Trainer certificate programs

The CSCS certification is not on this list because it is in advanced strength and conditioning certification that requires a college degree. It is not considered a general personal training certification such as the ones I talk about on this list. Out of all general personal training certifications that do not require a college degree, the award goes to ISSA.

But since ISSA has so many people certified through them, I have them taking the 3rd place for recognition and popularity. I list all the CPTs from cheapest to most expensive in this article. There are several online personal trainer certifications out there that claim to be doing the best but from my experience and discussions with other personal trainers in the fitness industry, I would choose ISSA.

The best online personal training certification is ISSA. ISSA offers everything online including the curriculum as well as taking the exam online. The other certifications only offer an online personal trainer course curriculum, but you need to go into a facility to take their test. Check out my full list of the best online CPT certification options.

Check out my full list of the easiest CPT certifications. To my knowledge, there is no completely free personal trainer certification that is legitimately recognized by potential employers. There are, however, reasonably cheap personal training certifications.

It takes between 3 and 6 months to study for and get certified as a personal trainer. This time could be significantly reduced if you already have a degree in exercise science. Although it is not illegal to work as a personal trainer without a certification, is severely frowned upon in the personal training industry. Not only will you not be able to get a formal job as a personal trainer, it can be very dangerous for the clients you are training if you are not formally educated on proper exercise techniques, intensities, and other factors.

Getting a personal training certification is definitely worth it. Not only do you gain critical knowledge for helping your clients, but it also opens the door to lots of work opportunities. The personal training certificates that are the most respected are certifications that are nationally accredited. Most personal trainer certifications are good for two to three years. All reputable and accredited personal training organizations require a certain quantity of continuing education in order to get recertified after that period.

In this section, I will teach you about the differences between the various accreditation agencies. If you choose to get a different personal trainer license, make sure they are accredited by one of these two organizations. This is very important! The link above will take you to my full NCCA list of nationally accredited personal training certifications. I only trust certifications that have either one of these two accreditations.

Many people, as well as employers in the fitness organizations, consider the NCCA to be the preferred certifying agency for certifications in the health and fitness industry. NCCA is one of the two respected certifying bodies in the health and fitness industry. The accreditation process with the national commission for certifying agencies is very rigorous. Certifications agencies are frequently required to renew their accreditation to ensure they are up to standard.

This accreditation agency was started in The Distance Education Accrediting Commission was initially founded in as the distance education and training Council. They recently changed names a few years ago. Just like the NCCA, the DEAC requires their organizations to frequently renew their accreditation to make sure they are up to snuff with their standards.

One of the significant differences between the DEAC and NCCA is that they do not get to directly accredit the certification, but rather the curriculum that the certification offers. Which in my mind, is the same thing. They accredit the study materials and the information that you will be absorbing for the certification. Which personal training certification are you going to choose?

Are you going to go the more corrective exercise route, the strength and conditioning route, or maybe a more General certification? Check out the free study resources below as well as some awesome deals on all of these certifications that I talked about. So, what is the top personal trainer certification? From my analysis, personal trainer certificate comparison is a tricky one, you see? I would say choosing a personal trainer certification depends on what type of clients you want to train once you become a personal trainer.

If you have not done so already, I recommend that you Take the quiz to find out which PT certification program is right for you if you still cannot come to a decision. Before I get started with the breakdown of the article if you could please share this article using one of the social media buttons down below. I would be very grateful. I will get back to you soon as I can! Both of these certifications have great screening processes that allow you to pinpoint muscular imbalances.

Overall these three at my top choices for anyone just starting out. Both of these advanced performance certifications are fantastic. And both of these necessary certifications lead into them thoroughly. Also, remember that ISSA teaches personal training business and this help personal trainers to get a good start in the industry. Or just my main section on comparison articles!

I hope that the breakdown of my top 5 certifications was helpful for any personal trainer that is just starting out. Remember that the most important thing is to learn what type of clients you want to work in the future. Now get out there and start studying; personal trainer qualifications can indeed open doors for you! Please like or share my article on social media using one of the buttons if this article was helpful to you.

Next thing you should do is check out my massive steps to becoming a personal trainer as well as my article on the average PT income! If you like articles that talk about the best certifications, make sure to check out the best group exercise certs , the top corrective exercise certifications , the most recognized strength and conditioning certifications and the best nutrition certifications for personal trainers. If you are wondering how to become a personal trainer in the specific state that you are living in, check out this guide here.

