Personal Training Certification: How Did You Choose? - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[Christina]

How did you decide which personal training certification you wanted to pursue? Did you talk to other personal trainers? Did you base your decision on cost? Did your employer encourage you to go with a particular certification?

I don't think we've ever talked about this on the forum and I am curious.

Christina

[jackson]

I chose the NSCA-CPT certification after looking at each organization and what they stood for. After that I looked at the certifications of the Trainers in the gym I attend and decided I didnt want the ones they had. I know that may have been unfair but having trained with one and observing the training of the others I was sure that if they were a true representation of the certifications they held I wanted no part of it. I know a certification doesnt gurantee a great trainer but I believe it should teach you a baseline to be held accountable to.

I then looked at reputable trainers (i.e. Alwyn Cosgrove, Craig Ballentyne and the like ) that I hold in high regard and at what certifications they held. I contacted Alwyn's wife Rachel and discussed certs and she too agreed the NSCA was a great way to go.

Lastly I was on another forum and was talking about what cert to choose and someone recommended I take the "easier" certification just to say I had one. That was the final push to not just be a trainer the easy way but to work hard for it through a challenging exam.

So here I am and I hope to pass and become a reputable trainer of high quality myself.

I took the WITS course that my local Communtiy College offered. I thought by having a certified instructor teach the course and having a hands on part of the course, it offered more, learning wise.

After taken the course, I still think I might go for another certification, I want to learn as much as possible.

[txfitgirl]

I'm currently researching which certification I want to go with. Many, many years ago I had my primary exercise certification with AFAA but never did put it to use. I liked the company and what they had to offer. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on this organization?

[chrisg35]

You can hold all of the "top" certs and not know a thing and the opposite is quite true also.

However, even with that said, I would honestly look for one of the top four certs: NSCA, ACSM, NASM, ACE. The only reason is because currently these are the only four companies that are Nationally Accredited (SP?). I have my NSCA-CPT and am currently studying for my CSCS. Both of these are good tests to take and pass, and are very tough!

It all boils down to what you want to do in this field, you will find that in this field the people that are successful are those that continue to improve upon their education all the time, no matter what cert they hold.

Hope that helps!

Chris

[BeTrainingMontreal]

I chose a personal training certification based on its credibility. I chose to do the CSCS certification with the NSCA because it is reputable, recognized internationally, easy to find continuing educations courses for, and most importantly requires a bachelor's degree in order to qualify for it.

Ultimately, you should chose a certification that is well known and that you can use if you'd like to work anywhere. I don't advice you to waste time and money on certifications that are specific to certain gyms and are not recognized anywhere else.

A good certification is also one that requires you to have a substantial knowledge of anatomy, physiology and exercise prescription.

[jdemetrius]

If you are going with a large club like Equinox, Bally's or NYSC then go with what they recommend. Bally's and NYSC are affiliated with NASM. Equinox is affiliated with NSCA. So make sure you check. Otherwise, ACSM is the gold standard closely followed by NASM and NSCA.
There are some decent ones but stay away from the WITS garbage cert and some of the others.

Unfortunately most certifications are just reading a book and passing a test. Some of those that have hands on like WITS are a joke and should be closed down. Believe me, I was an instructor with them and I know.

Then real life kicks in. Most trainers are just getting by and it takes more than a certification to be successful.

www.actorsastrainers.com
Jim

[Christina]

Then real life kicks in. Most trainers are just getting by and it takes more than a certification to be successful.

No kidding, Jim. A cert is just the beginning.

Christina

[portlandGymRat]

So what does make one choose between the "four top" certifications?
Cost?
Workshop availability?
Time to study before exam?

I am currently attending college and need to get into the field, but do not know which certification I should go for. And how many would look good to a potential employer for someone who has no experience AS a personal trainer?

Any thoughts.....