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This NETA CPT review looks at the National Exercise Trainer Association Certified Personal Trainer certification based on my experience studying for the NETA CPT and passing the NETA CPT exam.

I have over 10 years of experience in the fitness industry and multiple personal trainer certifications, so I have a good understanding of the pros and cons of all the major personal training certifications in the fitness industry.

My team at PT Pioneer also holds over two dozen certifications which collectively give us tons of insight into all aspects of the fitness industry and which CPT certifications are best.

In this NETA Personal Training Certification review, I take a look at the following:

  • NETA-CPT topical information: pricing, packages, prerequisites
  • Deep dive into the NETA-CPT curriculum
  • Exam difficulty, preparation timelines, and study material review

Once you’ve read this article, you’ll know whether the NETA-CPT is right for your personal training career.

If you are still unsure about which CPT you should choose, I recommend that you take the quiz to find out which PT certification is the best fit for you.

What type of Certification are you looking to get?

Let’s get to it!

What is the NETA Certified Personal Trainer (NETA-CPT)?

The National Exercise Trainers Association Personal Training Certification is a a credential aimed at aspiring fitness professionals who want to train general population clients to improve their health, fitness, strength, physique, and aerobic endurance. The NETA certification program provides trainers with the knowledge and skills necessary to enable their clients to reach their goals and improve their overall quality of life.

The NETA-CPT is an online personal trainer certification accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the gold standard accreditation in the fitness industry. Studios, performance training locations, gyms, and sports clubs all look for NCCA-accredited trainers. The best careers in strength training, weight loss, and performance for athletes are through NCCA certifications.

NCCA is saddled with the duty of certifying fitness professionals in various specialties through a rigorous process.

An NCCA accredited personal trainer certification validates to clients and every other person that you are qualified to work in a gym or independently as a trainer.

NETA Credibility and Reputation

Established in 1977, the National Exercise Trainers Association (NETA) is a fitness professional certifying agency.

Though not as popular when compared to some of the best personal trainer certifications, such as ACSM, NASM, or ACE, it is still a widely accepted certification.

The fitness industry is so vast that the National Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts the personal trainer job outlook on growing significantly.

According to the most updated personal trainer statistics, the personal trainer salary is super lucrative.

This certainly makes learning ​​how to become a personal trainer valuable.

NETA General Information

NETA General Information

  • Exam Cost: $349 – $499
  • Study Material Cost: $350 $500+
  • Prerequisites: 18 years of age or older, High school diploma or the equivalent (GED), Adult CPR/AED
  • Exam Passing Score: 72% (of the 100 scored questions)
  • Average Completion Time: 3 to 9 months

Is the NETA CPT worth it?

The NETA CPT is a solid investment for anyone starting their personal training career. Although it does not have the name recognition as some other mainstream certifications, it’s NCCA-accreditation status ensures that the quality is in line with the modern personal trainer job duties. If you want to work at a studio coaching individual services or group classes, the NETA CPT is a solid choice.

Pros
  • NCCA accredited
  • Offers good hands-on experience with their workshop
  • The convenience during the test writing is of good report
  • You don’t need to have a college degree before sitting for NETA certification exams

 

Cons
  • Thin study materials and study options
  • I’ve heard that the test is ‘way too easy’
  • Several editions of the study materials that are not totally congruent with one another

NETA CPT vs Other Top Personal Trainer Certifications

The biggest comparable certifications are the ISSA personal trainer certification and the NASM personal training certification.

While these two certifications do have a higher price tag than the NETA CPT, that price tag buys you the solid reputation across the personal training industry that comes with the ISSA and NASM names, respectively.

Who is the NETA certification meant for?

The NETA CPT certification is aimed at personal trainers who want a solid NCCA-accredited fitness certification but want to save a few hundred dollars on the initial certification process.