Thank you so much for all the work you have done in creating this website! It is incredibly helpful and I look forward to reading more of your articles along my journey! I am just starting and feel much more informed and educated after reading your articles about certifications.

You should be proud and rightfully satisfied that you have successfully steered another newbie in the right direction! Hey Michelle, Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope your journey as a personal trainer is a great one as I know it will be!

Matter which personal training certification you choose, this profession is extremely gratifying and will change your life for the better! I would really like to continue education under one brand!

That is because they have a more advanced PES certification that you can try to obtain afterwards that is much more focused on performance. Thank you very much for guiding us! The world needs more men like you! I have a question though. I live now in Ecuador but next year ill be living in the States.

Will that work? Once again, thank you very much for your help! Hey Allan, that is a pretty specific question you are asking about CPR. I am not sure if all Red Cross certifications are created equal.

You should definitely contact the certification you are looking to go with to see if they would accept a Red Cross CPR certification from a different country. Thank you so much for your articles about certifications, they are so helpful, especially for people like me that are new to the fitness industry. Hey Saed, No problem I hope my website has helped you choose the certification that best fits your style of training and personality.

Good luck with the studying and get out there and start training! Hi, Really useful information. I therefore want a clinical course but there will obviously be other fitness goals for clients too. Do you think ACSM would be better? Or NASM? Hey Laura, Did you know that there are actually pre-and postnatal exercise programs.

I believe that both of these certifications have a very small section on pregnancy training. If I were you I would go with NASM due to the fact that there are lots of extra specialty certifications you can get from them once you have a good base of knowledge from there general CPT. ACSM has much less to choose from in this regard.

I hope this helped answer your question. SO, which one would be the most likely certification you suggest me to go for it..?? Any one of these for would be a fantastic option in my opinion. I hope this helped answer your question and good luck with your training! Hello PT Pioneer! I was wondering what the best Personal Training Certification would be for someone elderly I am I mostly want to train people my age that have not really exercised much in their life.

These are mostly sedentary individuals that need to start exercising to preserve quality of life. Any help would be great!

Hey Leslie, I am very glad to hear that you would like to start your career as a personal trainer. As I mentioned in the article, all three of those personal training certifications are good options to go for. For your specific client that you would like to train in the future, the top personal training certifications are the NASM certification or the ACSM certification because they both have a strong emphasis on corrective exercise and stabilization training which is very beneficial for elderly clients or people just getting started with exercise.

I am a elementary school teacher and want to transition careers. I have been struggling on which certification would be best for my situation. Is it better to get a personal training certificate and then a group fitness certification?

Or is it better to do group fitness then a PT certificate? Any advise would be greatly appreciated! Hey Laura, I would definitely go with the general personal training certification first before moving on to the groups certification. You will learn a lot more and build a stronger foundation that way.

If I were you and looking at the clients that you would like to train I would get the general NASM certification and then after you have completed the actor with the ACE group fitness certification. I know lots of people that have this combination and it works out very well for them.

Thank you for your detailed comparisons. Very helpful! Cancer caused my body to be deformed but I have never felt stronger in my life. I want to inspire and train other cancer survivors like me to get back on their feet, feel good about their body again, and be stronger.

Thanks and God bless you! Hey Anne, Glad I could help and congratulations on overcoming cancer! Becoming a personal trainer is something I know that you will enjoy!

Hey Shonda, I am glad that you liked my material! In terms of the corrective exercise specialist certification, yes you do need a general cpt in order to move on to the CES certification. So is it possible to get CPT certification through one organization and a specialization through another? It really depends on which specialization certification you get and the specific requirements for that particular certification. Most specialization certifications only require you to have a general CPT but not necessarily through their organization.

I hope this helps. Thank you for all of the information, I found it very helpful. Their continuing education courses and their study material options are what sold me. Thank you for taking the time to put this together, I really appreciate the help. Hey Amanda, I am glad that you found what you were looking for on my website.

The American Council on exercise is a fantastic organization and I have no doubt that you will be very happy with the choice that you made. They do a fantastic job of teaching all of the essentials in a very easy to understand manner.

