I know it doesn’t mean that you know what you are talking about (I can’t count the number of times ive had pt’s tell me the most bogus stuff), but it would be a nice addition to a resume to have that title before I go to college. I’m not talking CSCS or anything advanced, though I’m sure i could do it. I just want to start out getting a basic pt certification before i go to college next year, so I would have something to do (work wise) in college, like at a local gym or something. However, I don’t want to spend $500 on a certication. My questions are: what is a good federation? Which ones offer cheap or online certification, and what are the best ways to study beforehand? Anything else you guys wanna add would be great. thanx
Good question. I’m pretty interested in knowing that myself.
In Australia (not relevant to most of you guys I know) it’s regulated by the government body, which means to be registered you need to do certain courses.
I’ve done a certificate 3 in fitness which means I can be a gym instructor (basically sit behind the admin desk, but I can also design programs and show people how to do things)
I’m halfway through completing a certificate 4 in Fitness which then means I’ll be a qualified personal trainer.
That’s one way to do it.
I’m also doing a Bach of Applied Science (Human Movement) at university which is a 4 year course at the end of which I’ll also be qualified to register as a personal trainer, amongst other things (PE teacher, exercise scientist etc).
It goes without saying that the four year degree is VASTLY harder.
There are many certs to choose from, yet having a personal training certification certainly is not a good indicator as to how good of a trainer you really are. It seems anyone can become a PT these days.
Since you are considering the idea of being a part time trainer while in school you may want to look around and see what certs your potential employers are looking for. This way you do not waste money getting a certification that some employers may not accept.
Keep in mind that most certs require on going education in order to keep your cert current. Be sure to consider what you will have to do to keep your certification up to date. This will save you money in the long run.
Best of luck!
I agree with T-Vixen Mod, I worked in a club here in Phoenix that didn’t require I have a certification to start (Pure Fitness). I worked there 7 months without the certification before I quit. I am now certified thru NASM and working on my own. You may want to check with employers because many will hire you without a cert and then help you pay for it or get you a discount on it. The biggest part of being a personal trainer at a larger gym is SALES. They set quotas for you to meet each month such as $5000 in personal training and another $1500 in supplement sales.
Good luck!
Hot AZ and T-Vixen are exactly right.
The ones that are usually considered tops are:
NSCA
NCSM
and NASM
I am NSCA, but I am going to get NASM certified due to liking the system they implement… Mike Clark did an amazing job arranging the material and system.
No matter what cert you have, it matters little (among the top 3 especially). They are all simple to get if you know your stuff.
The CSCS is supposed to be hard, but I just studied the night before and listened to some lecture tapes on the drive to Cleveland… I am a good test taker, but the ease of passing lies in the ease of the tests, and my former experience with the material.
I think most well versed people could take a few solid weekends and crank through some home made flash cards and be all right…
But notice: the test has nothing to do with how well you train, or more importantly how well you sel your services.
Here’s the biggest question:
Do you have the ability to sell your services for $50-$100 per hour or more? Can you convince Mrs. Doctor’s Wife that you are worth that fee?
If you know nothing about sales, then you might be better off starting in a facility like a velocity sports or something where lower end clients are handed to you…
Or, you might get hungry…
: )
Good luck.
BTW~ A college degree in the subject isn’t harder, it just takes longer, so it indicates persevearance. If you don’t have a very strong background in athletics and training, you might deceide to get the degree… it’s like pre-med for jocks…
Hope this helps.
The gang is bang on when they say it doesn’t matter the cert, as long as you have the knowledge. (NSCA does require a degree for CSCS) However, with the potential customers becoming more knowledgeable, some certs are better than others. When setting out to become a trainer, you need to think of covering your own butt! This my friend means insurance. You need a cert to get it. Some clubs carry it for their trainers, some don’t.
You also have to be carefull about your “scope of practice”. This means don’t do anything with your clients that you’re not certified to do. Several clubs (and trainers) have lost millions in lawsuits because some trainer went outside his “scope of practice” and someone got hurt. Knowledge may be power, but the certs help cover your butt!
It looks like a few people have already answered who to get certified with… About paying for it though, you could ask the gym owner/manager if the gym you plan on working at will be willing to pay for it or half of it. At the gym I use to work at, the owner would pay for his staff to get their certifications, but the only problem was he would get 40% of your profits and you couldn’t use the certification anywhere else.
[quote]SouthernGirl wrote:
… the owner would pay for his staff to get their certifications, but the only problem was he would get 40% of your profits and you couldn’t use the certification anywhere else. [/quote]
As a club manager that makes me sick! I cover most of the costs for certs for my team, as they need them to work. Ok, sure we take about 40% of the gross, but we also cover insurance, all marketing and promotion costs, provide all the equipment, send them on courses/conferences! At the end of the day, it’s still the trainer’s name on the cert. They’ve taken the courses, and passed the exams. It’s theirs, I just cover the costs.
I guess not only are there shady trainers, but owners/managers too!