Does anyone know what it takes to become a certified Personal Trainer? Depending how long it was valid for, I thought it would be something worth looking into for the future if I want/need something on the side. I am pretty sure you actually have to take some tests, but I could be wrong...

Thanks!

You have a ton of options here. This usually sparks a debate because the people who are certified through NCSA will tell you theirs is the only quality certification and those with ACE will tell you theirs is the best, yada yada. Then you get the disgruntled trainers who blame not being able to get a job or charge clients decent rates on their certification.

The reality is that in the United States, training is not regulated. You can train without any certification at all. I know many successful trainers who earn their entire living training who have never been certified. I also know trainers who are certified who can't get someone to pay them $2 for a session.

Certification depends on your goals and what you want to do. There are many reasons to get certified, but I am assuming the primary ones are:

* To offer credentials in order to train clients
* To learn something new

As far as training clients, this is more a function of your knowledge and how you market yourself. For example, I was able to command fairly decent rates before I was certified simply because I took the time to individualize my programs and get results. If you get your certification but then think training is just finding what worked best for you and then trying to force your clients to do the exact same thing, it won't work out as well!

I received my certifications for two primary reasons. The first was knowledge - I knew I could only stand to learn something new, and while my Fitness Trainer certification was mainly things I already new, my certification as a Specialist in Performance Nutrition taught me a TON of concepts - I was VERY happy with the curriculum and knowledge gained.

A good certifying body will also teach your more than just sets and reps. They can teach you how to market yourself, how to analyze your demographic, how to specialize, how to operate your business, etc. This is why I chose ISSA. ISSA was founded by people who walk the walk - Dr. Fred Hatfield, also known as Dr. Squat, holds records for squatting in his age bracket, and his knowledge is nicely rounded by Dr. Sal Aria who is a chiropractic doctor and has extensive knowledge related to injury prevention and back pain (keeping the back healthy!). I also like the specialization degrees - I have two certifications and for my continuing education credits, intend to get more certifications to specialize in Strength and Conditioning, training Adolescents, etc.

Certification is also great for networking and meeting other people with similar interests.

Of course, I love ISSA and have a link to apply at my website on the main page (just click on the seal - this is an affiliate link). I will not tell you, however, that we are better because we simply have our own unique offering. You can gain knowledge from other bodies and indeed many trainers get their certificates from multiple organizations.

I would recommend doing this:

1. Find out the cost and determine if it fits your budget
2. Look over the curriculum to see if it fits what you intend to learn
3. If you are planning to go into business, decide if you wish to start your own and do this independently, or if you want to work in a gym. If you want to work out of a gym, check the local gyms and see if they have a preference.
4. Look at the options for study at home, study on the Internet, or seminars. I highly recommend seminars - I learned more in a few hours with my instructor, Jack Schaffer (a top kick-boxing champion as well as record-holding power-lifter) than I did in months and months of reading books. If you have seminars, see when and where they are to make sure you can make them
5. Find out what support systems are in place
6. Find out how long the certifications last (ISSA lasts for 2 years) and what the continuing education requirements are
7. Speak with others who have been certified to learn from their experiences

I hope this helps. Your budget to receive certification from a reputable organization will be between $300 - $1000 (it really depends on how in depth and technical you want to get). I believe my certs were around $475 each, but well worth the investment.

Best of success!

Jeremy

Wow, great reply! Thanks a lot.

Just real quick, how long does it usually take to receive certification? And in the case of ISSA that lasts 2 years, what about after that? Do you need to retake the same course again every 2 years?

Wow, great reply! Thanks a lot.

Just real quick, how long does it usually take to receive certification? And in the case of ISSA that lasts 2 years, what about after that? Do you need to retake the same course again every 2 years?
Most certifications last two or three years at a time. I was a certified personal trainer though ACE (The American Council on Exercise). Most of the protocols for exercise prescription is based on the American College of Sports Medicine, which is also a certification option). I also was a member of IDEA, (International Association for Fitness Professionals),a fitness continuing education credit association. Before your certification expires you have to continue your education as a trainer by going to conferences and taking classes that will qualify you for continuing your trainer status. I owned a personal training corporation for 6 years. Before that I was an exercise physiologist for a Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation outpatient facitility in a local hospital. I loved my business more than anything I have ever done professionally. If you find your niche market, mine was baby boomers who wanted to decrease the risk of heart disease, hypertension, obesity, type II diabetes etc, you will find it VERY rewarding. I am now a health and physical education teacher for a k-8 school. Good Luck

It took me approximately 4 months to study for my CFT and it was about 3 - 4 months for my SPN. I did both as a study-at-home option and spent an hour or so an evening on them. The SPN dragged out because work was so hectic. You can take continuing education courses to renew them after 2 years, in my case, instead of taking a bunch of smaller CEU courses, I opt to obtain a new certification in a new field of interest to continuously expand my domain of expertise. My next renewal, for example, will be a specialist in Strength and Conditioning. I could instead take several smaller, online or study-at-home CEU courses if I wanted to, but I find I learn a ton with the certifications.