I also like how you have access to fitness professionals in case you have any questions with the ACE study materials that they offer. Let me know how it goes and good luck with your personal training adventure! My goal is to become a well-rounded personal trainer with a strong foundation that can have a big impact in helping all types of people. Because I have not decided on any specialized fields to pursue yet, I am having a difficult time deciding which certification to pursue.

Any advice would be appreciated. I have a high school diploma and am located in California if that makes a difference. Hey Jack, sounds like you have a good plan ahead of you. With these general CPT certifications, there is no rush to get certified as a specialist. They will all basically teach you the basics so that you can get a good idea of the people you want to train in the future. ACE and NASM have a good amount of specialty certifications so going with one of those two might lead you into an advanced cert down the line.

They also both have really good study materials. Thanks Tyler. Any thoughts? Is it worth the money? Thanks again for all your help and knowledge. Hi Tyler. Thanks for all the info. Hey Jack, sorry, it took me so long to get back to you, Thanksgiving weekend was absolutely hectic for me. Anyways yes the all-inclusive program is highly recommended by me. All of my students that go through it all speak very highly of it as well. Basically, the job guarantee is exactly as it sounds.

Most people that come out of the 80 hours of training with their gym usually get hired by that same gymnasium. At the end of your hour internship, if you still do not have work, a day timeline starts. During these 90 days, NASM will still continue trying to connect you with other employers. If for some reason at the end of the 90 days you do not have a job as a personal trainer, you can get a refund from NASM for the additional cost or the difference between the all-inclusive package that you purchased and the next cheapest package, which is the guided study program.

Most people come out with a full job. I hope this helped, and sorry for the late reply. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Especially with picking the gym I wanted to work at and how to start building my clients.

Hey Jayce, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I am glad that you are liking the comment and I will definitely check out the website you are suggesting. Good luck with all the personal training endeavors. Hello there! I am thinking on getting my PT Certification again. I am married to a motocross guy who compites in the 50 Intermidiate class. This has me interested in a very different training area I have never done. I have been an athlete for many years. Twenty plus yrs in Gymnastics and Dance, 17 yrs in powerlifting competitions and in an alternating way I have also compited in Figure and Bikini Contests.

With this very wide and different areas of expertise that go from strength to shaping to endurance and also my passion for nutrition I cannot make up my mind what program and what institution to follow and get re-certified.

Any thoughts and suggestions that help me making up my mind and start ASAP? Hello Claudia, It looks like you were trying to get specialized with your personal training.

Most specializations require a general CPT such as the ones listed in this article. So what I like to do is recommend certifications first, and then typically I will recommend that same organization for their general certification. For example, if you want to work with athletes, the NASM performance enhancement specialist certification is a great option.

If that is your end goal, I would also recommend going with NASM as your general certification as well. ISSA also has a fantastic performance specializations certification that you should check out.

Hello Kyerra, Oh, that is a good question. Hi Tyler, Thanks for the information! What seems different about them is that it is in-person rather than online, which is what I prefer. Do you know of any other in-person CPT organizations? Yes I have heard of the world instructor training schools but I have not done an official review on them. I hope this helps answer some of your questions. I am looking to get certified as a personal trainer, but work with people primarily online.

What program do you suggest? How big of a factor is this? Thank you! When it comes to getting a job at a gymnasium, it is usually important to ask what personal training certifications they like to accept. I think that ISSA is a fantastic certification and is definitely one of my top three overall. In terms of working online, you should definitely have no problem repping ISSA on your personal training profile.

Hi Tyler, I must say this is a well put up content and In fact, the entire information on this website. It is simple and precise. Thanks a lot, god bless your hard work brother. I am looking to get Strength and Conditioning certification, which one would you suggest considering the fact that I live in Canada. I am thinking to get certified with ISSA since their course offers a lot of flexibility and its most suitable to my busy lifestyle. Thank you for the compliment. I think that the International sports Sciences Association is a fantastic Certifying agency overall.

In fact there are definitely one of my top three certifications currently. They also have a great strength and conditioning certification as well.

That or the performance enhancement specialist from NASM would be my top choices. In regards to living in Canada, it really does not matter as long as you check with the place you want to work to see what certifications they accept.

I am sure that they will say either one of these two are great options. I teach PE and Health to K-8 students.