NETA CPT costs and course options

The NETA pricing breakdown is fairly straightforward. You have two different options to choose from:

  1. Self Study + Live Workshop – $549-599
  2. Self Study – $549

Each option includes the following at-home study materials:

  • Personal Trainer Certification Exam*
  • Personal Trainer Online Review Modules
  • The Fitness Professional’s Manual, 5th ed.
  • The Fitness Professional’s Workbook for Personal Trainers & Practice Exam
  • Education Department Support
  • Voucher for $10.00 Your First NETA CEC Course

The only difference with the live workshop option is that you get access to a 2-day NETA CPT prep course prior to the exam. This course is either live online with an instructor, or on-site at their instruction location. If you register at least 30 days ahead of the scheduled course date, the price is the same for both packages.

All in all the NETA CPT course prices are somewhat cheaper than comparable courses, especially given the material. However, this is offset by NETA’s lower recognition among employers.

NETA CPT course content

The main textbook for this CPT course is The Fitness Professional’s Manual, 5th Edition, which costs $59.00.

At 374 pages long, the NETA-CPT book is divided into 8 sections and 27 chapters, not counting the appendices and glossary.

After thoroughly reviewing the manual, here are my thoughts on its content coverage.

NETA CPT Review of [year] - Is NETA worth it for you? 9

Exercise Science

As personal trainers, it’s essential to have at least the fundamentals of exercise science down pat.

The NETA-CPT curriculum addresses exercise science in a basic, well-put-together manner and in both a scientific and practical way on the following topics:

  • Human Anatomy
  • Applied kinesiology and Biomechanics
  • Exercise physiology

In the Human Anatomy chapter, you’ll learn everything you need to know and a wealth of movement terminology surrounding planes of motion, bones and muscles, and muscle functions.

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I personally find the Applied Kinesiology and Biomechanics chapter to be a whole lot of fun.

You explore the whole kinetic chain, the basic principles of biomechanics, and how the body is supposed to move.

In the Exercise Physiology section, you dig deeper into the cardiovascular system, the flow of oxygen and blood in the body, the neuromuscular system, and more.

The only downside is that because the NETA-CPT textbook is black and white only, it may be easier to drift off while reading.

Overall, the NETA-CPT curriculum provides a solid base for personal trainers on exercise science.

However, if exercise science fascinates you and you want to learn more, it’s recommended to specialize in corrective exercise to advance your career.

Behavior Change Coaching Skills

Behavior change coaching skills are absolutely essential for personal trainers to know and apply.

Below are some critical topics that the NETA-CPT curriculum expands on surrounding behavior change coaching skills and additionally provides real-life scenarios for trainers to apply:

  • Transtheoretical model
  • Decisional balance
  • Self-efficacy
  • Social Cognitive Theory
  • Self-Determination Theory
  • Health Belief Model
  • Goal-setting
  • SMART goals
  • Motivation and adherence
NETA CPT Review of [year] - Is NETA worth it for you? 11

The example above on the Stages of Change Model demonstrates one of the NETA-CPT’s many infographics provided in the chapter, which visual learners, such as myself, greatly appreciate.

NETA compares well to other personal training certifications with its exceptional focus on motivating clients inside and outside of the gym to have the discipline to take control of their choices and, ultimately, their health and fitness.

If this section heavily interests you, I’d also recommend learning how to become a health coach.

Though what a health coach does differs from what a personal trainer does, there are overlapping job duties, which means the knowledge you learn can only broaden your horizons.

Consulting and screening clients to reduce risks of injury

In section four of the NETA-CPT textbook, health and fitness assessments, as well as essential personal training equipment to have on hand, are thoroughly covered.

The NETA-CPT curriculum ensures that trainers are well prepared to conduct, read, and interpret basic fitness assessments.

One thing I really like is the postural analysis assessment.

NETA goes as in-depth as NASM, emphasizing posture, postural distortion patterns, and postural screenings.

Lastly, the NETA-CPT covers the following fitness and health-related assessments:

  • Body composition
  • Cardiorespiratory endurance
  • Muscular strength
  • Muscular endurance
  • Muscular flexibility

Overall, NETA addresses initial client screening similarly to other fitness certifying agencies and provides enough information for trainers to get to know and apply.

