I’ve been in the fitness field for a little over 10 years now and have worked in various levels of fitness from Collegiate/NFL Strength and Conditioning Coach to a NYC personal trainer. Through out these years I received a lot surprising questions regarding how to become a personal trainer so I thought I’d make this into a mini series. Hopefully it’ll help anyone that’s interesting in becoming a personal trainer or performance coach.
Certifications
Certifications are way to distinguish yourself amongst your personal training peers and have a base line qualification. Unfortunately the personal training industry ruined this and saturated the field with a lot of junk online certifications that are meaningless. Think about the supplement industry and fitness informercials, the personal training field is now pretty much the same…
Just the other day I was asked about a certification that you take online and if you pass you’re guaranteed a job??? I have no idea what certification does this but that brings up MAJOR red flags. There are a few issues here:
- It’s an online test, I hope you wouldn’t fail an online test…
- If you’re in this for the long run, I wouldn’t take a job that is just given to the masses. More than likely you will not be treated with respect, as there is someone else right behind you willing to do work for the same rate or less.
- They’re giving you a job by passing an online test? What type of screening is that???
With that said there are few certification bodies that are beneficial, but this does NOT mean you’re a qualified trainer or coach. It just shows that you have a basic understanding of their standards, implementing it is a completely different skill set. The 3 certification bodies I would recommend are:
–ACSM
–NSCA
–NASM
That’s it today, keep an eye out for part 2. We’ll discuss practical experience and the pros/cons of internships, mentorships, and weekend seminars.
Stay strong,
Team Fusion Trianed