Comments on: Personal Training Certifications: A Different Perspective

By: Randy Woody

Randy Woody — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:19:13 +0000

I feel the industry needs to evaluate true experts in the field and if you want a license to become a “trainer” you will have to study and intern under that person at their facility for 12-18 months. Along with this you would be given home work and textbooks to get the book knowledge. Other than that the industry is really missing taking it to the next level and being recognized as true professionals. Hey Matt –Crossfit–be an olympic style lifting coach in 1 day!!!! Woooo-wooo!!! Yea right. Heck I have owned my own facility and trained more clients than anyone I know and I am constantly searching out new information. Tyler hit it right. Drop the ego and improve. I am old enough to be Pat’s dad but I have no problem seeking advice when needed.
Randy

By: xena both

xena both — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:31:57 +0000

OMG Finally a place where I can vent my frustration about this very same topic!!!! Because just this week I start a new job after been away for a while for a long time (buts that besides the point..lol) Fitness is my passion, my late discovered passion. I’v always been in sales and also worked as membership sales consultant at a big health club. But I never worked as a cscs or a pt what also happend to be one of my goals for the near future. Just because I love it so much,even fascinated by it how fitness can transform your body…and LIFE!! I do not have any official education in fitness yet but will make a move soon in that direction!
But back to my frustration part..because I love fitness so much and even want to make a living of it.. I read/research A LOT on my own about to know about everything healt/fitness related in advance(library,being on several mailinglist like yours,internet etc). So I know about bit and pieces about what is working,how it is working,why it is working or why something is not working or ineffective or even downright dangerous..And all kind of new techniques that are comming in place with training protocols and so or nutritioni nformation like intermitting fasting for example..Anyhoo for a un-official fitness pro for lack off better word I’m pretty up to speed and will comtinue to be so with certs/degrees and all!

Now my new boss..a nice lady who is 47, with a outstanding body( which she primarly have because A good genes and her background as turner and later a bodypump teacher(!)..her own words).. She don’t like strenght training(her own words) but yet she makes programs for clients..(only single movements like old bodybuilding stuff..)
Now get this she also had her cert prox 30 years ago and she talks like she knows it all.. but she never..get this..NEVER heard of the core exercise..PLANK??!!! I was stunned…to hear this..thought she was joking but horrifying she was not…..! This is how she tell her clients to warm up(and its the ONLY warm up what they must do according to her..) twist the body on a twist machine,50 times and twist the body(upperback) with a stick.. WOW I could not believe and here what I’m seeing…! She even has a corner with..OMG light weights 4 the women(even calls it the women corner..???!!!) The men that are working out there luckily are doing there own thing(at least the most of them but most of the women that are training there follow a program by here…She even has acommercial ABCRUNCH thing that she advice to people to use for crunching and also promotes regurlar crunches to people.. I think this woman,how sweet she might be has no clue and and has stand still in time!!! I’m baffeld!!!
Here is the thing..you might say leave and find another up to date modern healthclub and I will certainly do so…but I can not go yet because this is part of my compliant return in the workfield.. iI must accept this job for a certain period of time..therefore i must work with here..But I can’t see myself telling somebody to crunch for abs or even use that ridiculous abthing…Can somebody please tell me how to get through this unbelievable period I”m in with this situation…I’m just stunned!!!! Never heard of plank,compound exercises,recovery techniques etc???? But yet you own a gym??(by the way what she is doing part time because in all the 21 years she have it, she still cannot make a living of it…wonder why???!!! I feel like this is one more hurdle I need to overcome or a test to see how bad I want this fitnesscareer…because this is really unbelieveable..

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:15:14 +0000

I can see what point you are trying to make. But I would like to clarify that there are two types of people who have a basic certification. The first is the one who is out to find the quickest route to get certified and wants to make money. The second is the one who is diligent with learning and continues to take CEC courses to expand their knowledge base. There are a lot of people out there who have degrees and care as much as the first type of person I mentioned; they just happened to waste a bunch of time along the way. And of course there are those who have a good base of education, they have the degree but have no idea how to apply it to the client. Personally I would rather train with the one who has the basic certification, and is constantly learning.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:00:47 +0000

Part of what we need to do here is put things in their proper context. Twenty five to thirty years ago, when the personal training field was suffering through it’s early birth pangs and organizations like IDEA, AFAA, ACSM and the NSCA were about the only game in town in regards to trainer certifications, most trainers were either strength and conditioning coaches who had power and/or olympic lifting backgrounds, aerobics instructors who wanted to branch out economically, or bodybuilders who wanted to make a living training folks. The strength coaches usually had great backgrounds in the area of strength training with very little knowledge of “regular” nutrition or medical exercise. The aerobics instructors knew how to motivate people and had basic training in exercise and nutrition but usually didn’t have strong backgrounds in the serious strength training side of things. Bodybuilders knew a lot about weight lifting, dieting for competition, and on the competitive side, steroids and diuretics but most had little academic background and were not exactly the best role models when it came to what constitutes realistic health and fitness lifestyles.