I would love to have the background knowledge of a personal trainer as well to help my students even more. We have a fitness-oriented program and the students have responded well. Any idea which certification is best? They also have a more advanced specialization certification called the youth exercise specialist certification that could be something to look into after you are certified through the general CPT.

I hope this helps answer your question! Should i get job after completion of ace cpt in US? Approximately how much should i get paid for personal training. You can definitely get a job as a personal trainer after getting certified through ACE. This varies widely depending on where you are working. There is a trade-off though. You will have to get your own clients and you will not have a full sales team behind you at private clubs.

That is the reason that you make more money. I hope this helps answer your question. Hello, the recertification process for each certification varies. Check out the part on continuing education in recertification in this guide on the top personal training certifications. Most require you to pay an additional fee for recertification that varies by certification as well. None of these five certifications that I mentioned in this article will require you to take the test again.

That is however unless you wait for a long period of time without getting recertified, then you would need to take the test again. Tyler- I love what you have created here. More PT needed to have resources such as this before choosing this path. Have you heard of PTA Global? I would love a chance for you to review our material and see how the content differs from other NCCA certs out there. Thanks for the consideration, Israel.

You are right and thanks for pointing this out. I should have a full certification review on this. I have just been so swamped with other things I have not really written complete reviews in a little while. I will definitely check out this trainer certification more in depth. I also play Tennis and want to work with Tennis player, I mean sportsperson in general.

Which PT Certification is best for me. Hey Nashit, It really depends on where you want to be doing personal training for which personal training certification you get. Are you going to be doing training in the United States? Or are you going to be doing training in India? Although you should ask the gymnasiums that you are applying to to see which certifications they accept before you sign up for any one of them. This has changed dramatically over the last 10 years and it is a very legitimate certification indeed.

Sometimes it takes people a little bit longer to realize this fact and some gymnasiums might not be up-to-date on how they should view ISSA.

It should be accepted throughout the United States but unfortunately some people are just behind the times. I have a few questions. Am I missing something? I was wondering would a bachelors degree in something like kinesiology, or a fitness specialist help me understand the training world better? I want to understand why you are doing the workout and how it benefits you. Hey Kady, These are all great questions regarding personal training.

Obviously, a degree in exercise science or kinesiology is also a fantastic option as you will learn a ton about the body and workout programming from going through a full degree.

The American Council on exercise is a fantastic choice. I would suggest contacting ACE and asking about the fitness math booklet that they offer. They change their offers in packages from time to time and thanks for pointing this out as I will need to update this article. Hey Carlos, Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Which personal training certification are you going to choose now?

Question: during my research on accreditation, I found an organization called W. They have a 5 week, 5 days a week, 7 hr a day class through my local Community College, as a matter of fact, the same college I graduated with for my AA degree to become a PTA. Are you familiar with this group and their quality of education? Hey Patti, I have heard of W. But I have not done an official review of the program.

I also heard that they are accredited by the NCCA. I will have to do a full and thorough review to see if they meet the criteria of the top CPT certifications that are currently on this list. Thanks Tyler, great information for those of us who are starting out and need some guidance.

Appreciate your efforts. Hey Pat, Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I hope my article helped you guide yourself To choose the correct personal training certification for you. Which one are you going to go with? Which CPT are you going to go with now? Hey thanks for the great article, some really useful info in there.

Just one suggestion, there is a fair amount of spelling and grammar errors in the text, not sure if you realized it. Hey Hayden, Thanks for pointing this out I will definitely run through it and check for any errors. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment and good luck with your personal training selection!

Thanks for the great info, really appreciate you article and responses! From what I hear, real education comes from years of doing it. What do you think? Thank you:. Hey Curtis, The action certification is a decent certification. It does have NCCA accreditation which is the biggest barrier for most gymnasiums when they are hiring any personal trainer.

If the gym that you are trying to work at simply suggest getting NCCA certified, this is definitely not a bad option. And it is true, you get a lot more experience from hands-on working with clients and learning on your own than any certification will ever teach you.

That being said, a lot of places only accept big name certifications such as NASM. As long as you have checked with your gym before hand and they are cool with action, I say go for it.

