What Personal Training certification am I supposed to get?

May 5, 2009 3:12 PM

I'd like to get a certification to become a personal trainer, but there are so many different certifications and certifying bodies available I have no idea where to start.

I asked three friends who are in the field and I was told to check out CSCS, ACE, AFAA, NASM, NPTI... lots of initials to wade through. It seems that there are different bodies who do the accreditation and different kinds of accreditations to get. What is considered the best, or the most respectable, or the most useful to have?

posted by tumbleweedjack to work & money (4 comments total)

Cant help you on the sea of initials, but I know a few trainers and they've all been taking kettlebell certification. Weekend courses and such like.

That seems to be the fad amongst combat athletes at least.
posted by the cuban at 3:24 PM on May 5

If you're interested in training at a particular gym, check what their requirements are. (Many gyms aren't that particular and are happy with any of the certifying bodies.)

ACSM means more than ACE or AAFA. I'm not familiar with the others. (I used to be ACE certified as a Personal Trainer and Group Exercise instructor. It meant I shelled out cash and passed two not-particularly-difficult multiple choice tests.)
posted by Zed at 4:47 PM on May 5

There are lots of different certifying bodies, some much more legitimate than others. When I got certified (2002) ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) was the gold standard, in part because the test was quite rigorous and in part because you were required to have a bachelor's in exercise science, physiology, kinesiology, or the like.

I already had a bachelor's in a different field and didn't want to go back to school to get another, so I got certified by what I consider to be the second-best organization: the NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Organization). There are several certifying options through them: Personal Training, or Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (the CSCS you referenced above, which is what I chose). If you only want to work in a gym the PT certification is fine, but the CSCS also qualifies you to work with athletes/athletic teams and has an additional focus on sport-specific strength training, conditioning, injury prevention, etc.

I have heard that the ACSM has since dropped the bachelors-in-a-related field requirement, so that may be an option to you now if you do not have a college degree in those fields. I would say that the ACSM and the NSCA are still the strongest, most respected certifications. It's understood that the exams are in-depth and require a high level of knowledge and preparation to pass. Both also have a practical component, not just a bunch of multiple-choice questions.

Second tier certifications would be from ACE and IDEA, and then there are a whole slew of others underneath. While you could probably get a job at a gym with a less-than-stellar certification, I would advise you to pursue the best, most rigorous one you can find. It will only serve to make you a better, more knowledgeable trainer, and this confidence and knowledge will go a long way toward helping you train and retain clients.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 5:12 PM on May 5 [1 favorite]

I looked into this last year, and like Bella Sebastian, determined that the CSCS was the best route for me. But my advice to you would be to contact the gym you hope to work for (or one you consider to have good trainers) and ask what their requirements are for trainers. Hopefully the end result is that you end up with both a respected and useful cert.
posted by smalls at 7:04 PM on May 5