Being a personal trainer is a job that anyone can try doing but it is important for you to get yourself a personal trainer certifications first. Aside from only having the ability to motivate your clients, provide useful feedback and set reachable goals, you must also be certified to ensure that you get the necessary knowledge for the job. Since personal trainers are considered to be professionals in handling exercise prescription for their clients, they need to be certified in order to identify themselves as legit because they went through a workshop, home study course or seminar.

Personal Trainer Certifications

In England, personal trainer certifications are given by awarding bodies based on the personal trainer’s level. The levels are from one to five. One would be the lowest, representing basic General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level and five would be the highest, given to someone with advanced training. Personal trainer certifications
differs by province in Canada. In Australia, personal trainers should be a member of a registering body (Fitness Australia or Kinnect). In the United Stated, although there have been a lot of top personal trainer certifications available, not all are accredited. The accreditation process involves an independent third party who would check the protocols and procedures by the certifying organization. The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) initiated to better the service given by health and fitness facilities in 2002 by recommending that these facilities only hire personal trainers who have certifications accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the Distance Education Training Council (DETC) or other accreditation agencies recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education (USED). Most of these certifying organizations require at least a high school diploma, certificates in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and in automated external defibrillator (AED). They may also need you to pass an examination. There are a variety of certifying organizations and a few of the accredited and popular personal trainer certification organizations are ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), IFPA (International Fitness Professionals Association), NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), and NFPT (National Federation of Professional Trainers).

Types Of Personal Trainer Certifications

Each organization will offer different classes, workshops and exams for getting certified. As a personal trainer, you may want to choose an organization that is not only nationally recognized and accredited but also must meet your personal needs. Find out how much these organizations’ certification costs, do they require you to attend a seminar or workshop? Are these seminars or workshops’ locations convenient for you? What are the minimum requirements and do you meet them? What are needed to renew the certification?

Different Personal Trainer Certifications

Also, if you already have a particular club you want to work for, you may want to get their suggestion because they may actually have a select list of organizations that they accept or require. It is important that you research on which organization would be the most convenient for you, because you may even opt to get your personal trainer certifications online because online personal trainer certifications is becmoing much more popular and accepeted. There are also sites that offer a comparison between certain organization and you may also want to get the feedback of people you know who already went through the personal trainer certifications process or who may be knowledgeable on this topic because as a personal trainer, getting your personal trainer certifications from the right organization is vital.