Nice article, really appreciate. Pepe Victor, It all depends on which certification you get. All of them are recognized in different locations around the world but in each specific country is hard to tell which personal training certification is recognized. I know that in Europe the American Council on exercise and the National Academy of sports medicine are both well recognized in that area.

What I would recommend that you do is to ask the specific gymnasium that you plan on working at which certifications they accepted and which ones they do not accept.

That is the best way to know for sure. Am still in highschool Senior and will be 18 within a month. If so, which one s would be the best? One more thing, wanted to ask if GPA typically matters when acquiring certifications.

Hey Cameron, A lot of the prerequisites for the majority of these personal training certifications are that you are 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Since the basically all have this requirement, you should check out the certifications based off the type of training you want to do when you become a personal trainer.

On your last point, your GPA will have no effect towards getting any of the personal training certifications that I mentioned in this article. Great article! I was previously a CrossFit Coach and due to health issues had to stop coaching but it is still such a passion. This article has so many links to information that you really take away the need for further questions about the different types of certifications.

One question I have is which certification has more areas than you can branch off into and take classes for additional certs after getting my basic PT certification?

Thanks so much. Hey Jennifer, great question on personal training certifications in general. Overall, you can take any of these general personal training certifications in branch off into other specializations from other certifying agencies. For example if you got the general certification from the American Council on exercise, you could also afterwards branch off to get the performance enhancement specialist certification from the National Academy of sports medicine.

You could also do this vice versa. If you want to stay within one organization, I would say that the international sports sciences Association or ISSA and the National Academy of sports medicine or NASM have the widest variety of certifications that tie together better if that makes sense.

Another popular combination is a general personal training certification as well as a nutrition certification. The best bang for your buck deal for this would be the general ISSA certification combined with their nutritionist certification in my opinion. I hope this helps shed some more light onto your question.

Thanks for all the valuable info on your website, Tyler! Thanks again! If I had to decide between the two, I would say you get the best bang for your buck with ISSA as it comes with their package that is a fixed price.

The supports I mean like networking, online and offline forum and gatherings, and also the affiliate marketing if I want to have my own studio and start building my business from there. Please provide your advice. Thank you very much! Hey Eve, Both the American Council on exercise as well as the international sports sciences Association have a great customer service and member support team.

They will both be able to help you both through the study process for their certification. Both programs have affiliate marketing teams as well that you can earn money from by recommending their services.

If I hope this helped and good luck creating your own personal training studio and business. Thanks for these info! Hello Deborah, Are you talking about for continuing education credits with each of the personal training certifications? If that is what is what you are talking about, definitely each certification would be recognized by the other ones as sufficient continuing education credit to get recertified.

Its actually quite daunting trying to figure out which certification to get, and i think it takes a bit of research. I am a senior looking to be a PT for one on one in home senior clients. For fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle. So its long been my desire to help older folks people my age and older to stay health by staying active, enjoy applicable exercise, and understanding good nutrition.

Getting older should not mean giving up on life! I originally looked at ACSM, but it looks like to get some of their benefits you need to be a member of ACSM, but in order to be a member you need to be in the heath care industry already??

I totally agree that getting a good base of knowledge on exercise and nutrition can be not only very helpful for your own programming but you can also help tons of other people as well. The American Council on sports medicine is a fantastic organization overall and being a member of their organization is definitely something that has value.

I do think that ISSA better lays out their information in programming for people that are just starting out or that do not have exercise science backgrounds. That being said, both of them are fantastic certifications and are widely accepted if you are looking to become a trainer at a local facility.

If the information is just for yourself though, I would say go with ISSA as their study materials and support is overall better in my opinion. Thanks again for your info! As I have continued to read about different organizations online, the list of interesting certs has grown! I am also now considering the ASFA. Certification certified professional in training management CPTM professional development. Free Subscription. Associate Professional in Talent Development.

The Associate Professional in Talent Development APTD is a professional certification for TD professionals with at least three years of experience—those who are in the early parts of their careers. Certified Online Learning Facilitator. The COLF course offers the skills and approaches to provide live interactive online courses and events.

Certified Professional in Talent Development. Certified Performance Technologist. The CPT credential uses evidence-based performance research to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to improve performance within an organization.

