A little help from the strength coahes out there. I’ve been wanting to start a career in athletic conditioning but I live in the Philippines and can only take on-line certification. The three I have mentioned above are the well known ones but any advice on which one to take based on your experiences? Also , anything else I should be taking to really get me ahead in this field?
CSCS. If you plan on getting a collegiate job anywhere you will need this, unless you only planning on interning.
I think this largely depends on where you are geographically. Id ring around to the relevant coaching set ups (gyms, athletic clubs etc) and see whats required.
I have the CSCS and am based in England. Its not even recognised by anyone.
I had Mike Boyle for my adult practicum (basically personal training) class at Umass-Boston. Great class and just interesting to listen to him about a variety of subjects. He had an interesting quote he had heard from a doctor or something. It goes basically like this. If you are interested in a certain field, whatever the field may be, the best thing to do is read.
If you read good information on material that is in some way related to your field for 1 hour a day, every single day, at the end of 1 year you will be in the top 10 most knowledgeable people in your field. I definitely believe that is true or at least close to true.
While that is great advice, that still wouldn’t get him a D1 job…unless he had his CSCS. In the US of course.
Sure, the other posters had that part of the question covered
the order you have them listed in is the order of relevance. The CSCS is far and away the most recognized, with the NASM being the higher quality of the other two. The issa cert is more about making your business card longer than hell, than actually learning much. BTW I have my issa, so before anyone gets all fussy…
Oh ok. SO if I may ask , why weren’t you happy with the ISSA program? And Why would you say that the NASM program is of a higher quality considering that you got the CSCS instead? I don’t mean to be rude with my questioning, I’m just asking because the certification is going to cost me a lot of money. ($500 is a huge cost in the Philippines)
[quote]supermick wrote:
I think this largely depends on where you are geographically. Id ring around to the relevant coaching set ups (gyms, athletic clubs etc) and see whats required.
I have the CSCS and am based in England. Its not even recognised by anyone.[/quote]
So , are you suggesting I still take the CSCS or any of the other two I just mentioned?
Is CSCS worth all the money? Thats hard to say. I mean you really have to pay alot up front but not alot per year, so If you have the cert for awhile it really isnt that much at all, the problem is for most people you have to pay the most money when you have the least. Now, the exam’s reputation as being the best makes you study and get your shit together at least to the point to past the test. That being said, it is the best cert and it may get you a few jobs just based on its reputation. But its up to you to keep reading and bettering yourself…
[quote]JayJay Lopez wrote:
supermick wrote:
I think this largely depends on where you are geographically. Id ring around to the relevant coaching set ups (gyms, athletic clubs etc) and see whats required.
I have the CSCS and am based in England. Its not even recognised by anyone.
So , are you suggesting I still take the CSCS or any of the other two I just mentioned?
[/quote]
he’s suggesting that you better have experience and a good client portfolio since that weighs more than any certification no matter what location…
In the Phils, I can safely say a Rene Dio or Eddie Torres would have more credibility than a CSCS for their years of experience despite they are not even certified
what matters most is you produce results
[quote]Konstantine wrote:
JayJay Lopez wrote:
supermick wrote:
I think this largely depends on where you are geographically. Id ring around to the relevant coaching set ups (gyms, athletic clubs etc) and see whats required.
I have the CSCS and am based in England. Its not even recognised by anyone.
So , are you suggesting I still take the CSCS or any of the other two I just mentioned?
he’s suggesting that you better have experience and a good client portfolio since that weighs more than any certification no matter what location…
In the Phils, I can safely say a Rene Dio or Eddie Torres would have more credibility than a CSCS for their years of experience despite they are not even certified
what matters most is you produce results
[/quote]
Well , I do know those lifters you mentioned and they are good ,as POWERLIFTERS and , at least for Rene Dio, a body builder as well. Now I do have respect with regards to their in the trenches experience but ultimately my belief is there has to be some form of theoretical knowledge on the part of the cocah/trainer.
I have yet to see a really succesful coach anywhere who relied purely on just training experience. Heck , even the likes of Charles Poliquin , Charles Staley , Eric Cressey , Chad Waterbury, Christian Thibuadeau and Alwyn Cosgrove still don’t have all the answers ,yet have the experience and good theoretical background as well.
So my purpose ultimately with regards to this thread is how to better myself holistically as a coach in every aspect , not just in building a reputation. Which is why I’m asking the EXPERIENCED STRENGTH COACHES OUT THERE , who have been CERTIFIED IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
[quote]JayJay Lopez wrote:
Konstantine wrote:
JayJay Lopez wrote:
supermick wrote:
I think this largely depends on where you are geographically. Id ring around to the relevant coaching set ups (gyms, athletic clubs etc) and see whats required.
I have the CSCS and am based in England. Its not even recognised by anyone.
So , are you suggesting I still take the CSCS or any of the other two I just mentioned?
he’s suggesting that you better have experience and a good client portfolio since that weighs more than any certification no matter what location…
In the Phils, I can safely say a Rene Dio or Eddie Torres would have more credibility than a CSCS for their years of experience despite they are not even certified
what matters most is you produce results
Well , I do know those lifters you mentioned and they are good ,as POWERLIFTERS and , at least for Rene Dio, a body builder as well. Now I do have respect with regards to their in the trenches experience but ultimately my belief is there has to be some form of theoretical knowledge on the part of the cocah/trainer.
I have yet to see a really succesful coach anywhere who relied purely on just training experience. Heck , even the likes of Charles Poliquin , Charles Staley , Eric Cressey , Chad Waterbury, Christian Thibuadeau and Alwyn Cosgrove still don’t have all the answers ,yet have the experience and good theoretical background as well.
So my purpose ultimately with regards to this thread is how to better myself holistically as a coach in every aspect , not just in building a reputation. Which is why I’m asking the EXPERIENCED STRENGTH COACHES OUT THERE , who have been CERTIFIED IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
[/quote]
before any certification, look at the years of experience and the results produced. A certification just means yuo now the theory but it doesn’t automatically produce results…
As mentioned guys like Louie Simmons Al Vermeil Dan John are but a few guys who don’t have certifications but have years of experience and have produced results.
in Eastern Europe, most fo the coaches aren’t even certified, but we do know their value as coaches…
In fact, the NSCA president and founder as well as the head of the USA weightlifting org was a sociology major but he had years of experience…
I myself am a performance enhancement coach here in the Phils… The only “certification” I have was as expired Nautilus certification test, yet I have yars of experience and have prouced results for my clients and that weighs more than any piece of paper…
Bottom line, it is the gym that will deermine whether they wil recognize a certification or not… If you read Mel Siff’s “facts and fallacies of fitness” He mentions hat there is no international governing body fo certifications but puts coache in a certain class (i.e. I, II, III, advanced, master)