Program design and resistance exercise technique

Chapter 18 of the NETA-CPT textbook Muscular Fitness Programming covers the many benefits and types of resistance training, including tips for core workouts.

Also, you’ll discuss general resistance training guidelines, resistance training program models, and common resistance training exercises.

Not as in-depth as ISSA or NSCA, but definitely easy to follow and comprehend.

So if you want to learn more about getting creative with your exercises, I’d recommend seeking outside sources.

Aerobic training program design and technique

Moving on, Chapter 17, titled Cardiorespiratory Fitness Training in the NETA-CPT textbook, covers all the basics of aerobic training.

Firstly, you’ll learn all of NETA’s elements of cardiorespiratory fitness.

Then, you’ll learn guidelines and monitoring intensity by both heart rate and perceived exertion.

Lastly, you’ll cover some effective cardiorespiratory programming strategies.

Overall, this chapter is short and lacks sufficient depth compared to other fitness certifications.

Nutrition

As you may expect, most fitness certifying agencies include a small section on nutrition.

The NETA-CPT textbook dedicates its entire third section to this, titled Principles of Nutrition and Weight Management.

While this section will not teach you how to become a nutrition coach, you get sufficient coverage of macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and water.

NETA also includes tips and basics on weight management, healthy eating, metabolism, and calculating your resting metabolic rate.

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If nutrition interests you beyond this, you can always review some of the best nutrition certification programs to enhance your career as a personal trainer.

If you decide to take this route, I’d recommend the ISSA Nutritionist certification. You could also take the ISSA Elite Trainer Bundle, which includes the ISSA-CPT, nutrition certification, and another certification of your choice well.

Though nutrition is important to cover, it is not within the scope of practice for personal trainers.

This is why I’m not too crazy about its mention of “dietary guidelines” and MyPlate.

It’s too “one-way” and this can be harmful.

And in my perspective, it may be critical to recognize maladaptive behaviors, such as eating disorders, in clients, but this isn’t appropriate for trainers to expand on.

If you suspect a client has an eating disorder or other mental health disarray, or he/she has told you, you should refer him/her to a more qualified professional, such as a mental health therapist.

Helping Special Populations with Fitness

The NETA-CPT curriculum covers fitness considerations for the following special populations:

No mention of helping individuals with cancer, Parkinson’s disease, or Multiple Sclerosis.

But considering that this is a more general personal trainer certification, I think NETA covers the above-listed special populations pretty extensively.

Thinking Long-Term: Business Skills for Personal Trainers

The business aspects of personal training are crucial to flourishing into a successful personal trainer and lacking even basic knowledge makes it hard to progress.

Unfortunately, the NETA-CPT textbook does not mention personal training tips surrounding business.

But although it’s not offered in the book, there’s no reason why you can’t self-educate and/or seek out other resources on personal training marketing ideas or how to sell personal training.

As personal trainers, you should also establish clear personal training rates.

If you want to learn the best ways to obtain and retain clients in person or as an online personal trainer, then your best bet is to self-educate.

Summary

Overall, the NETA-CPT textbook covers almost everything you need to know to be a good personal trainer.

Although NETA discusses the personal trainer job description and provides in-depth exercise science coverage, it lacks coverage on the business of personal training.

And in my perspective, this, along with learning how to get personal training internships, is definitely one of the most important topics.

While the book is strictly black and white and comprises full pages of writing, pictures, charts, and infographics help break the monotony.

My overall rating for the NETA manual is fairly decent, and it may not be the absolute best, but it is certainly sufficient.

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NETA CPT Review of [year] - Is NETA worth it for you? 13

NETA-CPT Requirements

Overall, personal trainer requirements are similar to other fitness certifications, such as NASM, ACE, and ISSA; they are as follows:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • High school diploma or the equivalent (GED)
  • Adult CPR/AED

While personal trainer insurance is not required, I would recommend it, especially if you want to work independently.

NETA training certification exam prep and study materials

The NETA Self Study materials consist of the following:

  • Personal Trainer Certification Exam*
  • Personal Trainer Online Review Modules
  • The Fitness Professional’s Manual, 5th ed.
  • The Fitness Professional’s Workbook for Personal Trainers & Practice Exam
  • Education Department Support

Overall, their main textbook is solid and provides a firm basis to learn all of the NETA-CPT course contents.

The NETA CPT workbook includes fill-in-the-blanks, labeling items, matching items, and even math problems, which I found to be super helpful practice for the exam. This list of things makes sure you don’t accidentally skip any areas of the text.

The Personal Trainer Certification Online Review Modules are E-learning courses that segment each aspect of the NETA curriculum into 6 modules. These prep modules make studying each part much more manageable.

When it comes to everyone getting results, the NETA products give anyone the ability to get through every part of the materials. This is no laughing matter, and puts the level of NETA in a competitive space. This is among my top positive comments on the NETA program.

NETA CPT Review of [year] - Is NETA worth it for you? 14

Again, the online modules mirror the main manual and cover pretty much everything you’d need to know for your exam and how to be a personal trainer.

The curriculum also includes NETA practice exams.

NETA CPT Review of [year] - Is NETA worth it for you? 15

If you opt for the Self Study + Live Workshop option, you get access to an in-person or live online instruction workshop that is led by a NETA national presenter. This is a 2-day review workshop that is meant to be taken after a period of self-study, immediately prior to sitting for the exam. This form of review is a step above most other offerings in the same price range number.

If you register with more than 30 days before the live presentation, the fee for the Live Workshop option is the same price at the Self Study option, so if you do like the concept of the live review session, it’s a no–brainer.

NETA CPT Review of [year] - Is NETA worth it for you? 16

If you register with less than 30 days before the scheduled workshop, it adds another $50 to the total certification cost, which is still fairly reasonable for a 2-day review course.

NETA CPT Salary

There is no published data for NETA-specific personal training salaries. Generally speaking, a full-time certified personal trainer can make anywhere from $32,630 to $94,738.

With that said, presuming you get a standard personal trainer job with your NETA CPT certification, you can peg a likely salary to be somewhere in that range. Consider doing some research on the type of place you want to work for a more accurate assessment of expected salary.

Taking the NETA CPT certification exam

The NETA-CPT test is divided into six domains containing a variety of topics in order. Below are each respective percentage it counts toward your overall grade:

  • Domain I: Initial Client Intake and Assessment 20%
  • Domain II: Initial Program Design 15%
  • Domain III: Program Implementation 15%
  • Domain IV: Reassessment 15%
  • Domain V: Ethics and Professional Issues 15%
  • Domain VI: Communication, Rapport, and Client Relationship 20%

You are given one full calendar year after purchasing your study package to take your NETA-CPT exam and look forward to getting NETA certified.

The exam includes 120 multiple-choice questions using four response options (A-D), of which 100 questions are scored and 20 questions are experimental.

The passing score is 72% out of the 100 scored questions.

Experimental questions are randomly placed throughout the exam. Hence, you remain blinded as to which are among the 100 scored and the 20 experimental questions, and these responses do not affect your score.

You will respond to each exam question using a Scantron answer sheet for paper/pencil exams or using ProctorU online for computer-based exams.

According to the NETA exam retake policy, you’re eligible to retake the exam for a period of one year following the initial exam.

A mandatory 30-day wait period must elapse from the most recent exam attempt before the candidate is eligible to retake the exam.

Please note that you are limited to a maximum of three attempts (initial attempt plus two retakes) per year.

The NETA exam retake fee is $129.

NETA exam rules, policies, and fees are similar to those of NASM, ISSA, or ACE.

NETA Continuing Education (CEUs)

As you may know, the fitness industry is constantly evolving with new discoveries surrounding the human body.

If you obtained your NETA-CPT two years ago and there are new and more efficient ways of doing your job and you are yet to know, your clients will not be getting the best from you.

As such, all fitness professionals must generally stay informed, so NETA requires recertification for its trainers every two years.

How does it work?

To recertify, you must earn 20 continuing education credits (CECs), of which 6 are from NETA live workshops or NETA home study.

So if you want to be a certified NETA-CPT year after year, here’s what you ought to do:

  • Update your NETA certification by upgrading yourself (seek additional certifications, college courses, learn how to become a strength and conditioning coach, etc.)
  • Enrich your prior knowledge with NETA’s short CECs
  • Attend and complete required NETA-CPT CECs within the two years
  • Resubmit your application and pay your CPT renewal fees

Easy peasy!

You can even feel free to browse through some online, easy-accessible, and cheap CECs for personal trainers.

The recertification prices are as follows:

  • 30 days before the NETA-CPT expiration date: $65.00
  • Between 1 to 90 days past the NETA-CPT expiration date: $80.00
  • Beyond 91 to 180 days past the NETA-CPT expiration date: $95.00

Whether you are a personal trainer, wellness coach, or group exercise instructor, you must constantly embark on recertification as scheduled.

NETA CPT program overall rating

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NETA-CPT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What specialty certifications does NETA offer?

Besides the general fitness trainer certification, there are various NETA specialty certifications. These include the following: Corrective Exercise Instructor Certification, Wellness Coach Certification, NETA Group Exercise Instructor Certification (NETA-GEI), Barre, Pilates, Senior Fitness, Youth Fitness, Yoga, Kettlebells, and even Indoor Cycling. Prices vary and may be subject to change, so keep checking their website.

Is NETA a good certification body?

Although NETA is a high-quality, NCCA accredited certification that teaches its students how to become a certified personal trainer of value, I do not put the NETA-CPT in my top 5 of best personal training certifications.

Does NETA provide study materials and other resources?

NETA sells its study materials separately from the exam package. You can purchase the textbook, The Fitness Professional’s Manual, 5th ed. ($59). This textbook contains questions and answers at the end of every chapter. NETA also provides the Fitness Professional’s Workbook for Group Exercise Instructors ($29). Personal Trainer Certification and Online Review Modules cost $189.

How long does NETA-CPT certification last?

The NETA personal trainer certificate lasts for two years. To keep your personal trainer certificate, you must complete all required CECs and pay $65 for the recertification before the expiry date. If it is past the expiry date, you will be charged higher fees depending on how late.

How do I get NETA certified?

Want to know how to get certified as a personal trainer with NETA? Just choose your NETA-CPT certification package and study for your exam. When you’re ready, select the date and time for your exam, pass, and receive your official NETA-CPT certificate.

Conclusion

NETA has been around for a decent amount of time, but they have not established itself as a top-notch certification in this industry.

When looking at which gyms accept which certifications, NETA doesn’t show up too often due to its unpopularity.

But this shouldn’t discourage you.

Just because it isn’t popular doesn’t mean that gyms like 24 Hour Fitness won’t value you as a trainer.

In the end, you need to choose the best personal trainer certification that fits your own needs, and hopefully, you learned a lot more about the NETA-CPT and if it might be right for you.

Tyler Read - Certified Personal Trainer with PTPioneer

Tyler Read


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2 thoughts on “NETA CPT Review of 2024 – Is NETA worth it for you?”

  1. I am studying for the NETA Personal Trainer Certification. I have been reading the manual I paid for. I am 68 years of age and a U.S. Special Forces Veteran. I am in excellent condition, but concerned about passing the exam. I have studied the questions at the end of each chapter in the manual and also the exam questions at the back of the workbook.

    Reply
    • Hey Terry,

      It seems like you are doing everything you need to have the knowledge in order to pass the test. As long as you are doing all the required work and you are passing the practice tests, you should be good to go. The worst-case scenario is that you have to retake the test. You got this!

      Reply

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