Looking for Personal Training Certifications?

Being in the fitness industry for long time spending time with athletes, frequently I have been asked one question - “Do you have any recommendations for Personal Training Certification?”

So lets talk on that today -

There have been many certifications in the industry nowadays for Personal Training especially as it is one of the most common and basic foundation to the exercise and fitness industry. But choosing which one should you do can be sometime difficult as nobody wants to register and check how it is going after paying for that certification. Rather if there would have been recommendations from someone who has done that or was part of that organization even for some other courses, he or she could be the best person as they can comment well on how was their experience and some specific questions which you might have.

There are few important points which i have noted in online mode of education that should be the part of any course to understand and learn and here are they-

Detailed video explanation for the concepts with various examples in real life scenarios -

Having just the videos explaining theoretical concepts can be bit boring. It must be interesting to watch combining it with real life scenarios that coaches will encounter. No doubt there will be some topics which might not cover that but ultimately keeping it to the point and explaining things well is the point here.

Theoretical notes -

Even if you have videos, you will have to go through written notes which can impart much more detailed way. But that depends on everyone’s preferences, some like to listen and some time to read, so that’s very individualistic. Personally I combine both of them to understand and learn the things.

Access to faculty of the course -

This is the very important factor in any online course. Lets assume if you don’t have any access to faculty during the course period then how will you be able to get the correct answers to your queries? Google is yes the option , but it sometimes lead to misleading information as well if you don’t know what is correct and what is wrong, so better there is someone who can make you understand those concepts where you are struggling.

Assessments after each chapter -

Another important factor. Lets say there are no assessments after each chapter and even if there are, there is no one who is assessing them or giving you feedback on whether your answers to those questions were correct to make you understand where you stand in terms of that chapter information which you grasped.

So now as we have discussed the important factors, it also needs to be understand that only doing certifications will not be making you a good trainer. Certifications are just for a sake these days to get you stamped for the visa on your passport and yes that is how people have been using it.

But the reality is you have to spend lot more time understanding and applying the foundational concepts that you have learned rather than thinking of just monetizing your certification value.

Read a lot of books on exercise science to understand things in deep, apply them and see the results, and especially keep your ego outside and stop chasing others because if you have the mindset of I can do 100 kg deadlift, why the hell should i go down, you will never understand and learn how beautiful this sports science field is. If there is a need get yourself ready to go down and come up more strongly with appropriate movement. It is all about movement and not about how much big you can do.

At the end here are some of the recommendations for Personal Training Certifications I can pass on as I have learned from these academies in some way during my career -

NESTA Certified Personal Trainer -

One of the best programs in terms of education system, I have came across. All the above points mentioned have been covered by all their programs and in addition there are huge other benefits like great discounts on every program, if you are lucky you also get some other programs free of cost (I have received their business system program for free which is another great addition to coaches to set their business).

Finally you also have access to faculty via email anytime, even now after finishing my course, if i write to them for some query related to my program, i would be getting answers from them which i don’t think any organization is providing till date (At least I didn’t came across).

You will also get job placement assistance if you are USA or maybe some other country and if you want to apply for jobs in USA. I am not sure if there are any jobs for other country, but USA you can apply for.

You will also get a community of likeminded professionals from all around the world to interact with and discuss about businesses or maybe develop business relations etc.

Overall this is a huge beneficial program out there.

Ace Certified Personal Trainer -

This is another great program for Personal Trainer Certification. Great interactive video stuff with detailed explanation.

Not sure about the job placement assistance, community and other benefits, but in terms of education system, another great program out there in the market.

That’s all about the Personal Training Courses. Hope you got an idea and some recommendations to look for.

Thanks for taking out time and reading through the article.