Jeremy

Just some inside info here..Certified trainers at the YMCA make $6.50 an hour. :d_eek:

It took me approximately 4 months to study for my CFT and it was about 3 - 4 months for my SPN. I did both as a study-at-home option and spent an hour or so an evening on them. The SPN dragged out because work was so hectic. You can take continuing education courses to renew them after 2 years, in my case, instead of taking a bunch of smaller CEU courses, I opt to obtain a new certification in a new field of interest to continuously expand my domain of expertise. My next renewal, for example, will be a specialist in Strength and Conditioning. I could instead take several smaller, online or study-at-home CEU courses if I wanted to, but I find I learn a ton with the certifications.

Jeremy

Ouch - don't train at the YMCA! I know gyms pay horrendously low rates in some cases, and are decent in others. When I was training one on one, I was charging about $75 an hour and my on-line programs worked out to anywhere from $50 - $200 per hour depending on the complexity. I enjoy much more leveraging other income opportunities (i.e. writing, selling nutritionals, etc) so I am free to train people without worrying about how much I make - because I can tell you even for $6.50 and hour, the reward of seeing someone change their life is priceless.

Jeremy

because I can tell you even for $6.50 and hour, the reward of seeing someone change their life is priceless.

I definitely agree with that! And when I win lotto, I'll train whoever wants to be trained for free! :p

The trainers at the Y making $6.50 an hour deserved to make that amount. They would smoke while they took walks to the laundry to wash towels, they were out of shape, and the male trainer was a shameless flirt who had been caught having sex with a female member in the massage room(he is married and has kids). That Y was very unorganized, so hopefully other Y trainers are different. I definitely agree with that! And when I win lotto, I'll train whoever wants to be trained for free! :p

Ouch - don't train at the YMCA! I know gyms pay horrendously low rates in some cases, and are decent in others. When I was training one on one, I was charging about $75 an hour and my on-line programs worked out to anywhere from $50 - $200 per hour depending on the complexity. I enjoy much more leveraging other income opportunities (i.e. writing, selling nutritionals, etc) so I am free to train people without worrying about how much I make - because I can tell you even for $6.50 and hour, the reward of seeing someone change their life is priceless.

Jeremy
Jeremy, how does it work if you're training independently vs employed by a gym? Where do you train your clients? Do you have to have your own facility or do you go with the client to their gym? Do gyms usually allow/condone the use of outside trainers by their members?

Does anyone know what it takes to become a certified Personal Trainer? Depending how long it was valid for, I thought it would be something worth looking into for the future if I want/need something on the side. I am pretty sure you actually have to take some tests, but I could be wrong...

Thanks!

I'm a qualified personal trainer. I spent 1 year studying part time (about 8 hours per week) while working full time. I basically did it incase I need to fall back on it now that I'm studying. I havent really had to use that much though as my current job allows me to study and muck around on these forums so Im happy.

I think it would be a good job part time but I wouldnt want to do it full time. It takes a certain type of person to do it full time. The hours are long and unusual (early and late) and you have to be constantly smiling and cheerful with everyone which at the end of the day can be a bit difficult. But like Jeremy said it can be really rewarding if you get a client that actually tries.

I train this middle age woman (late 50s) who I met through work, everytime shes in the country. Her husband is some CEO of a large securities firm or something and every 3 months he and her fly to Australia where his firm has a branch. She pretty much has heaps of money and heaps of spare time and she gets me to train her 3 times a week. Shes only in town for about a month at a time but its good money while shes here. The only problem is that shes a bit of a bitch and basically does not try at all and hardly listens to what I say. :( She must think that my presence will make her lose weight or something. :p I try to push her but I cant really tell her off because I would lose her business. Shes the kind of client that I would let go if I had a suprlus of clients, which of course I dont. I just train her the way she wants to be trained for the sake of keeping her as a client.

Anyway back to the point. If like you said you need somethinh on the side than I say do it. Even if you dont use it, its good to have the qualifications incase you need to fall back on them.

Marcus :tucool: