation by NCCA. (Here is a chart of just NCCA accredited certifications from the previously mentioned website: http://www.starting-a-personal-training-business.com/accredited-personal-training-certification.html ) Some of those bills, however, are starting with a license requirement of a college degree, so if you have the time to devote to it, I'd recommend getting a degree in exercise science that can lead to the more advanced certifications. That way if the laws change in the future, you're already prepared for it and don't risk being out of a job when those laws are eventually passed. It does take longer (4 years or so for a bachelors) but the knowledge base is head and shoulders above any certification. That goes for job prospects too, not just knowledge. Being in a bachelors program has shown me that I didn't know squat from just a certification, so I recommend the degree even if it is just to be able to help your clients more effectively. I did a quick search and found that Chatham University in Pittsburg has an exercise science program. Here's a link to their info: http://www.chatham.edu/academics/programs/undergraduate/exercise/ If it is like mine, it will require taking a specific certification at the end in addition to the classes. This is usually the certification that is most accepted by the local gyms, hospitals (for clinical exercise physiology), or schools and athletic teams (for strength and conditioning). If you don't have that specific certification, you may be able to get work at the local gyms, but you won't even be considered at the hospitals, schools, or athletic teams.

Thanks for your help. I do have a BA, but not for personal training. I know I would have to take those credits, but I would be done with all the "weeder" courses. I did take anatomy and physiology, but chemistry was difficult for me. What other courses did you take for the degree?

If you already have your core, you may not have to take other core classes. The core requirements in my program were 2 A&P's and 2 other sciences with lab (Biology, Chemistry, or Physics), Statistics, a computer class, 2 PE's, and Health & Wellness. Plus the core requirements for the college to attain an associates, so we could only enter the exercise physiology program after at least 2 years of school. The program itself is a lot of different classes over 4 semesters and ending with a 5th semester that is our internship. We have to do them in a specific sequence, too, so our semesters are specifically laid out for us. Here is the breakdown by semester:

1st Semester
Exercise Physiology
Chronic Disease Epidemiology
Kinesiology
Exercise Electrocardiography

2nd Semester
Biomechanics
Cardiopulmonary Physiology
Nutrition for Health and Human Performance
Exercise Testing and Prescription I

3rd Semester
Exercise Testing and Prescription II
Assessments in Exercise Physiology
Resistance Training Program Development
Clinical Exercise Physiology

4th Semester
Care and Prevention of Exercise Related Injuries
Pediatric Exercise Physiology
Exercise Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
Exercise Physiology Practicum

5th Semester
Internship

From what our program director has said, though, our program is designed to be advanced compared to most bachelors programs though, so the school near you may not have all those classes for exercise science. You'll have to check with your local school to see what is required for it. Our program also is designed to prepare us to take both the ACSM Health and Fitness Specialist certification and the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification. I will be taking one this summer and the other in the fall. I'm actually at an NSCA conference this weekend.