If you are considering a career in fitness, you may have already begun to think about what credentials you should pursue that will set you apart from other fitness professionals. Within the field of training, there are countless certifications that a person can get. For those new to the field, it’s important to know that only a small handful of certifications on the market will really set you apart and help land you a good position as a personal trainer. In this article well take a look at a few important principles to consider so that you can get the greatest return for the time and money you put into your certification.
In most places, getting certified is optional and not required. More and more gyms and training studios are requiring that their trainers be certified if for no other reason than liability purposes. One of the most important things you can do before you spend your time and money to get a certification is to contact any gym or training studio you hope to work at ahead of time. Speak to the manager or the owner of the facility and ask him or her which certifications they accept and look for. You may want to do this with several workout facilities or more. Doing so will help to give you a feel for which certifications are commonly accepted in the industry. The top personal trainer certifications are accepted nationwide, and even worldwide. If you contact several gyms, you should start to hear the same certification organizations come up again and again.
Once you have spoken with several workout facility owners and managers, you can start to narrow down your list of certifications to consider. Go to those organizations websites and research when they were created, how many trainers they have certified, and if they are third party accredited. These three important principles will help to ensure that you get a great certification. Any organization that certifies trainers should have certified thousands of people. They should also have been around for a few decades or more. Finally, third party accreditation simply means that a third party has come in and deemed the organizations testing practices to be holding to high standards.
The field of fitness has numerous certifications that a person can get. A small number of these will open up doors for the would-be trainer. Consider looking into the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the National Council on Strength and Fitness. These are two great organizations that are well respected and accepted throughout the industry. The Cleveland personal training blog goes into more detail about this and other related topics. Good luck with your certification.