Personal Trainer Certifications: What's The Difference? - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[jackson]

Nice dialogue going on here. I agree with everyone that has spoken before me, follow your dream and dont let it go because of one failed attempt. If its your passion and you really want it, give yourself time and it will happen.

Christina, you mentioned that each organization gives differing degrees of focus to anatomy/physiology. As you know Im preparing for the NSCA- CPT exam and I was wondering does this exam focus highly on anatomy/physiology? I honestly do not have the amount of money to take a test-fail and then re-test. I NEED to pass the first time around. I sorta just kinda want to know what Im in for.

I think your point to not look at the answers on the pre-test is important. Just check your score. That way youre not answering out of memory. Thanks for the tip.

I plan to take this exam in November, I just hope Im ready. Ive been trying to implement the information by working with a friend. For example yesterday, I tested her 1RM on a few exercises. I realized I knew more than I thought. I think its true that practice makes perfect.

Thanks for any feedback and I hope I didnt just high-jack this thread...

Best,

Jackson

[Christina]

Hey Jackson,

Meet me in your old nsca-cpt thread!

Christina

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

Hi Danielle
just reading the message you wrote me back in Oct about studying for the ACSM cert. sorry it took so long to write back
I think ACSM is a good cert. not sure if you studied for the personal traiing or HFI cert but as you know its a tough test. ask yourself who is the population you are thinking of working with? older adults, cardiac rehab, kids etc? Do you think you will be doing the math calculations ACSM requires on their exam? if you take the ACSM exam again it will be a feather in your cap. NASM is also good but I would not say its easier than ACSM. both NASM and NSCA focus much on strength training and cardio aspects of training but do not delve as deeply into the metabolic calculations that ACSM does. if you dont see yourself doing metabolic calculations on a regular basis then Id point you to either NSCA or NASM. both are very good and respected certs also and carry a lot of weight in the exercise community. I hope that helps Danielle. Ill try not to be as tardy if you write me again
Joe

[speedsk8r]

Hi Everyone,

I read most of the posts and I've worked in the industry for many years. Corporations, sports teams, and educational institutions favor only two organizations, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Of course, there is also the Athletic Trainers Association (ATA).

When I became an AFFA and ACE certified personal trainer many years ago, I studied the materials and took courses that both organizations offered. But, I kept hearing and reading about staying in compliance with ACSM guidelines. ACSM guidelines? what's that? Thats when I heard about the American College of Sports Medicine. Do they offer certifications I asked? Yes, I was told... but the Health Fitness Instructor (now Specialist in Oct 2008) is too hard is what I kept hearing... Well... If it's that hard, then that's the certification that I want... so... I bought the books and studied... took the test and passed.

I bought the CD and materials to take the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) exam, but ended up taking a career path in a different field. So I never took that exam.

Anyway, I use to work for 24 Hour Fitness and had to take a weeklong course by a company called Apex. The instructors were all NASM certified. In the course, one of the instructors was telling us how to perform certain strength training exercises. To make a long story short, his techniques violated ACSM guidelines. In fact, it seemed the whole course violated the guidelines. I finished the course and I quit my job at 24 Hour Fitness. I will NEVER, EVER violate ACSM guidelines.

For any of you who want to be highly qualified personal trainers, I recommend the NSCA and ACSM. ACE is good for those entering the field, but it's not the best. NASM was started by a chiropractor named Bob Goldberg. They have there own opinion on Health and Fitness and I don't agree with a lot of it. It hasn't been around very long. The ISSA was started by bodybuilders (Tom Platz, etc.). Not a bad cert but not the best either. Check out the websites at ACSM and NSCA and you'll notice that they're backed up by educational institutions, the medical profession, the legal profession, and the government. What more can you ask for?

To close... Get the certifications offered by the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. I wish you all the best in your careers as Fitness Professionals.

To Your Health and Fitness!!

Doug Murray
============
MA, MS, ACSM-HFI

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

Hey Doug
thanks for the history of the NASM. I was not aware of that. I have not seen any NASM trainer in violation of ACSM guidelines. Id be interested to know which guideline was violated. There is sometimes disagreement between governing bodies on which is best (eg the 1 set vs multiple set ideas).
Joe

[speedsk8r]

Hey Joe,

I was mistaken when I said Bob Goldberg, It was Bob Goldman who founded and served as president of the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He's was a Doctor of Osteopathic (DO) at the time. Since then, he's become an MD and PhD.

