Do you need to be certified to personal train people?

[notanormalgent]

Is it by law that a trainer must be certified, or is it for the clients sake to know that the trainer knows what he's doing?

[x_moe]

a gym manager wont hire a personal trainer who's not certified, atleast in my city

[Foskamink]

most body builders and people with years expirence and especially cycles could personal train efectively without a trainer. but yeh gym manager wont take for legal issues if client has a problem or injury. insureance issues too im guessing in that situation.

[Chemical King]

I dont think it is law but it is rare the any gym wil take on an uncertified person. The only way to do it is do go self employed and even then ppl will look for certification

[Doc.Sust]

no you dont have to be certified, but it is harder to get a job

[Anabolic CEO]

Just go to the YMCA and ask to be a personal trainer and they will send you..for free...to a weekend class and you can get your certificate and get outta there.

[ginkobulloba]

I don't know what country you live in, but here I train people and I am definitely not certified.

[SMAN12b]

It is not a LAW, but it is an insurance issue to the owner of the gym, so unless you are the owner, or the owner is aware that you are not certified and still allows you to work. It may be difficult to get a job .

[Chemical King]

Just go to the YMCA and ask to be a personal trainer and they will send you..for free...to a weekend class and you can get your certificate and get outta there.

ANY COURSE WORTH GOIN ON WIL LAST AT LEAST 6 MONTH

[Doc.Sust]

ANY COURSE WORTH GOIN ON WIL LAST AT LEAST 6 MONTH

yes, bt you can be certified in 2 days, less money and less time, trust me, i have met alot of great trainers with the 2 day certification and alot of bozo's that have the 6 month certification who know crap. i had a friend who did the 6 month course, he came out just as stupid as he went in, he still thinks you can lift to get cut and that spot reduction is possible, goes to show, they obviously taught him nothing

[stunner5000pt]

Note This is no way reflects the credentials of the poster. I am not flaming anyone so pelase dont take it the wrong way.

i dont know what kind of credentials the gym managers look for because most of the personal trainers i know are complete utter morons - their form on exercises like the squat and deadlift and the bench among other exercises leaves MUCH to be deserved. The worst part is i see them teach terrible form to their clients.

A friend of mine who is PhD candidate says this:
i think if a person who is suppsoed to give exercise related advice should have at least in a university education in the subject of human kinetics, physiology, anatomy, among other things
his or her eucation should not end when they have completed 2 day course (this is referring to this particular province of Canada) since that course doesnt impart any useful knowledge on the subject of fitness.

[audis4]

Good thing to know. I might be a personal trainer this summer, my good friend owns a big gym

[cfiler]

You don't HAVE to be certified, but it definately helps most of the time in finding a job. The gym I go to, will not hire a personal trainer with the cert.

[MuscleScience]

Go get your CSCS instead of a CPT, you will have better credibility

[gixxerboy1]

most body builders and people with years expirence and especially cycles could personal train efectively without a trainer. but yeh gym manager wont take for legal issues if client has a problem or injury. insureance issues too im guessing in that situation.

What does cycle experience have to do with knowing how to train? Hell a majority of people who take cycles do it to make up for their lack of training ability

[spywizard]

would you pay $$$ to a guy you saw on the street to teach you to fight???

or do you want the guy with the trophies, and 3xblack belt???

same thing..

[MuscleScience]

What does cycle experience have to do with knowing how to train? Hell a majority of people who take cycles do it to make up for their lack of training ability

Exactly

[Chemical King]

yes, bt you can be certified in 2 days, less money and less time, trust me, i have met alot of great trainers with the 2 day certification and alot of bozo's that have the 6 month certification who know crap. i had a friend who did the 6 month course, he came out just as stupid as he went in, he still thinks you can lift to get cut and that spot reduction is possible, goes to show, they obviously taught him nothing

yes but how can the knowledge be aquired in just 2 days ? i dont a course that gave me knowledge regarding bone structure and biology as well as the basic elements of training

[Foskamink]

What does cycle experience have to do with knowing how to train? Hell a majority of people who take cycles do it to make up for their lack of training ability

my outlook was for example somone as urself. from what you have acheived from the gym and cycling. do u think u personaly have enough knowledge to personal train somone? or do u think somone with a 6 month certificate has more right? especially when most of them are out of shape anyway. shit i would rather the 200 pounder with abs teach me then the 250 pounder with a beer gut. thats the angel i was aproaching. not just any expirenced member and cycler.

