Need advice from NASM-CPT's!

FitNut77 · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Illinois

I'm a recent graduate of NPTI and am looking to continue my education as a personal trainer.
I have researched several different certs, including NSCA, ACE, ACSM, ISSA, etc...and I've decided to go for NASM. Is anyone here NASM certified who can give me some insight as to the pros & cons of studying/testing for this cert (e.g., difficulty, educational/professional value, 120-day study allotment....)?
I was also wondering if anyone has had to purchase the 90-day extension and why?
Thanks!

Christina · Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 850

Hi Andi! Glad you were able to make your way back to the forum! Unfortunately I cannot help you but I know that we have some NASM folks on here.

Why NASM? I do not know a lot about this organization but I am intrigued by their approach to fitness.

Christina

FitNut77 · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Illinois

That's exactly it! As you said it, I was most intrigued by NASM's approach. I'd read into the other certs and found that NASM focused primarily on designing and implementing effective training programs, and in a very in-depth way. It just seems to me like NASM would better help me apply the empirical/practical aspects of fitness training than the others. I definitely plan on obtaining other certs in the future but, NASM seems like a great start & a couple of companies I've interviewed for specifically stated they favored that certification.

rbd · Joined: 17 May 2007 Posts: 54

I think you can learn anything from any cert, but NASM like any other has some drawbacks. They have changed a lot over the last couple of years and I think their quality has actually diminished as they have become part of a bigger corp (I believe they were bought by anther compay awhile ago - same on that owns APEX and 24 hour fitness). They are really big on their view of assessment and are probably getting way to technical and trying to make muscular imbalances seem to be that easy to figure out - it is not that easy!!! They have tried to take concepts of physical therapy and apply them to personal training, which can lead to a host of problems if taken literally.

They do a decent job of going over program design and you will learn their OPT model (basically periodization with their own terms slapped on the phases). If you don't know a lot about periodization this gives you a good model to follow, until you learn more. You will find a lot of their sample programs are actually terrible and would not work well for most clients. They are just not very practical. They do a good job of bringing some concepts to the fitness industry that others do not - some good some bad. I think they open your mind to learning some new things, such as functional anatomy, functional biomechanics, muscular imbalaces, etc.

Some of their stuff is quite pricey, but I think overall you can learn some good things from their cert, but try to stay open minded and don't take what they are teaching so literally. I think they are going to eventually open a can of worms in the fitness industry and increase some lawsuits in the future, based on some of their concepts.

I hope this helps

FitNut77 · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Illinois

Thanks a lot, rbd. You definitely gave me some things to think about! Very helpful, indeed Smile

Christina · Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 850

rbd, great info -- thanks! My Resistance Training Fundamentals instructor is a CSCS and he echoed some of your same thoughts on NASM. I try to keep an open mind though because I know he is certified through NSCA. It was really helpful to read your review especially since (I assume) you are certified through NASM.

I think I read somewhere that 24 Hour Fitness requires (or highly recommends) the NASM cert. That would explain it then if they are owned by the same company. I know this is good for NASM but I wonder if it is hurting their reputation being so closely linked to a corporately owned gym?

Christina

8/2/07 - 24 Hour Fitness states on their website that they accept the following certifications: AFAA, ACSM, ACE, BSMI, Cooper, NCSF, NASM, NSCA, ISSA, NFTP.

rbd · Joined: 17 May 2007 Posts: 54

Christina,

You are right I am NASM certified or was until they changed their PES to an advanced credential instead of a certification. I believe this happened when they were going through accreditation process with NOCAA. Don't get me wrong they have some good stuff and I think you can always learn something new from any material.

Take NSCA - great organization and they have a lot to offer, but there is much more out their to learn and they have their problems just like any certificatiion. When NASM restructured (Tom Purvis with RTS and some others use to be the NASM faculty) they were positioning themselves to really do something different and they have to an extent, but then they got really money hungry and some of their material has really taken the wrong path, like their CES credential. I think if you purchase one of their main text you will get most of what you need out of NASM because everything else is the same info repeated over and over.

aplagens · Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

NASM is a good certifiaction, but like others have said, dont take the imbalances and assessments all that literally. The course helps will developing programming, and tends to be a bit too technical. I like the exam as it is nationally recognized and has some great advanced stuff i plan to do in the near future (PES and CES). All in all, its worth the money and gives you more credibility with hiring as some gyms and community centers are starting to limit who can train based on education and certification.