If you are looking to change careers and are thinking of becoming a certified personal trainer? We’re here to help you out on your journey by providing you with a list of the best courses for personal trainers. How you can take them and ways to fast track your certification.
Who Is A Personal Trainer
A personal trainer is an individual who has undergone the required training, and acquired the necessary certification to assist and guide people trying to attain physical fitness.
A personal trainer can have different specializations which include sports conditioning, weight management, and fitness nutrition.
Personal trainers should be capable of coming up with a fitness plan and exercise prescription which result in improved body composition, better health and heart conditions and improved physical performance.
A personal trainer guides his/her client through the workouts, drafts out a suitable workout schedule and meal plan to help the client achieve their fitness goals.
How To Become A Certified Personal Trainer
We have outlined the vital steps necessary to help you achieve your aim of becoming a certified personal trainer.
Think of these steps as a checklist to help you achieve your end goal. You can also go the extra mile of turning the checklist into a timed milestone, and fulfill your aim in the shortest time possible.
Research
There’s a lot of know-how required when entering this field, such as the specialty you’d likely be interested in, the exams to take.
The most important thing to research is the certification program to enrol in to get certified. The program should be certified by the NCAA.
It should have study modules and a standard exam which you can take at the end to become a certified personal trainer.
Sign Up For A Program
Once you’ve decided on the program that fits you best, sign-up and get studying. There are multiple sites online that enable you to take your classes online and track your total number of study hours.
You will need to spend about 80 – 100 hours of study or 3 – 4 months, before you’ll qualify to take the certification tests.
Get Certified
Once you’ve scaled through the necessary prerequisites, you will be eligible to sit for your exams and get certified. Once certified, you can then further your education to become an expert in a certain specialty.
To maintain your personal trainer certification, you will need to undertake 20 hours of continuing education credits (C.E.Cs) every two years to remain up to date in the world of physical fitness.
Courses For Personal Trainers
The following courses are the most recommended when trying to become a physical trainer:
- American Council On Exercise (ACE)
- National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
- International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)
- American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
These five courses are rated as some of the top certification courses to undertake in the United States. To be eligible to undertake one of these courses you will need:
- To be 18 years and older
- Be certified in CPR and AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) provision
- A high school diploma or GED to be eligible for ACSM, ISSA and NSCA.
