How do you get a designation as a personal trainer....

Jeneba

Never thought I'd want to go this route, but I am longing for the knowledge to be able to help people. I see soooooo many people at my various gyms who just don't make any progress at all - because even I can see that they are not moving their body correctly and many times could be hurting themselves in the process....

I would love some information on the various programs that are available.

Thanks, MFP Fam!

vick9180

You can complete any national personal training certification to become a personal trainer. Most certification courses have text books and workbooks you can work on before you take the class.

Personally, I got my BA in Exercise Science and then went on to get certified in AFAA...because of the 4 years of school, it made getting the certification extremely easy. The best certification is through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM if you will)...it is the hardest certification to get, but is the most widely known and trusted.

fit_twin

NASM is a good certification as well. Once you've completed your certification course, you can then go to any gym and seek a position with them or even try a personal training studio where you'll get the opportunity to work with their members without 'hustling' for clients. I did that for a while and I also trained friends and run a boot camp. Have fun with it. The certification will give you the confidence and knowledge to help folks who need it and just might be the first of many steps to a career in health and fitness. That's how I got started :-) Good luck!

Jeneba

Thanks sooooo much! I will start checking these out!!! YAAAAAYYYYY!

Jeneba

Thanks sooooo much! I will start checking these out!!! YAAAAAYYYYY!

SHBoss1673

Jeneba,

I agree with all the above statements.


I'd only add that what you look for mainly is the NCCA accreditation. If it has that you can at least be sure it's a real program that has been audited and found acceptable. this doesn't make the program great, it just means it passes a minimum standard needed for being a real organization, but if they don't have it, it's usually a sham program, not always, but it at least warrants a more thorough examination at that point.

ACSM
NASM
ACE
Cooper Institute
NCSF
ISSA

are all acceptable, with the top 4 being the best (at least in all the gym's around my area), I did some research into this a few years back before I got my ACE.