Becoming a personal trainer - where to begin?

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smccb
smccb Posts: 99 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am thinking about becoming a personal trainer. I would like to start taking some courses that would help me down that path. I have no idea what I should be starting out with though.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
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Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,669 Member
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    Are you planning on taking classes? Kinesiology is important to know. So is basic nutrition.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • smccb
    smccb Posts: 99 Member
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    Yes, at this point I am looking into which classes to take. I want to make sure I have a solid background before I take steps to do anything else.

    Where would I find classes on kinesiology and nutrition? Community college? Online?

    Thanks,

    Sarah
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Is there not a national standard in your country?
  • AJ_Pete
    AJ_Pete Posts: 863 Member
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    I'd talk to a college advisor. Your community college should offer those courses.

    ETA: I have a friend who is going to school for this and it's pretty extensive schooling to get your degree.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    Im studying thru nasm. My pt, who is also the pt manager at our gym (golds) says it speaks loudest of all certs on a resume. Its tough tho...not gonna lie.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,669 Member
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    Im studying thru nasm. My pt, who is also the pt manager at our gym (golds) says it speaks loudest of all certs on a resume. Its tough tho...not gonna lie.
    Yes NASM is tough.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • jayche
    jayche Posts: 1,128 Member
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    From what I understand you should...
    Study for a NASM exam -> take NASM exam -> pass -> become personal trainer.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    It depends on what route you want to go. You don't have to take "classes" you can just get a cert.


    I'd reccommend lifting for a couple of years, reading everything you can get your hands on (learning to keep a BS filter while reading), and find out what certification you want.
    different gyms are going to prefer different certs, so figure out where you want to be employed and go from there.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
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    I got my NASM CPT back in late August. After doing a lot of research I felt it was the best certification out there. You have 180 days to study, the test is 120 questions, multiple choice, and taken on a computer at a testing center.

    While the NASM CPT book is great, it deals a lot with corrective exercise and really IMO doesn't teach you a lot about lifting, gym equipment use, etc. That said, don't rely on just getting the certification and thinking you know it all. There's MUCH more to be learned outside the book. If you really want to be successful you need to continue to learn/reseach/study all aspects of fitness. Know your way around a gym (how to use the equipment, etc.) The more you know, the more you can help your clients achieve their goals.
  • kenhelms17720
    kenhelms17720 Posts: 62
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    NASM is a good one to start out with.

    Like lewi said, study other things and try to be well rounded.

    That being said, the thing that really sets a person apart as a personal trainer is the ability to "know" your client. Most CPT courses will walk you through how to customize the plan to your clients, etc.

    Always do atleast some kind of customization to the client... using cookie cutter routines are a good way to injure the client and your reputation.

    Keep in mind too what the type of client you are going to go after, what kind of rates you will charge, etc. It would take a lot of clients to pay for a major in kinesiology, etc.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    me too - but I want to take a couple semesters first, I want to take kinesiology and exercise physiology.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    I got my NASM CPT back in late August. After doing a lot of research I felt it was the best certification out there. You have 180 days to study, the test is 120 questions, multiple choice, and taken on a computer at a testing center.

    While the NASM CPT book is great, it deals a lot with corrective exercise and really IMO doesn't teach you a lot about lifting, gym equipment use, etc. That said, don't rely on just getting the certification and thinking you know it all. There's MUCH more to be learned outside the book. If you really want to be successful you need to continue to learn/reseach/study all aspects of fitness. Know your way around a gym (how to use the equipment, etc.) The more you know, the more you can help your clients achieve their goals.

    That's it? No portfolio of evidence? No case studies? No assignments? No practical assessment? You just turn up for a multiple guess test and you're done?
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    I got my NASM CPT back in late August. After doing a lot of research I felt it was the best certification out there. You have 180 days to study, the test is 120 questions, multiple choice, and taken on a computer at a testing center.