Accreditation is one of the most confusing parts of choosing a personal training certification, so I'll try to explain it in simple terms. A certification means that the individual i. It shows you have the knowledge and skills to pass the organization's exam. Accreditation, on the other hand, is effectively a certification for the certifying bodies. To become an accredited program, a certifying body must be reviewed by an external organization and found to meet their requirements.

If a CPT program has been accredited, it meets the standards set by an impartial reviewer. As I mentioned earlier, the fitness trainer market is unregulated. This doesn't just mean anyone can call themselves a personal trainer or instructor without a license. It also means anyone can create a certification! Accrediting bodies help sort the legitimate certifications from the rest.

Accreditation means you can have greater trust that a program meets a high standard. There's still variation in quality between accredited programs, but you at least know they meet a set of minimum requirements. For this reason, I don't recommend choosing a program that hasn't been accredited by a recognized organization. This is usually considered the gold standard for accreditation, mainly because the evaluation is in-depth and repeated on a regular basis.

There are other accreditations though. This is an organization that's recognized by the Department of Education, and it also requires regular re-accreditation and reviews. It's probably not as well-respected in the fitness world when compared to NCCA though. I've talked a lot about how personal training schools provide you with "basic" or "foundational" knowledge. Don't confuse this with low-quality or useless information though.

The study materials and classes provided by the best CPT schools have been put together by a team of experts. Instead of searching for important knowledge in various books, seminars and courses, they provide a system for learning how to become a personal training instructor.

This saves you time and can make the learning process more manageable. You'll undoubtedly develop your own systems and ideas as you gain more experience. When you start your personal training career, however, it's vital to work with a system and school you can trust. The best personal training certification should give you the confidence to design effective custom programs. For this reason, make sure the program you choose has high-quality learning materials.

They might be the most expensive part of being certified, but you should never regret investing in your education. It's also worth checking the type of materials that are included. Some programs provide physical books, which are great for highlighting or making notes, or hands on weekend classes and seminars. A few are entirely digital and may provide live online classes.

Many schools offer additional certifications beyond basic personal training. Some of the most common include group exercise certifications, but there are more unusual options such as tactical strength and conditioning NSCA or medical exercise specialists ACE.

While you're not tied to courses provided by your CPT certification provider, it's worth taking a look at their other courses. It's a bonus if they offer certifications in areas you would like to train. You'll need to periodically recertify if you want to keep your certification. The amount of time between renewals varies depending on the certifying body, although it's typically years.

CEUs are an excellent way to broaden and sharpen your skillset, so they aren't a bad thing. Make sure you know how many CEUs or CECs you'll need to complete though, as this could affect the right course for your goals. The good news is that you don't always need to attend your certifying organization's seminars and conferences. Some allow you to submit external health and fitness-related education courses, seminars and events as continuing education credits.

Getting certified isn't always cheap, but it's still one of the least expensive careers to train in. Many certifying bodies also offer bundles, cheaper self-study options and payment plans to help you manage the cost. It's important to know the total price of a certification though. Don't make the mistake of choosing a program from a school that's cheaper upfront but costs more in the long run. For more detailed information, check out our page about the cost of a personal trainer certification.

We also have a page listing out top picks for a cheap personal training certification. Most courses have a selection of packages depending on your budget. Self-study courses, for example, are often the cheapest, but don't offer one-to-one mentoring. You'll usually need to pay extra to get access to online courses, live workshops or even job guarantees. On a side note, make sure you keep an eye on deal and coupon sites Groupon is a good example.

Sometimes certifying bodies offer excellent cut-price deals on these sites. Some programs require you to sign up to an ongoing membership, while others just recommend it. Required membership adds to the lifetime cost of the certification, although there may be added benefits of being a member. Make sure you know whether you're expected to continue paying for a membership.

Tto finish this section, I want to make a point that might sound strange for a website dedicated to helping your choose a certification program The certification you choose isn't as important as you might think. Yes, it's vital to choose an accredited certification that provides a solid foundation with broad job prospects.

And choosing a bad certification is a waste of time and money. Clients often want to know your credentials so they can judge your credibility. But they really just want to be sure that you have a legitimate certification and can help them achieve their goals. They are unlikely to know or care about the subtle differences between accredited CPT programs.

If you can get them results, they'll love you for it. Remember, a certification is just the starting point for your career and education.

It provides foundational knowledge, but you won't really start to learn until you get hands on experience.