Anyway, the APEX trainers were educating the new Fit Pros (that's what 24 Hour Fitness called their trainers) on nutrition, educating them on pushing the Apex supplements (which is an ACSM guideline violation) sold at the clubs. Another example was weightlifting techniques discouraging full range of motion.

When I took the HFI ACSM exam back in 1994, there were two parts, the multiple-choice questions (150) and the practical exam consisting of demonstrating competence in giving a sub-maximum stress test, and a series of exercises, etc. In the practical, the client (an MD who is a fellow of ACSM) told me that he was a woman who was 6-months pregnant. What kind of exercise would I suggest to works his abs? If you said crunches and demonstrated it, you failed the exam. Well, I asked one of the NASM trainers that exact question in front of the whole class. His answer? CRUNCHES!!!! The other trainers concurred!!!! I was disgusted... I didn't correct him to prevent embarrassment. But, I lost respect for the NASM that day. The Apex class I took was back in 2002. Today, I see a lot of NASM certified instructors at 24 Hour Fitness and they work too much on advanced core exercises on new members and still discourage full range of motion on the weight training.

Doug

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

hey Doug
thats a very interesting -and sad - story. I would try not lump all nasm trainers into the same group as that guy but I can empathize with your astonishment at his answer on crunches for pregnant women. lets hope hes still not saying stuff like that...
yes Ive picked up on the Apex link myself in the past. If I remember right (dont quote me) APEX also makes the "body-bug" which got some publicity on last seasons biggest looser. Seems to me they have been making some successful inroads in fitness circles. Time will tell where it leads.
Joe

[speedsk8r]

Hey Joe,

I agree... I can't lump all NASM folks becuz of some bad apples... Yeah, the Body Bugg hasn't been very successful.

I do wish that the fitness industry had legitimized the profession by recommending licensure or registered fitness professionals at the national level. Exercise Physiologists and Kinesiologists should be on par with Physical Therapists, Chiropractors and even the medical profession. There was a Senate Bill here in the California Legislature a few years ago to register fitness professionals and have them fall under a governing body (Either ACSM or NSCA). But the lobbyists (24 Hour Fitness, Ballys, LA Fitness, and others) managed to get the bill thrown out... I was really bummed... Salaries would have gone WAY UP!!!

Doug

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

yes the licensing debate continues. I'm on the fence about it. salaries for trainers in gyms might go up (which means gym memberships might go up) but it might also mean more paperwork if we accepted insurance. I know there have been movements within the industry to rope various certs under a main certifying body (NFEB etc) but Im not sure how I feel about that so far. my friend and Colleague Dan Gaita who runs the Personal Trainer Listing Service (www.personaltrainer.cc) has written extensively about this if you wanted to read more.
Joe

[kelli m]

Hey Joe,

I agree... I can't lump all NASM folks becuz of some bad apples... Yeah, the Body Bugg hasn't been very successful.

I do wish that the fitness industry had legitimized the profession by recommending licensure or registered fitness professionals at the national level. Exercise Physiologists and Kinesiologists should be on par with Physical Therapists, Chiropractors and even the medical profession. There was a Senate Bill here in the California Legislature a few years ago to register fitness professionals and have them fall under a governing body (Either ACSM or NSCA). But the lobbyists (24 Hour Fitness, Ballys, LA Fitness, and others) managed to get the bill thrown out... I was really bummed... Salaries would have gone WAY UP!!!

Doug

Doug,

I agree with your comments in many ways but with one exception.

I am inclined to believe that an indepedent licensing agency would be a better governing body. ACE,ACSM,NSCA would no longer certify but still provide CEC's/CEU's. I also wonder if a type of licensing would force universities to offer a more balanced philosophy to fitness training. We all know of schools that are ACSM,NASM,NSCA,etc- philosophy dominant and often never even teaching the group exercise modalities. Also since some schools are so research oriented they never emphasize the day-to-day training that truly occurs in the field.

Of course, licensing brings with it its own set of problems and limitations so who knows.