    While the NASM CPT book is great, it deals a lot with corrective exercise and really IMO doesn't teach you a lot about lifting, gym equipment use, etc. That said, don't rely on just getting the certification and thinking you know it all. There's MUCH more to be learned outside the book. If you really want to be successful you need to continue to learn/reseach/study all aspects of fitness. Know your way around a gym (how to use the equipment, etc.) The more you know, the more you can help your clients achieve their goals.

    That's it? No portfolio of evidence? No case studies? No assignments? No practical assessment? You just turn up for a multiple guess test and you're done?

    Yes, A Billion Dollar plus Fitness Industry and this how you become a personal trainer. Keep that in mind when someone throws out "My Personal trainer said....."

    Getting a Series 6, 7, & 65 Investment Advisor License isn't much different. A few more hoops, but not much.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Ideally, one should at a minimum have an undergraduate degree in exercise science, plus a couple of hundred hours of practical experience. And then achieve a nationally-based certification. At our facility, a degree + experience is a minimum requirement + a certification from ACE, ACSM, or NSCA. Anything less and you don't even get your resume read.

    From a practical standpoint, and given the state of affairs in a lot of commercial gyms (low pay, bad management), it's hard in good conscience for me to tell everyone to invest in college degree, esp someone who is involved in a career change.

    If you are a self-learner, you can get copies of reference materials from ACSM and NSCA--the ACSM Exercise Testing and Prescription Guidelines and the big book that goes with it with the supporting documentation provide an excellent overview. The guidelines and study materials from National Strength and Conditioning Association are also excellent for resistance training. In all, between materials and certification tests, you can expect to invest $500-$700. Compared to a degree, that's pretty reasonable IMO.

    Then you need practical experience. Not sure how to do that outside of a college internship. You can try working with some friends and family or maybe an independent local fitness center might be willing to trade some mentorship for some free desk time.

    Bottom line, I would say--make a commitment to become a real professional. There are plenty of half-assed trainers out there now--we don't really need any more. Good luck.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    bumping, to follow along
  • funkycamper
    funkycamper Posts: 998 Member
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    bump

    Would love to do this as well focusing on working with older clients who are just starting to take their fitness seriously (as that was where I was at when I started).
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
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    That's it? No portfolio of evidence? No case studies? No assignments? No practical assessment? You just turn up for a multiple guess test and you're done?

    No need to shoot the messenger. That's how it's done with most CPT certifications. That is why I stressed in the second paragraph of my post the need to continue to learn/research/study. The CPT certification isn't enough IMO.

    Azdak's response is a good one.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    That's it? No portfolio of evidence? No case studies? No assignments? No practical assessment? You just turn up for a multiple guess test and you're done?

    yep.
    That's why I don't give two sh**s what certification someone has. The only time I'd work with a trainer is one who had spent years under the bar, and was insanely strong.
    Anybody can read a book and take an exam. Not to mention the awful information that's in these books. I got my hands on the ACSM materials and read the whole book. After reading it I decided to not take the test, it was that bad.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Well I've taken and passed all of the kinds of test I've mentioned, and I'm yet to finish becoming qualified.

    That said, I still hold that the majority of PTs in my country are complete idiots too. We also have dodgy organisations that have condensed a qualification down to 6 weeks studying and 6 full time intensive, and managed to get it through the register of exercise professionals. My next case study alone is that long.

    Even high quality training isn't fool proof. I facebooked the people on my first anatomy and physiology course, for a mutual support and such. One started to talking about Pilates. I asked what that was, and I just got a load of buzzword twot woffle back about toning and elongating muscles and such. I was WTF?!? You were JUST in the same ANATOMY exam as me!
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Options
    That's it? No portfolio of evidence? No case studies? No assignments? No practical assessment? You just turn up for a multiple guess test and you're done?

    No need to shoot the messenger. That's how it's done with most CPT certifications. That is why I stressed in the second paragraph of my post the need to continue to learn/research/study. The CPT certification isn't enough IMO.

    Azdak's response is a good one.

    My post was completely aimed at the qualification, don't think I'm having a go at you.

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