Any personal trainers here?

[youngsteinel]

Just graduated with my B.S. in Exercise Science and I'm looking to get a certified as a personal trainer as a side job. Was curious if anyone had recommendations on what organization to get certified through and any other tips would also be well appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Badger67]

Just graduated with my B.S. in Exercise Science and I'm looking to get a certified as a personal trainer as a side job. Was curious if anyone had recommendations on what organization to get certified through and any other tips would also be well appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Relative to the industry ...how do you feel you are knowledge amd experienced based?

Nsca and asm ares decent certs thats are recognized, but arent ground breaking or innovative.

Basically what im getting at is use a cert that fits your needs to get where you want. Take continuing education units, visit the in person forum compendiums on occasion if you can.

I dont get certs because my kinesiology license is enough for 90% of places.

 

[youngsteinel]

Relative to the industry ...how do you feel you are knowledge amd experienced based?

Nsca and asm ares decent certs thats are recognized, but arent ground breaking or innovative.

Basically what im getting at is use a cert that fits your needs to get where you want. Take continuing education units, visit the in person forum compendiums on occasion if you can.

I dont get certs because my kinesiology license is enough for 90% of places.

Knowledge I feel good. I took a couple strength and conditioning classes in college and a fair amount of physiology classes so I feel in terms of technical knowledge it's quite good. I'm really not familiar with the industry so I wouldn't be able to answer that with any certainty.

I don't have a ton of experience compared to some personal trainers but have/do lift a fair amount so that I'm not ignorant of things. From what I've seen at my local gym I have a ton more experience than the females and less than the males if I'm being honest.

Will I still need certs with my B.S.? I thought I would need it but if I don't I'm not going to waste my time/money.

 

[Badger67]

Knowledge I feel good. I took a couple strength and conditioning classes in college and a fair amount of physiology classes so I feel in terms of technical knowledge it's quite good. I don't have a ton of experience but have/do lift a fair amount so that I'm not ignorant of things.

Will I still need certs with my B.S.? I thought I would need it but if I don't I'm not going to waste my time/money.

Highly dependent on your state regs or gym preference policies. On canada at goodlife you must be canfit pro certified. Its the shittiest cert that they can gice and 18 year old hs kids can get it from their exercise class.

 

[youngsteinel]

Highly dependent on your state regs or gym preference policies. On canada at goodlife you must be canfit pro certified. Its the shittiest cert that they can gice and 18 year old hs kids can get it from their exercise class.

Okay I will look into it. When I go on job sites most/if not all want ACSM/NASC/ACM certification so I'd imagine I'd probably have to get it. I edited my post, would you be able to address my other points? Highly appreciated.

 

[TheSlothMan]

Do you have any experience coaching people at all? And I'm not talking genetically gifted athletes, I mean like coaching people who have never worked out a day in their lives before. If not, you should definitely train some of your friends or family first before you even bother with a certificate.

 

[youngsteinel]

Do you have any experience coaching people at all? And I'm not talking genetically gifted athletes, I mean like coaching people who have never worked out a day in their lives before. If not, you should definitely train some of your friends or family first before you even bother with a certificate.

I have coached wrestling for 9 years from ages 4-18 and every year I would say 5-15 kids are extremely unathletic with little to no experience in physical activity and I have had success with that. With the high schoolers I have coached I have taught them some body weight exercises and also some free weights with success. Also, I studied to be a P.E. teacher for a couple years and had mostly success with that as well.

I also have taught a couple family members some basics of lifting and they seemed to pick it up well and enjoyed my coaching. Would you say that is enough or I should try a couple more people just to make sure?

 

[Badger67]

If a gym or corporation wants to hire only nsca certified or whatever, they will not hire without it. Its a good idea to have insurance and aggregate coverage to protect any client plus yourself, whichcis why most places require certs.
I would say call them and ask. The nsca cert isnt expensive and most exercise sci students ace it, and most gyms worth anything will require you to be insured in some way. You may be able to go private insurance with your degree like we can up here.

You can use your background as a wrestling coach to help get your foot in the door.
Maybe ask a local studio if you can volunteer teach a conditioning class to get your name out there for more experience.

 

[NurseKnuckles]

Do you have any experience coaching people at all? And I'm not talking genetically gifted athletes, I mean like coaching people who have never worked out a day in their lives before. If not, you should definitely train some of your friends or family first before you even bother with a certificate.

I helped my family and friends with their bumps and bruises and sickies first before deciding to register as a nurse after graduating.

 

[TheSlothMan]

I helped my family and friends with their bumps and bruises and sickies first before deciding to register as a nurse after graduating.

Haha completely different scenarios. Nursing programs are intense and require years of schooling. Personal training certificates require absolutely no hands on or practical experience to pass. You take a test, get your certificate, and start training. I'd say prior experience of some sort is a necessity before getting involved in the field, or at least doing extensive job shadowing. At least if you want to do a good job and not fuck up your clients that is.

 

[TheSlothMan]

I have coached wrestling for 9 years from ages 4-18 and every year I would say 5-15 kids are extremely unathletic with little to no experience in physical activity and I have had success with that. With the high schoolers I have coached I have taught them some body weight exercises and also some free weights with success. Also, I studied to be a P.E. teacher for a couple years and had mostly success with that as well.

I also have taught a couple family members some basics of lifting and they seemed to pick it up well and enjoyed my coaching. Would you say that is enough or I should try a couple more people just to make sure?

That's a pretty good start actually. It's important to have some coaching experience, especially with people who don't have a background in sports or anything. Most likely, you're going to be training a lot of average people who don't pick things up very quickly. Being able to coach difficult clients is a great asset to have as a trainer, and it isn't something you can pick up from reading a text or passing a certifying exam.

 

[dsdoubled]

I don't think it matters too much which certification you get as long as its generally accepted as being solid. I got ACSM back in 2006 bc the dept head of my exercise science program really made it so easy to get. Back then ACSM was king. ISSA was starting to aggressively market themselves and got their numbers up there. NSCA seems to have really good reputation. ACE was also pretty well respected. My point is, whether you can make good money or not is way more dependent on your approach and savvy than your certification. The wrestling thing is a nice in if you coached in an area where parents have some disposable income. My biggest suggestion to make money and do well, get certified in Active Release Techniques (ART) and offer both services. I believe your degree will qualify you to be certified and word of mouth will get u very far in that business.

 

[GLAD1ATOR]

Some gyms will only accept certain certs. Check with what ever gym you want to work at and see what they want. If your going independent that pick what you like... I love the Westside special strengths cert. To get that you have to already be certified by another company

 

[gspieler]

NSCA is the gold standard last time I checked. They're the only one that requires a degree to sit for the exam I beleive, so that might add some weight to your resume when applying.

Also, if you're looking to train at one of these big commercial gyms, ultimately they will hire you if they think there is reason to beleive you will be profitable, regardless of your cert. So I would keep that in mind as well. Just food for thought.

 

[dsdoubled]

NSCA is the gold standard last time I checked. They're the only one that requires a degree to sit for the exam I beleive, so that might add some weight to your resume when applying.

Also, if you're looking to train at one of these big commercial gyms, ultimately they will hire you if they think there is reason to beleive you will be profitable, regardless of your cert. So I would keep that in mind as well. Just food for thought.

At the time I got certified, ACSM required a degree to sit for the PFT exam. I remember bc the dept head of the program I was in pretty much made all the arrangements and proctored the exam and the practical. Im so out of the loop nowadays though.