At this point as well most trainers working in clubs were making minimum wage and scrounging to pick up some personal training work on the side along with the second or third job they usually had to work to make ends meet. Very few trainers had degrees because at that point most people in the fitness fields in college went on to be PE instructors. Back then this was definitely an in demand field and certainly they were better paid than the average personal trainer. Fields like exercise physiology and kinesiology were great academic fields but they were mostly educated on the research side of things and they had little practical ability to apply.

Certifications were designed at that point, and really that’s what they still ought to be at this point, to establish a baseline of knowledge for ensuring some consistency for both the consumers and for the owner/operators who were hiring these trainers. For anyone who’s been through the academic ringer in terms of pursuing bachelors, masters, doctorate, you know that you can learn a great deal but you also waste a ton of time and money on things you couldn’t even begin to use let alone need to be a proficient trainer. That’s where all the specialty certifications come into play and have value like a Corrective Exercise Specialist, Medical Exercise Specialist, Nutrition Specialist, Youth Fitness Specialist, etc. You can’t really learn these things in most college programs so you need specialty workshops and well run certifications – well run would usually mean something with a workshop and then both a practical and written exam – to enhance your skill set which you then take into the field to gain experiential knowledge.

The best trainers are always going to strive to obtain quality certifications, quality academic instruction, years in the trenches being mentored by excellent fitness and personal training directors, and the oft forgotten element that really creates success… if you suck as a people person and you are really just getting into the field because you think you can get rich and be your own boss then you really should reconsider your choice of vocation. The old saying holds true, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.

By: Tanner

Tanner — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:28:21 +0000

You could not be closer to the truth! Maybe CPTs are upset with these types of certification programs because they went to a trade school, paid 10k and after 9 months earned their certification. While Johnny CPT earned a similar certification without the same time/financial investment.

By: FitNeicey

FitNeicey — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:04:58 +0000

Pat,
I agree with you totally. I am planning on obtaining more certs as I go, to keep abreast of the latest and greatest and newest helpful information, What do you have as far as CE certs?

FitNeicey

By: Kerry

Kerry — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:28:49 +0000

Pat,

I could not agree with you more. You must be held up to a standard level or people will get hurt. I have spent years on my education and will continue. I am a Doctor of Chiropractic, Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner, NASM – Corrective Exercise Specialist and will be starting a Diplomate program next year in Sports. I believe to provide quality service to my patients and clients, I must continue to educate myself and prefect my skill. Clients will seek out the professionals, so you might as well be one.

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:06:21 +0000

Hey Brandon – Getting the ACE credential will certainly do you no harm. Get it then work toward the CSCS.

I’d also suggest you go to at least one of the Perform Better events and one of the events we do.

By: Brandon Popp

Brandon Popp — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:05:22 +0000

Pat,
I like the message you sent out. Im gonna graduate with a degree in kinesiology (submajor exercise and fitness) in may. I am not certified as of yet, but I want to do ACE. Ive heard some facilities say you have to be certified in something. School has taught me that with a degree in kines, that may be all the “certification” I’ll need to start off as a basic level trainer. What do you think? I obviously realize that learning never stops when dealing with fitness but once I graduate in may, where do you think my next step should be? My goal for the immediate future is to be a personal trainer for the summer months then from there I dont know. Should I start with something simple as ACE, or take time to study for a CSCS exam.

thanks,
Brandon

By: lynnell

lynnell — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:13:02 +0000

I hear ya! Our provincial regulated certification is a weekend course.

One of my intern always asks me why I keep her on, as I am always going on about education and she just got her second cert.

I tell her its because she has the desire to learn and get better!
and My members love her!
She also sees the value in the internship program, when it would have taken her years and thousands of dollars to get the knowledge she has now!

Oh yeah and thanks BJ! Because I have learned more from you in the past 6 months then I have from anyone else in the past 4 years!

On a side note: Just because you have a masters doesn’t mean you can apply it!