I've been thinking about becoming a PT.

I'm in college but I've been thinking that becoming a personal trainer is something I would REALLY want to do. I feel so healthy, I really really enjoy working out and I am seeing great results.

I enjoy working out and would love to help others get fit and in shape. I can't imagine the feeling of helping someone lose weight and get healthy.

Anyways, my point is I was wondering how to go about this. My college (small community college) doesn't offer PT courses, so I looked online and checked out the websites for ACE and NASM. Is it a smart idea to buy the material for $600 and study your ass off and take the test or no?

My hubby said he will let me buy the book, and I can definitely study but I'm just really curious if there is another/better/smarter way to go about this?

It just seems so easy to simply buy a book, study and take a test and thats it...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Honestly, I feel your passion. I am a personal trainer and the thought of people getting healthy is awesome. Depending on where you live i would say the personal training cert. is necessary or not. I live in a remote area where partying is more important than health. therefore, I make close to zero dollars. Soooo, what do people want in your area. Its really all geographic.

People seem to want to get into shape. I was actually thinking of becoming a Trainer at my gym, I think it's called Pro Results (the PT company, not the gym) but I just don't know if the internet is the way to go or not. If someone has done it that way then please let me know!

Is anyone out there that knows about getting the material from online? Anyone?

Which cert are you looking for? Most of them have various study materials and books.

Hmm I dont really understand your question. In order to work for my gym as a Personal Trainer, I have to get certified as a Personal Trainer by ACE or NASM or someone else (heard NASM is the best) so I looked on their site and saw you buy a book or material for $600 and study for a few months and take the test. I just want to know if anyone has done it this way (bc it seems awfully easy) and if they have was it hard or is there another way to go about it. My college does not offer classes for me to be a PT, so I was going to just order the material from online and take the test. Does any of that make sense lol?

NSCA and ACSM are the gold standards.

NASM is slowly coming up bcos of all the muscle imbalance and injury stuff they write about

ACE would be much easier to get. It is recognized and most gyms accept it too.

Thank you so much for giving me an answer! Thats all I wanted!

Hey, I am NASM-CPT certified and I am working on my PES as we speak and NASM is very very good. Some material may be hard to catch onto but as you go through the book you will get the hang of it. Some of these classes at colleges only last a month and you only go 3 days a week for about 3 hours. I would hardly trust a trainer if he went to 12 training classes. I study my gluteus maximus off! and I feel that the online courses are the way to go if you are determined and like a challenge. Also, most gyms do accept NASM.

Thanks a lot Valentine! My college doesn't offer classes so I have to order the material from the website and study at home for a few months, but I haven't decided who I am going to go with.

I would of course recommend NASM. but NSCA is considered prestigious. I would not attempt them until you have at least one other certification on your wall. NASM is very very good and it takes a while to understand but the more you read the more it makes sense. Crazy logic huh? whooda thunk it!

NASM is going to be tough if you have no concept of training to start with. It's not impossible but its going to be tough, they assume you already have certain knowledge. It's a terrific course for someone who wants a second certification and I'd highly recommend it. Quite a few gyms around my area are making their trainers get it. ACE is getting a little old. I don't really like that cert (just my opinion), I think that a better beginner cert is ISSA CFT program. It starts with the basics and moves up. You could talk to your gym and see if they accept it. That's my input

Have a nice day!

Sniped

I agree with sniped.... ACE is over rated and a joke compared to ISSA, but ACE does get more into psychology than ISSA(only upside) . I have an ISSA, ACE, and USAW Sports Performance Coach cert. IMO ISSA is the best place to start, I might be a little biased towards them (as they are my first cert) but so far they still have my endorsement and they are in the final stages for accreditation.
NASM is the next cert on my list then NSCA, but I wouldn't jump into NASM first unless you are already pretty schooled in anatomy and basic training principles. I chose the order not by best to worst but by beginner to advanced certs. If you really want to jump right in and swim with the big dogs then go right to NSCA and you can be reassured that your cert will be accepted by ALL gyms worth anything.

by the way contrary to what people think online certs are not easy!!! It does help to go to a conference or seminar just to get hands on training with proper form though.

Thanks a lot everyone! So I guess I won't start with NASM. I'll look into ISSA and see if my gym accepts it - I hope so!

You guys are a lot of help (<----pretend it's vitamin water or something)

Good luck, Mimi!