FREE NASM Study Plan, Study Calendar + Blueprint 2024

Welcome to the PTPioneer NASM study plan page, part of the extensive NASM study hub.

Throughout this page, you will be able to help decide on a proper plan and timeframe for your studies in the NASM CPT program. This breakdown covers everything in the NASM curriculum for each section and chapter, helping you plan your study quizzes, notes, and videos to optimize an efficient study plan to increase the speed of your memory and create a proverbial “cache” of knowledge to pass the exam.

Here is a preview of my PT Pioneer NASM Study Plan PDF, which offers 4 time frames for you to choose from and help organize your studies and the materials in the NASM Study program.

Get your copy of the NASM CPT study plan, and I will also include a Cheat Sheet for the NASM materials for free in the same email. These help immensely in studying for the exam.

Within this article, we will highlight the following:

• The typical study materials and their average time to master
• Downloadable PDFs for visual help with planning your study calendar
• The next steps for studying for the NASM Exam

Make sure to check out Trainer Academy for premium NASM CPT study materials. Trainer Academy is proven to shorten study time and has a pass rate of 99%. Read my full review of them here. You can save $100 on their MVP study system with the code: PTPSUB. Their study system is so straightforward even a baby could use it to pass the NASM exam. While that’s an exaggeration, the fact remains that the program function is so effective, they offer a complete refund guarantee if you fail the exam. This is impressive, especially for a program you can study from your home computer.

Next, let’s dive in and look at this study calendar we suggest for you to master the materials!

NASM CPT Study Series

• NASM Exam Prep Home Page
• NASM Study Plan
• NASM Study Guide
• NASM Practice Exams
• NASM Flashcards
• NASM Cheat Sheet
• NASM Exam FAQ

How Long Does it Take to Study for the NASM Exam?

The NASM exam is one of the more challenging and higher reputation Personal Training certifications, and the final certification exam is challenging.

Whether you are a traditional classroom school learner or one of the many students who prefer to study at a computer, preparing for the NASM exam is no-joke.

This means you will have to master all the content within the NASM CPT textbook, which can be daunting if you do not have any experience studying exercise science.

If you do not have a degree or certification in fitness, you can expect to take around 6 months, on average, to finish properly learning the NASM CPT materials. This could be even longer if you are extremely busy and unable to study as regularly as most.

For an experienced personal trainer or someone with a degree in exercise science, you can expect to take half the time it takes someone without experience.

So, expect about 6 months for someone without experience and 3 months or less for someone with a degree or other fitness certification.

Next, let’s see a little more about my downloadable study plan.

Downloadable Study Plan

Make sure to look at the preview picture above to see a small piece of what is offered with the PTPioneer Study Plan.

If you like what you see, then make sure to click the button and receive the Study Plan for free in your email.

On top of this high-quality downloadable PDF Study Plan for the NSM CPT, you will also receive our amazing Cheat Sheet to help with your studies.

The PTPioneer NASM CPT Study Plan is very helpful in organizing your efforts as a learner, and some people need this extra visualization tool.

There are four options that we have found as the most common study periods for learners, these are:

• 4 – Week
• 3 – Month
• 6 – Month
• 1 – Year

These four options give readers the easiest way to visualize their studying choices and organize the materials as they see best fit to their schedule.

Most people start a plan that aligns with when they plan on taking the NASM Certified Personal Trainer Exam. Using the NASM Study Guide, the Practice Test, Cheat Sheet, and Flashcards will all come together. For them to create an excellent exam prep resource requires a bit of help organizing at times.

The first option we give learners is one of the more popular ones: a 4-week, or one month, study plan. The ideal learner for this would be someone with a fitness certification or other major personal training certification, which needs to see how this differs from another and quickly catch the highlights.

Another person who might use the 4-week option is very effective in cramming for the exam, but this is not as common.

The 3-month option is our second option in the study plan and is the most popular option for learners on PTPioneer.

This is a good amount of time for someone to learn the material well and is optimal when someone has the time to study most days of the week.

The 6-month plan is the third option for the study plan for NASM, which is as popular and commonly used as the 4-week option, but for a different type of learner.