Your skills and knowledge will be built by spending thousands of hours working with clients with a range of ages, genders, abilities and goals. There is no shortcut. Don't let this put you off though. It's what makes personal training such a unique and endlessly rewarding career. To summarize, don't obsess about finding the absolute "best" certification.

Choose one that meets your current requirements and get studying - the sooner the better! Personal training can be a fantastic career. It's flexible, fun, sociable, and provides the opportunity to help people achieve their fitness goals. In an era when obesity is on the rise, it's not an exaggeration to say that helping people improve their health could save lives. The process of becoming a personal instructor can be overwhelming though. With so many certifications on the market, it can be hard to know which to choose.

The truth is that there is a number of excellent certifications on the market. Your success as a trainer largely depends on your ability to gain real-world experience with clients. The certification just gets your career started - it doesn't make you an expert trainer. With that said, it's vital to choose a high-quality certification that teaches you to design great programs for your clients using a repeatable system.

Accredited certifications also allow you to work in a wider range of gyms and get vital liability insurance. So, which is the best personal training certification? It's an excellent program made by an organization with a long history in the fitness world.

The study materials are clear and comprehensive, it's widely accepted so you you'll be highly employable, plus they offer a range of future specializations. Do you have any questions about choosing the best personal fitness certification? Or are you a certified personal trainer and want to share your experience? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section. How to Choose the Right Certification.

The world of personal training can be a confusing place. But before you get your first client or job , you need to get certified. NASM is my top pick. Widely accepted, so you'll be highly employable, and excellent training materials.

ACE is a close runner up. It's a great alternative to NASM if you want one-to-one feedback with any training bundle. Decent all-round certification but excellent if you want to train athletic clients. Essentials textbook is fantastic. If you're looking for a certification with a slight lean towards clinical fitness , ACSM is the one to go for. ISSA is a solid program- especially the business module - but make sure your employment options accept it.

Recertification, Specializations and Future Training. In this case, the model is Integrated Fitness Training and involves five phases: Function - This stage involves mobility and stability training while establishing an aerobic base. Health - The health stage includes functional movement, cardiorespiratory enhancement and resistance training. Fitness - During the fitness phase, the focus is shifted to load and anaerobic-endurance training.

Performance - The final stage is performance, which focuses on increasing anaerobic power. Rapport - Building rapport with a client is essential for great results, but is often overlooked. The IFT model teaches you how to build rapport with any client. Unlike the other phases, rapport is focused on throughout the entire process. Instead, there are three other courses: Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator TSAC-F - This program teaches you how to design programs for law enforcement, military, protective services and other emergency personnel.

The goal is to increase performance while decreasing the chance of injury. Certified Special Population Specialist CSPS - The CSPS program teaches you to design individualized programs for clients with temporary and chronic health conditions, such as cancer, metabolic disease and autoimmune disorders. In addition to a current NCCA-accredited personal trainer certification, you also need a Bachelor's degree or higher and at least hours of practical experience.

This is designed to teach coaches to create scientifically-backed programs to improve athletic performance. Like the CSPS program, you'll need a bachelor's degree or to be currently enrolled as a college senior.

Program Overview. The ISSA CPT program is different from most certifications in several ways: It's one of the only certifications to be provided by a recognized academic organization. It's the only program on this list that isn't NCCA certified, but it is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which is a federally recognized agency.

ISSA also offers an entirely online program, including the exam which can be taken at home. This is the main course text and includes everything you need to pass the ISSA exam.

It also comes with a study guide, which is useful to avoid getting overwhelmed by the course contents. Online Exercise Lab.

This part of the members site includes over animated exercises in 3D. It's great for ensuring you know the proper form for a variety of exercises. Study Forum. The forum allows you to ask questions to fellow personal trainers and ISSA staff members. You can use it to complement the unlimited support you'll also receive. Marketing and Business Guide.

An area many certifications overlook is getting clients. If you want to setup a business in personal training, this guide can help you get started. Practice Quizzes. The practice quizzes allow you to test your knowledge before taking your exam. Unlimited Support. These can guide you through areas of the course you're struggling with. Support continues even after you graduate. Other Options. The IFPA offers several personal training certifications, including a master course.

The organization is accredited by the NCCA. The exam is NCCA accredited.