Congrats! You have made a big decision and decided that
becoming a certified personal trainer (CPT) is indeed for you! You realized
that you are knowledgeable, articulate, compassionate, physically capable, have
the desire and strive to become an awesome CPT to lead and drive others towards
success! But now, you have to figure out which professional organization you
will defer to in obtaining your certification as a personal trainer. As a
person that just recently studied two programs at the same time, I am super
enthused to provide all that I know about this topic and to help others decide
on the best CPT program that suits their needs. The program providers that I
will be discussing are as follows:
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PROGRAM PROVIDERS TO DISCUSS: |
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National Academy of
Sports Medicine (NASM) |
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International Sports Science Association (ISSA) |
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American Council on
Exercise (ACE) |
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American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) |
|
National Strength
and Conditioning Association (NSCA) |
Please note that there are many others to consider. This
should be a starting point in your continued research for a suitable program. Typically,
you would be looking for reputation, affordability, difficulty of exam, length
of time, requirements by employer, and National Commission for Certifying
Agencies (NCCA) accreditation. Since 1977 the NCCA has been utilizing a peer
review process to review and approve for standards of excellence professional
voluntary certification programs. The NCCA is a division of the Institute for
Credentialing Excellence (ICE).
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National Academy of Sports
Medicine (NASM) |
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Website: |
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Phone
Number: |
1-800-460-6276 |
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Referral Program: |
Should you mention my name (Nadia Matheson) when
you call, I receive a 100-dollar credit towards a NASM course.* |
|
Accredited
by: |
|
National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) is a very
popular, well known, and sought-after CPT program provider. Amongst some professionals
in the fitness industry, it is labeled the gold standard. The organization has
about over 30 years in the industry training and educating eager individuals
with a passion for fitness into becoming certified personal trainers. This is
one of two certs that I studied during the pandemic and for me and my
background it was very demanding but very rewarding too. It took me an unanticipated
six months (I thought I would be able to do it in four weeks!) of nonstop
studying to prepare to take this exam. Due to that my comprehension and
confidence levels jumped up incredibly. To some it is a hard exam to pass but
completely worth it since a lot of employers indicate this cert as a preferred
one when hiring. NASM prides themselves on being cutting edge and all of their
courses were created using their Optimum Performance Training (OPT) Model. This
model is based upon scientific evidence-based research which is geared towards
helping clients (from the average sedentary person to a professional athlete)
excel and exceed their fitness goals and capabilities. While studying, I found
this model helpful in putting together a fully functioning assessment and
fitness program in a theoretical manner. (*Please note that should you choose
to provide my name (Nadia Matheson) during the phone call for the enrollment
process as indicated above; I would like to thank you for helping raise the
funds to continue providing quality content for this blog. Again, THANK YOU!)
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International Sports Science Association (ISSA) |
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Website: |
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Phone Number: |
1(800) 273-8303 |
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Accredited by: |
NCCA |
International Sports Science Association (ISSA) has been
instrumental in the distance learning and adult education of certified personal
training candidates since 1988. Comparative to NASM, it is a different way of
learning. The program has a go at your own pace set up that works great for a
super busy working individual. The textbook is very detailed and thorough
covering a vast amount of information and topics in over 30 chapters. It is set
up with reading assignments, video, and quizzes so that you can keep at a good
pace to finish the program 10 weeks. The quizzes and final exam are both administered
open book style, but you still must study and have a good solid knowledge and
built a good foundation to pass. I was able to study for this CPT exam and the
one for NASM and pass with minimal discomfort. I found this program to be good
for individuals looking to become an independent coach and those currently
working in a gym facility looking to level up in their job status by becoming a
CPT. Please be aware that if you are interested in obtaining an accredited
personal trainer certification from ISSA, make sure that you take the NCCPT
exam offered by them. This exam is not open book, it is proctored. The
proctored is accredited but the open book exam is not. You will find this to be
the case with the majority of accredited CPT exams: they are mostly
proctored. (Please note that should you
choose to use my referral link as indicated above; I would like to thank you
for helping raise the funds to continue providing quality content for this
blog. Again, THANK YOU!)
|
American Council on Exercise (ACE) |
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Website: |
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1(888)
825-3636 |
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Accredited by: |
NCCA |
American Council on Exercise is
another well-known and respected CPT program provider. They deliver their
education online and their method is based upon science driven facts regarding
health, wellness, and fitness. I must admit that I have never studied with them,
but I do know that their exam is very difficult to pass, some would say maybe
even more difficult than NASM. Their programs happen to be more affordable. And
they provide great resources, tools, study aides and guides to assist you with
gaining the best chance in passing their exam. I saw online that they provide
actual flash cards for purchase. All I could think of when I saw that was how
much easier it would have been studying for NASM’s certification program had I
just had those flashcards premade and sent to my house before I began studying.
|
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) |
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Website: |
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Phone Number: |
1 (317) 637-9200 |
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Accredited by: |
NCCA |
The American College of Sports Medicine has a great
reputation in the fitness industry since 1954. They boast a wide cross body of
students from personal trainers to physicians. Their mission statement
proclaims that they contribute to “advances and integrates scientific research
to provide educational and practical applications of exercise science and
sports medicine. I have not taken any of their courses or programs, but I do
know about their reputation and after reviewing their website and their
certification program, they provide you with a free download of the exam
content outline (prior to purchase), community support through an official Facebook
study group and assistance with creating an individual study plan. At a glance,
from my point of view, the pricing seems to be more reasonable than other
certification program providers but that however is subjective and is dependent
upon each person’s budget and situation.
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National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) |
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Website: |
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Phone Number: |
1 (800)
815-6826 |
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Accredited by: |
NCCA |
National Strength and Conditioning Association was founded
back in 1978 and their programs are renown for providing education regarding
and contributing to the advancement of strength and conditioning and related
sport science professions on a global level. Although they do provide a CPT
program, it is their certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS)
program that is coveted by many fitness professionals and is recognized or
being the true gold standard certification. The cert program educates you in
applying scientific based knowledge to train athletes in reaching based
knowledge to train athletes in reaching their best performance objectives and
goals. From my personal research, this cert is not easy to study for and pass.
It will take advanced applied knowledge before one is ready to sit for this
exam but once passing, it is worth having. I gather from one professional gym
owner that I spoke with recently, he had advised that by earning CSCS
certificate, one could expect to earn an additional $1000 a month.
FYI, the tutoring services that I provide are to help those
to learn not only how to pass a certified personal trainer (CPT) exam but to
also learn the fundamentals of being a knowledgeable, educated, and confident
CPT. I offer informative blog postings and videos on relevant subject matter
and topics, study guides and advice for free. For more hands on and one on one
tutoring services, please contact
me.
In the meantime, please feel free to check out my website
and other blogs articles. Don’t be afraid to reach out to me and let me know
what you think! I’m always here for you when you need me
to be!
Until next time… Keep Inspired &
Ignite the Spark Firestar!™
Nadia
Matheson
Catalystt Tutoring™
Each one, teach one!
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