Personal Trainer Online Certification: What are My Options?

Udemy Editor

Becoming a personal trainer requires a few, but very important, things. You must be committed to helping others, to learning about the mechanics of the human body and you must get certified. You do not need formal schooling to be a personal trainer although a lot of universities around the country offer specialized majors and programs through their school’s curriculum. Nowadays, you can enroll in a personal trainer online certification program and be certified to work shortly thereafter. Whatever route you choose, the fitness industry can always use a well-developed and educated personal trainer.

Personal trainers are much like entrepreneurs. For the majority of their workday, they are in charge of overseeing clients’ well-beings and creating fitness regimens to meet each individual client’s particular goals. They run the business of improving clients’ lives through physical fitness. So what does it take to get certified? Let’s take a look.

Get Certified Through an Organization

When studying to get certified, you must register with a particular certification group. There are many groups to choose from, all with different study requirements and payments. Just be sure that whatever group you choose is certified by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies.

ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) has certification programs in physical training and group exercise instructors as well as clinical training certifications. Their most basic course costs $355 for ACSM members or $415 for non-members including textbooks and testing. Their program is a work-at-your-own-pace certification, and allows you to choose your own test date based on your personal time requirements.
ACE (American Council of Exercise) goes by the motto that they may not be the cheapest or the fastest certification program, but that they are the best. They are also the largest personal training organization in the world. They offer three personal training certification options: Standard at $499, premium at $599, and premium plus at $699.
The NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) offers specialized certifications in strength and conditioning in addition to personal training certification. Their program costs $270 for the members and $405 for non-members.
NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) has the most expensive but arguably the most inclusive personal training certification. They offer your textbooks, testing (plus one free retake), live workshops, and a 90-day job guarantee for $1,199. For a charge of $1,999 you can get all of the aforementioned benefits with the addition of associate personal training experience.

Some programs require that you visit one of their centers in order to take the test or do it at home then mail it for scoring, while others allow you to complete it online. Be sure to research which organization offers online testing if that’s what you are looking for.

What Can You Do with Your Certification?

Find a Gym

Your workplace as a trainer can commence once you’ve received official notification from the certifying agency that you have met all the requirements. From personal, family-owned gyms to giant chain fitness centers, the fitness industry is continually expanding and thereby hiring certified trainers from all backgrounds.

Increase Your Education

Our course, Working with Seniors in Health and Fitness Related Fields, provides a thorough description and explanation of the many facets particular to the elderly population in the fitness industry. The course is centered on working with personal trainers and other professionals in related fields to understand the psychological and physical dynamics of this population.

You can also learn a variety of different fitness approaches to improve your repertoire of training methods. Pilates or yoga provide a great way to stretch and strengthen your client’s muscles and can get you hired as a personal trainer with knowledge in those two very popular disciplines.

Develop Your Own Business

As a certified personal trainer, you essentially have the ability to run your own business in training people to achieve physical fitness. Udemy’s course, How to Become a Great Entrepreneur is taught by best-selling author, life coach, and leadership consultant Pejman Ghadimi. His course is highly reviewed by students who have taken the course and no matter what field you are in, his strategies and instruction leave you with a world of knowledge and tools.

Developing your own business with your own clientele might seem difficult but many have done it successfully with the right kind of knowledge and research.

Is there anything else I need to know?

It’s important that anyone who is looking to become a personal trainer be trained in first aid and CPR. You will be working with people who are physically and mentally exerting themselves and thus placing themselves at risk of medical emergencies. You’ll need to be prepared and educated to deal with these types of situations if you want to become a personal trainer.

Additionally, it’s equally important that even once you become a certified personal trainer that you continue taking courses and seminars to further your knowledge. New studies are being performed all the time and advances in sports medicine are constantly being made. By taking personal trainer continuing education courses you can make sure you stay up-to-date on all the latest techniques.

Just like any career choice, in order to excel in a specific job, you should have the many skills and personality needed to succeed. If you are wondering how to become a personal trainer, it should be noted that some of the personality traits that are extremely effective in training others include; good communication skills, patience, very good listening skills, the ability to motivate, as well as nurture others and of course an interest in health and fitness.

One important note to remember when learning how to become a personal trainer is the fact that you don’t have to be a body builder or look like a fitness guru. Obviously, it helps if you lead a healthy lifestyle, but being knowledgeable and a good healthy role model is quite sufficient to earning a client’s trust.

Ready to get started? Get the branding to get the clients you want with this course today!