[perfectbeast2001]

personal trainers make me sick. All the ones I see just tell there clients what they want to hear so they can keep bleeding money out of them. Most of the clients being trained do not even break a sweat and spend most of the session chatting to the trainer and sucking on the free lollipops. A year later and they are still fat ****s.
I take my training advice from BBers not fitness geeks.

[Ejuicer]

personal trainers make me sick. All the ones I see just tell there clients what they want to hear so they can keep bleeding money out of them. Most of the clients being trained do not even break a sweat and spend most of the session chatting to the trainer and sucking on the free lollipops. A year later and they are still fat ****s.
I take my training advice from BBers not fitness geeks.

To be fair though, some of these people that buy training are pretty much just looking for someone to talk to. I have some current trainers right now who can't stand their clients but have to continue training them since we are running a business. They're very friendly and encouraging to these types, but they would pick a new client any day that just wanted to keep quiet and train hard and see some results rather than having to listen to these peoples life stories.
Some people are quite happy pissing their money away, and when it comes to business it's our job to take their money if they want to hand it to us.

[perfectbeast2001]

^yes I guess that is a good point, some of these ppl are just sad and lonely and pay for the company!
I charge very reasonable rates for "company" !
Charges may go up depending on the ammount of body hair a client has...

[stayinstacked]

everybody today is Sue happy, and the average person thinks the certified guy knows more, despite his looks. Be smart, go get certified and if your not working for a gym, get your basic liabilty insurance. If this is something your serious about doing, why do anything half assed?

[SVTMuscle*]

You do not have to be certified to train people, I've been a trainer now for over a year at Powerhouse Gym with no cert, but I will be taking the ISSA test real soon.
Swolecat has never been certified, if you can get your name out there with no certification your set, being certified just gives clients comfort, but if you can show enough skill and qualities your set.

[Foskamink]

You do not have to be certified to train people, I've been a trainer now for over a year at Powerhouse Gym with no cert, but I will be taking the ISSA test real soon.
Swolecat has never been certified, if you can get your name out there with no certification your set, being certified just gives clients comfort, but if you can show enough skill and qualities your set.

amazing! i would rather listen to somone not even a tenth of the man swolecat is aslong as they work hard and have ambition. rather then somone who has credibility but clearly has never used their knowledge.

[Foskamink]

here is another way to put it. put me and perfect beast in a room. tell them i have a certificate and he dosnt and watch them pick him without hesitation. and im not even in bad shape. wait till you see the fat trainers.

[SVTMuscle*]

here is another way to put it. put me and perfect beast in a room. tell them i have a certificate and he dosnt and watch them pick him without hesitation. and im not even in bad shape. wait till you see the fat trainers.

It also may have something to do with the fact you look 15 years old.

[Foskamink]

It also may have something to do with the fact you look 15 years old.

a few pics on forum i barely keep my eyes open in pics look young. but i dont look young at all in person.

[thndrgod33]

my boy trains at golds, no certificate, nothing

[thetank]

personally, i learned absolutely nothing getting my certification, but it was a credential i could show people for the sake of their trust and comfort. i dont think i would take flying lessons from an unlicensed pilot...even tho the certificate itself is easy to get and teaches you a lot less than you probably already know, its useful and necessary if you want to make a career out of it. beyond any certification tho, you have to look the part...if you are big, people are gonna listen to what you have to say on how to get big. you have to look the part, your build is your biggest credential..not that im saying thats the way it should be...people were asking me advice when i was getting drunk twice a week and working out when i felt like it, where if you look at any trainer of the pros, they are all pinner compared to their clients, bu they just know the science..but if you take any dude off the street looking to change his physique, hes going to listen to the guy who looks how he wants to look, over the guy who might know more about it.

[taiboxa]

It also may have something to do with the fact you look 15 years old.

if that aint the kettle calling the skillet greasy..

[MuscleScience]

The Personal trainer test are exercise phys 101, they are a joke. Its more for the gym to cover there ars when a trainer gets someone hurt. Now getting your strength and conditioning certification is a lot more rigorous. If your a CPT that should be the natural progression. Not that Im nocking personal trainers I was one when I was getting my undergrad degree.