Usually, we see this option for those that wish to learn at a good pace but have zero experience with the covered NASM materials, like program design, cardiorespiratory and resistance exercise technique, general fitness training, training instruction, applied sciences, bioenergetics, human movement sciences, client relations and behavioral coaching, and professional development and responsibility.

The final option is the 1-year or 12-month option, which is the least common but very useful for the busiest learners.

1 – year is a long time, and for some, it is needed when they have a busy schedule and need to learn the ins and outs of the national academy of sports medicine personal trainer certification and the extremely effective optimum performance training model.

Regardless of the plan chosen, sticking to studying is the main concern. Hopefully, these study plans in the downloadable PDF all help to create good study habits that benefit future learning efforts.

Trainer Academy, who we affiliate with and use their Cheat Sheet, does this even better with a thoroughly detailed study blueprint to organize their premium study content. They offer premium materials for all major CPT certifications and many exercise science certifications desired by fitness professionals.

Study Tips to Maximize Efficiency

The most important study tip you can take away from the study plan and this page is that consistency and habitual efforts will work best in the long run.

Study habits are take time to form and appropriately utilize in your life. When it comes to learning something for long-term benefits, it is important that you study as much as you can and as often as you can.

3- 5 days a week should be expected for most learners, and 3 is more of a minimum.

Studying can be done in short bursts, and most of the exercise information spread throughout the textbook will be optimal for this type of studying.

Flashcards and practice exams within the NASM study hub here on PTPioneer must be seen and recognized frequently to aid with memorizing materials.

The PT Pioneer study plans and time frames will focus on frequent and short study sessions to pass your ACSM certifications and get the best test prep possible.

As I’ve mentioned, one of my most recommended study methods for passing the NASM exam is checking out the Trainer Academy NASM MVP Program.

This study system has the highest pass rate for the NASM-CPT program due to their innovative use of spaced-repetition flashcards, which allow you to focus first and foremost on the areas of knowledge you need the most help with while also fortifying your stronger areas topics.

You also get great mnemonics which use creative words to help you memorize the concepts covered in the NASM materials.

The in-depth NASM Study Guide in the program also gives a solid breakdown of each chapter in detail, so you can really dial-in your knowledge.

You can purchase the program with confidence due to the exam-pass guarantee. That’s right, Trainer Academy stands behind their product so strongly that they can promise a refund if you end up failing, so it really is a risk free deal on your part.

Study Topics to Pass the NASM Exam

The NASM exam encompasses a ton of topics. Starting off, you need to have a complete understanding of the anatomy and physiology topics, which include the muscles in the human body, biomechanics of the various joints such as the hip and shoulder. How to conduct an assessment of the various movement patterns needed to safely execute common exercises. You also need to know the exercise technique coaching and program design.

Furthermore, implementation of the NASM Optimum Performance Training Model (NASM OPT) is another vital component of passing NASM’s exam. The NASM OPT Model is integral to the NASM certification and includes endurance training program design, creating an integrated training program, and properly designing workout programming based on an initial fitness assessment.

Fitting a Study Plan to Your Schedule

As you likely have seen in the Free PDF Download within this page, varied hours are recommended per week and different schedules and goals for completing and implementing the 4 main study materials to your study routine.

You must choose a NASM study schedule that fits your time frame best, and if none are perfect, feel free to start one and shift to another more appropriate study plan if it no longer becomes feasible or you find yourself studying quicker than you initially expected.

The free study guide and materials offered here on PTPioneer are great. Still, studies are not always the best option on the internet, especially when compared to paid study systems like Trainer Academy.

On PTPioneer, you will find practice exams with many practice questions. Still, if you want to nail down the materials and have no doubt about achieving a passing score, most paid study organizations offer a pass guarantee to give you peace of mind in your purchase.

Once you have finished with this study plan page, the next ideal step is to go on to the study guide page, which is more of the meat of the materials since it summarizes the most information from the text.

The study guide page that follows this study plan is one of four main study materials offered on the site, so you are officially starting to study once you enter that page.

Good luck with your studies, and make sure that you keep that PDF study plan handy by downloading and printing it off, if possible.

See you in the next article!