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Getting a fitness certification
So I've decided that I'd like to get a fitness certification to become a personal trainer (maybe a step towards a long-term goal of being a pole instructor!), but I'm having some trouble deciding which one to get. As far as I'm aware, ACSM, NASM, NSCA, CSCS, and ACE are accepted more or less nationally…so what's the difference between them? Does anyone have any of these certifications, and do you know which might be more cost-effective or well-rounded? I know that Veena has an ACE certification, which is definitely a point in its favor, but apart from that I don't know much about any of them. I'm trying to do my own research, but I'd really like to know if anybody has any personal experience. Thanks!
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7 Replies
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I don't know anything about fitness certifications, but I'm always after technical certs.
I do searches on Monster.com for certs I'm studying and see what jobs pop up. It gives you a good idea of how popular a cert is, how much someone with the cert makes, which certs go well together, etc. It also helps to see which certs are more entry level and what to shoot for later.
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I have my degree in exercise sport science, and while I was in school the only certifying body my professors ever gave any props to was ACSM. I'm not saying the others aren't good, but in the PED department, ACSM was the "gold standard". BUT if you're trying to get a job at any specific place, check and see what organization they prefer. Its sucks, but most places don't even acknowledge my degree until I take a 2 week class (that any punk kid out of high school could take) from whatever organization they use. It sucks, but is mostly just red tape for legal matters. Good luck! 🙂
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All of the certs you listed are fine. I think the important thing to remember is to never stop learning. I am always studying new things (outside of what ACE provides) because in health and fitness things are ALWAYS changing. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif
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I have my Personal Trainer cert through AFAA. There are several pole classes that I can use for my Continuing Education units I need to keep my certification current, and it was offered in my city so it was convenient. In the cert class, they told us their AFAA cert was a good starting point for the ACSM (which the instructor agreed it's the Gold Standard!) so eventually I'll be headed in that direction. Baby steps! Good luck in your research. I hope you'll keep us posted!
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I am starting with ACE. There are pole fitness cert's that count toward ACE continuing education. I just chose that one to start with, but I will probably get more as I get further into my career.
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Now don't quote me on this, but I believeit doesn't matter which one you get if you want to start your own fitness studio. It just adds credibility to your students, so students can feel comfy knowing thaty ou know what you are doing. Being hired by other organizations may have different requirements.
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I'm studying to get my ACE at the moment. Here is some info from an ACE thread that explains the difference between ACE and NASM:
"ACE and NASM have extremely different philosophies. ACE targets more of the general population and focuses on different training methods and goals of clients. NASM is very big in corrective exercise, almost seems like physical therapy…almost."
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