Personal Trainers, Personal Fitness Professionals differ from athletic trainers, physical therapists and massage therapists in that they do not require licensure for practice. Such licensing could create legal chaos both for the fitness industry as a whole and the consumers it serves.
Submitting for certification might seem like an efficient and time-saving solution, but skipping it could damage your business in the form of client expectations for professional and qualified services.
Certification
Personal trainers greatest strength lies in guiding clients towards meeting their fitness goals healthily. A good training program should take into account an individual’s medical history, current physical condition and exercise experience – as well as teaching basic weightlifting, body composition analysis and nutrition principles.
Personal trainers have access to several certification programs for personal training professionals, with the most recognizable being those offered by ACE, NASM and ISSA. Becoming certified is the first step toward ensuring you possess all of the knowledge, skills and experience required for success in this industry.
Although degrees may not always be required for employment, having one can often be seen as an asset by employers. A bachelor’s degree in exercise science can open the doors to many career options – including becoming a kinesiologist, nutritionist, physiotherapist or physician who specializes in sports medicine. Such degrees offer comprehensive education that covers such areas as anatomy physiology research kinesiology biology etc – helping you meet all of your career goals more successfully.
Education
Fitness industry offers many educational and training opportunities for individuals pursuing personal training certification. Many schools offering personal training certification offer full-time, part-time, online classes for certification students – offering courses such as exercise science, anatomy & physiology, kinesiology fitness nutrition.
Aspiring personal trainers may also benefit from earning one of several bachelor’s degrees that provide training for this career path. Health and fitness management degrees often cover exercise science, providing trainers with knowledge about how physical activity promotes wellness and reduces stress levels. A degree program may even offer a supervised internship that offers practical experience and networking opportunities for future trainers.
As well as standard personal training certificates, advanced personal training certificates offer trainers additional earning potential. These programs teach trainers to work with more challenging clients such as athletes, body-builders and weightlifters and include special assessment protocols designed for these groups. In addition, advanced certificate courses may count towards continuing education credits for fitness professionals.
Experience
No matter how experienced or mentored by professional trainers you are, certification remains important. Skipping this step could result in unqualified clients or injuries which could ultimately compromise your career and cause irreparable harm to clients and themselves.
Clients expect their personal trainers to come prepared for each session, and according to one study of fitness professionals with certifications scoring 36% higher on tests of basic knowledge than those without one.
Personal trainers typically specialize in working with certain demographics such as elderly clients, young people or those living with medical conditions. There are even certification courses dedicated to adapting fitness programs for special needs populations – these specialized skills can set yourself apart from your competition! With average salaries for personal trainers in New York now reaching $74,4666 per year – an income stream which can be supplemented through other sources – getting certified is more than worthwhile and will pay dividends long after leaving the gym!
Licensing
Licenses are legal documents granted by the state to enable individuals to work in certain fields. Although personal trainers don’t need licenses to enter the fitness industry, gyms often prefer hiring certified personal trainers in order to ensure client safety. A strong personal trainer certification program should be approved by an established certifying body.
No matter your educational level, as a personal trainer you should always have liability insurance to cover injuries caused to clients by you. Liability coverage is one of the key pieces of protection necessary in order to avoid costly lawsuits against personal trainers.
If you are seeking professional certification as an alternative or supplement to college degrees, ensure your training company has been established for decades. Also seek programs offering comprehensive workshops and online study tools tailored specifically for different learning styles; ACE’s Personal Trainer Study Program allows for self-paced study; it even lets you start right away!
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