Advice for new Trainers- which certification
Here’s some advice for new trainers – Which certification should a Trainer hold? The answer is like an ogre. Or an onion. It has layers. The first layer comes in the form of a question: where do you want to work?
Many gyms require certification from a particular company. I began my career 20+ years ago with a certification from AFAA; I selected AFAA because, at the time, it was the most widely held cert in the industry; I figured that ubiquity worked in my favor. A year later I switched to NASM because the gym I wanted to work for (Sports Club LA) required all Trainers to hold a NASM cert. Find a gym you want to work for/with. Ask them which certification they prefer, and go and get it. They’ll be impressed you asked.
Next Layer: which is better
Lets peel back A more complicated layer. Which one is best?
NASM for my money was the best cert; but I’ve only held 3. NASM provided the most valuable, job applicable information in their education and it wasn’t even close. I’m presently certed w ACE because I got sloppy and forgot to log my CEU’s with NASM. I was a few months late (personal issues). Instead of letting me pay a fine, or doing me a solid, they wanted me to re-take my initial cert, and all the continuing ed I’d done through them (a fair amount). I acknowledge my mistake, but when someone invests in your cert (I passed 3 to 4 of them) you can show them a little leniency.
I re-certed with ACE. Solid cert. ACE grants CEU’s on petition (I usually go out of pocket for my continuing ed courses) for course they don’t offer. I’m proud to tell ya that I passed the ACE exam without studying! Straight up on the job knowledge baby!
Does it Matter?
In the end it doesn’t matter. They all pretty much cover the same bases. I seldom call on any of the info I learned in my initial certifications. Know how to work out safely; know how to regress complicated exercises; know how to work with people; and know how to work around client’s movement issues. I didn’t find anything in the certs that helped more profoundly than on the job experience.
What about continuing education?
I’m frustrated by continuing education. I took the NASM corrective exercise specialist course and thought it repackaged the same ideas from their initial certification; that was 15 years ago so a lot may have changed.
The AFAA and ACE in house certs failed to wow me as well. None of them dove very deep into their subject matter. I took them to get the CEU’s.
That said I read a lot of classic literature in high school: books like 1984 and The Great Gatsby. Did I not enjoy them because they were homework or because they’re boring and my teenage brain preferred anything else. I’ve since revisited both of the aforementioned books (and a few others) and while I find 1984 brilliant, Gatsby is still boring (though I can appreciate the complexity of the writing).
My question: do I dislike these certs because they were homework? Honestly no. I’ve taken enough very interesting, on the job applicable certs (MAT, Z Health, Oxygen Advantage) to say my judgement of the material stands.
What your cert says about you
Some certs advertise you’re a fitness professional. If a person completes a degree in field, or a passes their CSCS it indicates ambition, intelligence, and commitment.
Getting hired is your goal: by a gym, or by a client every 10-20 sessions. Advanced accreditation gives you more knowledge/tools to work with, and your client a better experience. A true fitness professional stands on a solid, widely accepted certification; but more importantly adds to that through continuing education they seek on their own. Follow your interests.
Taking the bare minimum of credits from some cookie cutter recertification factory looks lazy to me. I own a small fitness studio. If someone wants to work with me I make sure they are certified. It tells me they’re at least that professional (and it’s a legal requirement we have to meet for insurance purposes); but I don’t care which certification they get.
A more important question than ‘are they certified’; Would I hire them as my own trainer. Are they kind? Do they look like they workout (you’d be surprised)? Are they friendly? Considerate? Do they Speak well? Have they taken any interesting continuing education certs? All things considered these are more important to me than the logo on their cert; which says something.
But not everything.
Want even more advice?
Well, I hope you benefitted from some part of this discussion. For more certifcation advice for new trainers and career information check out further volumes of this series: