Running Start Chapter 1 | Getting it right first time: How to choose your personal trainer certification

This is the first chapter of a series covering everything a personal trainer should know about the career and the industry.

To get the ball rolling, I will take you through the important aspects to consider when choosing your certification.

I will also discuss course navigation and how to access all of the important downloadable documents (very important!).

Introduction to the running start course

Before watching the course intro video below, please realize that I filmed this at the time when I was charging money for the course. Here are the main differences between the free course and the paid course I used to have:

• Don’t worry; all the info is the exact same.
• You can no longer download the chapters
• There is no more study portal/log-in
• The document downloads are at the bottom of each chapter instead of in a separate module.
• The quizzes are at the bottom of each chapter instead of in a separate module.
• It is all 100% free. No more $299 price tag 🙂

Document downloads and quizzes

At the bottom of each chapter, you will have access to the document downloads and the quizzes (quizzes) for each chapter.

These are extremely important for getting the most out of this course.

The downloadable documents will greatly help you prepare for your career as a personal trainer.

I wish I had all of these when I was starting out.

To download the documents, click on the blue link under the downloads section. This will bring up a download option allowing you to save them to your computer or phone/tablet.

Intro to chapter 1

Personal trainer certifications

Please note: If you are already certified as a personal trainer, you can skip Chapter 3 if you wish.

Although this post is a good intro to PT certs, my main article on the top 5 certs is much more in depth. Here are my overall top 3 that I recommend you check out first.

• NASM CPT
• ISSA CPT
• ACE CPT

If you want to become a personal trainer, you need to be certified. It’s that simple.

But let’s back that up with some reasons why.

Certification not only helps teach you everything you need to know to train others, but it also conveys that you are indeed an expert in personal training. 

And that’s especially important in an unregulated industry such as fitness, where a  certification gives you credibility.

Gym owners will also take note of a personal trainer’s credentials when looking to employ new staff.

If you aren’t certified, the chances of landing a job as a personal trainer are pretty low. 

So, I think it’s important to start with the question: “How do I choose which certification is best for me?”

And it isn’t easy to answer, especially if you are new to the fitness industry.

It’s tough because you have no frame of reference to work from. 

Sure, you know that you want to become a personal trainer and that you need to be qualified but you don’t even know where to start.

In reality, you probably rely on guides such as this one to give you the answers, right?

While choosing the right certification is important, remember that you will always be learning in this business. 

Many personal trainers will get accredited with more than one certification during their careers, especially if they want to specialize in a certain area.

Before we answer that question, let’s get clear up a few things.

Shouldn’t I specialize straight away?

Even if you are starting out as a personal trainer, you may already have an idea in your head in which direction you want your career to go.

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For example, you may want to work with older clients, or perhaps you see yourself as someone who would prefer to only work in the area of strength and conditioning.

Maybe group exercise is something you know you would love to do.

DON’T make the mistake of opting for a specialist certification as the first learning experience in your journey. 

It’s like wanting to run before you can walk.

Whenever someone comes to me for advice about personal training certifications, I always tell them to find a general certification that covers all the basics first. 

This is the foundation that you will need as a personal trainer.

And without a proper foundation, it’s easy for everything to come tumbling down.

Once qualified and have worked with a range of clients, then you can start looking at specializing in a certain area. 

And yes, we will dedicate a whole chapter of this course to specialization, so it will be covered in great depth, don’t worry.

Why a general personal training certification should be your entry point into the fitness industry

Earlier, I just touched on why I think a general personal training certification is necessary for anyone wanting to enter the industry.

But I’d like to expand on that a little.

For those who are studying to become a personal trainer, especially if they have never worked in the fitness industry before or hold other types of certifications, a personal training certification that covers all the basics will teach you several important key concepts that form the basis of your knowledge in the future.

These are used daily as a personal trainer as you do your job, working with clients of all types.

Note, however, that certain concepts might be certification specific.

For example, the Optimal Performance Training (OPT) model from the National Academy of Sports Medicine’s (NASM) personal trainer certification is unique to them.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) also has its own fitness model called Integrated Fitness Training. 

And while you can see these two popular certifications are different, they all teach the same concepts.

General personal training certifications will cover many key concepts. 

These include:

• Exercise science
• How to take a client through a physical training test
• How to assess the results of a physical training test
• How to draw up physical training programs for each client
• Anatomy
• Nutritional concepts and best practices
• Dealing with clients with special needs, for example, those recovering from injury, asthma sufferers, clients suffering from arthritis, and more

As you can see, your certification will cover various scientific, biomechanical, and physiological topics.

You will also learn much about anatomy and how to devise and structure exercise programs.

That said, all of this knowledge is technical. With this guide, I hope to cover a range of other intangibles that are critical for a personal trainer to learn and understand but not taught in any certification program.

 So which certification should you choose?

At PT Pioneer, we pride ourselves on guiding those of you who want to become personal trainers toward the certification that would benefit them the most.

You should consider several prerequisites before you make your decision as well.

For example, depending on where you stay, your choice of certifications might be narrowed down significantly, especially if you live outside of the United States.

But even if you live in America, you should still research beforehand to see the preferred certifications for gyms in your area.

And all that takes is a simple phone call to a few local gyms to check. 

For now, let’s highlight some of them that I consider your best options for a general personal training certificate.

Note that these certification options cost between $500 and $1,000.

It’s best to find one that you prefer and check the price online, as all these organizations offer specials fairly often. 

The five top certifications that I recommend are:

• NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine)
• ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association)
• ACE (American Council on Exercise)
• NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association)
• ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine)

I have a full in-depth article comparing these five personal training certifications.

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Make sure to check that out before choosing which certification is right for you.

After reading that article, return and read the rest of this chapter.

Important aspects to consider when choosing your certification

It might still seem a little daunting for you to choose a certification.

And that’s understandable because it’s a massive decision. 

But also think there are a few considerations that you should look into to help you make the best decision possible.

Overall budget

The first consideration is related to your budget.

Not all of us have an endless fountain of cash available, so we often operate on a specific budget.

And there is a big discrepancy in course prices, even in the various options within the certifications themselves.

That’s why one of your first considerations when deciding on a course is how much it will cost me.

Take your time and even draw up a spreadsheet with all the costs.

You could even factor in the price of a retest in case you don’t pass the certification exam the first time.

Course format

The next factor that you should think about is the course format.

While all of these have online elements, the certification from the ISSA is web-dependent. 

As an international student, that may be an important variable regarding which course is best suited for you.

Another example is the final certification exam.

Certain certifications like NASM will need you to sit and write the exam at a physical location.

Is this an option for you? 

Do your research and find out exactly how the exam can be completed and if your preferred course has a location nearby if you must physically write the exam.

Course format

While the five certifications I have already covered certainly have the right credentials for course content, you may also have other certifications in mind.

It’s important to know that they cover all the aspects you need to know as a personal trainer starting their journey.

Remember, this industry is unregulated and for that reason, there are plenty of fly-by-night organizations offering personal trainer certifications.

So if you are considering something different, take the time to see exactly what they offer, ask for a full curriculum, and compare it against the other well-known certifications that I’ve covered. 

Also, check any reviews they may have received on their Facebook page.

Do a little detective work before you commit.

Course format

For most of these courses, you must put in three to four months of constant study to ensure you get through all the necessary theory work before you write the final certification exam. 

While some students are faster in completing their certification and others slower, it’s pretty important to factor this into your time frame of becoming a personal trainer.

And it’s something that is often overlooked.

Consider the continuing education requirements.

Not many people worry too much about the future. It’s all about getting accredited and starting their career.

But one thing that you need to consider at some point down the road is your continuing education credits (CECs).

If you don’t know what this is, let me explain.

For all the major bodies offering certification, you must generate CEC points every two to three years to remain certified.

The duration and the points needed vary depending on the training body. 

Let’s take ACE, for example.

To remain certified as an ACE personal trainer, once every two years, you must prove that you have earned 20 hours worth of CEC points.

This can be achieved through ACE workshops.  

No matter who you earn your certification through, they will contact you regarding opportunities to earn CEC points.

How much knowledge do you already have?

When we looked at the five certification options that I would recommend, the offering from NSCA had a digital package that just offered the course textbook and 200 practice questions.

For someone with some knowledge in personal training concepts, perhaps who already is certified and wants to add the NSCA certification to their knowledge base, that might be all the information you need to be able to pass the exam.

For someone starting with a blank slate but wanting to become a personal trainer, perhaps a more comprehensive option that includes coursework, practice questions, a solid study guide, or extra reading material would be a far better option if it is within your budget, of course. 

Most certification courses, and certainly the five I have mentioned above, have certain prerequisites that you need to consider when registering. 

But what are they?

• You will need to be 18 years of age or older
• You will need to hold a GED or a high-school diploma.
• You will need a CPR/AED certificate.
  

For the third point, you must have attended a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) course before you can write the certification exam.

Organizations like the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association often give these together. 

So when do I start to look at specializing?

For many personal trainers, specializing in a certain area is their ultimate goal but it shouldn’t be something you need to worry about at the beginning of your career.

While you may have an idea about your specialization one day, it’s best to start as a personal trainer to earn your stripes working with all kinds of clients.

And that is a huge benefit because it exposes you to the full range of situations where you can hone your skills.

Who knows, it may even shed more light on an area where you should specialize differently than where you originally thought you might end up.

We will cover specialization in greater detail later in this course, but we do have an assignment you can complete to gauge what that specialization might be. 

Online training is another specialization that I cover in my course that looks into how to become a personal trainer on the web.

Conclusion

To summarize this chapter, you need to explore all your options as someone who wants to get certified as a personal trainer.

And no, specialization straight away is not where you start.

You want to get some experience as a personal trainer working with a range of different clients to see the area in which you think you would like to specialize one day. 

Much of your decision on which certification is best for you will be based on several factors, but there are various options at various price points.

Your one main takeaway from this chapter should be that getting certified is the starting point of your journey as a personal trainer and that specialization is not your goal…just yet.

Don’t forget to take the chapter takeaway quiz to make sure you have a good grasp of everything covered here.