Trainer Certification

[Needtobeswoledup]

Who all on here is certified to be a personal trainer? Got a few questions, was thinking about getting certified and trying my hand in it while i'm in school. What certification would you recomend to someone looking to start out? I was thinking about doing ACE. How much money on average do you make and how many hours of work put in per week? How hard was it to get started? Appreciate any replies, pm if you want....

[BIG TEXAN]

I'm in the process of getting certified and I'm going ISSA. They're just as good as the rest, but ACE is wider known and accepted at most gyms.

[Needtobeswoledup]

Big Tex: Have you talked to any of the gyms in this area and see what kind of certs they looked for and what kind of pay? Oh and what's up with the 24hour fitness in new braunfels, are they still looking to build one there? How long do you think the ISSA will take you/how tough is the material?

[abstrack]

Go get your NASM, this is probably the best cert out there next to a degree. You can actually take the NASM a step further and go for you masters degee with the NASM program. If you have a aNASM any gym such as a 24hr, lifefitness,L.A. fitness or any of the big health clubs will give you a job. I know that in my area that Life Fitness and 24 hr will only give you a job or a interview if you are NASM certified and APEX certified or have a 4yr degree

[Needtobeswoledup]

What makes NASM better than ACE or any of the others?

[abstrack]

Well, to begin with it is like saying what makes a brain surgeon better than a regular doctor. It is all about the schooling you go through!!

here is the web site http://www.nasm.org/default.asp
Dont get me wrong, ACE and the ISSA are good certs. the ISSA is better than ACE but NASM is the Bentley of the bunch.

[PurePower]

i would go with ISSA

[Needtobeswoledup]

For NASM all I would have to do looking at the website is go to a 3 day seminar and take the test? Doesn't seem very thorough to me....

[abstrack]

well , the test follows as a 200 question teest on everything from training to muscle physiology. then you have to do a case study on 3 people. They give you 3 scenarios with people, like mary sue who has had a broken neck and has high blood pressue and she is allergic to milk products and so on and so forth. You have to design a program based on all the shit wrong with this person that will get this 250 lbs beast down in her weight with out putting to risk all her problems. and they give you a time frame on how long it should take. when you finished with all 3 case studies and the 200 question beast of a test you have to pass with a 80% or higher to become certified. Also the whole test is timed.

I guess that would be easy??

[Farmer]

I'm gonna throw in my 2 cents and why..I took a NSCA class at my college (I didn't choose NSCA, it was the one the college endorsed) anyhow..I like NSCA because a good amount of the writers/editors and trainers etc..are NSCA certified..they usually have a CSCS by their name which indicates NSCA 4 year degree program. In the end no matter what the paper says it comes down to the person..

Peace

Farmer

[Needtobeswoledup]

Well it seems from all the diff opinoins that it doesn't really matter which cert you get as long as it's one of the more reputable ones and you are a good trainer? It would be nice to get some hands on so I might try the NASM conference and get ACE too later if I need to.

[abstrack]

get all 3, If you do this you will have no trouble getting a job at any fitness center. The ISSA and the NASM for sure!!, also look into getting a PES from the NASm or one of the sports specific certs. One more thing, in any place you decide to seek employment, you must be a salesman!!! Personal training is all about selling. You can be the greatest trainer in the world but if you can not present yourself or sell you training you will have a hard time succeeding.

[Dude-Man]

plus, having a great body (as close to the men's health look as possible) will help you find a job. Basically, if you can do it for yourself, they assume you can do it for others.

[Needtobeswoledup]

Thanks for the help guys... i'm not really a very pushy person so I don't know how good a salesman I will make. I tell it like it is and let people decide if they want it or not. I'm gonna give it a try though....

[talon]

Go get your NASM, this is probably the best cert out there next to a degree. You can actually take the NASM a step further and go for you masters degee with the NASM program. If you have a aNASM any gym such as a 24hr, lifefitness,L.A. fitness or any of the big health clubs will give you a job. I know that in my area that Life Fitness and 24 hr will only give you a job or a interview if you are NASM certified and APEX certified or have a 4yr degree

This is true. I am NASM certified. This is def. one of the best certifications out there. Funny to, Im on my way to getting an APEX certification also, got that huge ass thing of book they want you to study and now Im just waiting for the APEX reps to come through and give there 2 day seminar.

[Steele]

what about how much personal trainers get paid? i know this is general, but any idea would help.

[abstrack]

it all depends on the amount of the contract you have and how much you charge per session. working for a health club, you get a percentage of this. it could be from 12- 30 /hr pending on the contract and the stipulations of your company. If you independant you can set your own rates but usually you have to rent floor space from the gym or give a percentage of your hourly rate to the gym

[Steele]

i don't want to go the twenty four hour fitness route, but they seem to be hiring the most so i probablly will. gonna go up there today and ask some questions. i am thinking about getting NASM certified and then getting ACE certified.
good to hear from you abstrack. i been away for a while. tried selling life and health insurnce to get mad money, but was not fufilled at all. less money in training, but i am in love with it.

[abstrack]

I here ya bro, the money isnt the best but nothing beats making people happier by changing their lives around and transforming them from flab to fab, being able to workin tennis shoes and shorts all day is pretty cool to:

[cb25]

i'd go nasm or ace like everyone else said. if you're really interested in doing this longterm - why not look into a degree in exercise sci and follow up with the NSCA cert (CSCS)...it's a lot better (in my opinion) and if you're truly interested in doing this longterm, this should be a half-way interesting program to take classes on. just my $.02 - my ex did it and it opened up some new doors for her...she has been all around before this, but she's getting set in a career now

[Bigboy123]

I have the NASM, its easy to get bet it is probally the best cert. out there.

[Steele]

think i'll do NSCA,NASM,ISSA. probably in that order.then possibly go back to school for two years and nab the degree.