Group: General Fitness & Exercise

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 382, Messages: 54581

Various general exercise related discussions. Find out what it takes to reach your fitness goals through daily effective exercise. With so many options we try to find out what works best.

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For Personal Trainers or future CPFTs...

Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/02, 02:03 PM
I am planning on getting my Personal Trainer Certification. How did you go about the whole process? I know some of these question depend on your area, experience, etc. But work with me here. I am just trying to get a general understanding. If you had different questions before you started please include those please. I may have left some important things out.

Did you call all of the gyms in your area first and determine what certification they require/prefer?

How did you first get clients?

How much do you typically charge?

How do you do your scheduling?

If two people want to train together, how does that work?

What is a typical fee from a gym?

Who did you get certified through?

I am between ISSA and ACE. Depending on the gyms in the area.
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/02, 04:54 PM
Also, how/where do I go about getting insurance? Is one company better than another?
dendys
dendys
Posts: 139
Joined: 2005/10/24
United States
2005/11/02, 06:15 PM
Start with AFAA.com and they cover alot of your questions.
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/02, 10:56 PM
That is rather vague. Which questions are answered. I know I can find certain things on there or another certification website but I believe that I asked for someone's opinion/experience on here.
bigandrew
bigandrew
Posts: 5,146
Joined: 2002/10/21
United States
2005/11/02, 11:56 PM
ISSA Most golds gyms will take least around here......but I think the cliet pays the gym, then the gym pays you....of coarse a certain % of what the person is paying the gym.

Gym I think carries the insurance etc on you....




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Friends don't let friends squat high...


People don't reach thier true potental, only those who seek it.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 12:05 AM
Almost everywhere accepts nsca certification.
as for being between ISSA and ACE, i dont think too highly of either of them. Not that I think highly of most personal trainers to begin with, but thats besides the point.

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
bigandrew
bigandrew
Posts: 5,146
Joined: 2002/10/21
United States
2005/11/03, 12:10 AM
true wrestler.....they seem to be handing out certifications like candy, not hard to get. Some places all you need is to be CPR certified....and a working order of the muscles and machines. Rest of the time they read mags, or talk to the pretty girls in their 2 sizes too small shirt lol

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Friends don't let friends squat high...


People don't reach thier true potental, only those who seek it.
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/03, 07:09 AM


============
Quoting from bigandrew:

Rest of the time they read mags, or talk to the pretty girls in their 2 sizes too small shirt lol


=============

I thought that was a good enough reason to become one.
Wrestler, what are things that make you not think highly of trainers? Somethings so that I try not do it. Is it just because a lot of them don't know much about what they are doing?
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/03, 07:11 AM
Golds gym would be cool but, strangely, they went out of business here. :( We have a couple Powerhouse Gyms and some other local/regional ones.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 09:42 AM
Not alot of them actually deserve to be working with people. I see trainers doing things with clients that have no idea what they are having done to them, and I just shake my head sometimes. A good rule to follow is if you can't explain the reason WHY you are having them do something, then you shouldn't be doing it with them. Also, learn everything you can. If something doesn't make sense, take it lightly and question it till it does make sense.

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/03, 10:49 AM
I am trying to take in as much as I can. All I do now is sit at the computer and go through fitness articles and learn about the body and different diets. I am not going to get my certification until I know as much as possible. I am scared of someone asking me a question I don't know or doing something wrong and someone be like "Hey, do you even know what you are doing?" :(
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 02:55 PM
I wish my clients asked more questions. While I am not currently training as much as i would like (busy with studies), I can tell you right now that the athlete I have that has asked the most questions has made the most progress.

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/03, 03:32 PM
Are ACE, ISSA and NSCA national accredited? I can't find anything about being accredited on any of their websites.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 07:24 PM
There is no national accrediting bureau for personal training certification programs. That is why there are so many piss poor trainers that have no idea what they are doing. NSCA is the most widely accepted, although if you are considering it as a profession, I would say get a bachelors and become CSCS.

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/03, 09:06 PM
There is a http://www.noca.org/ncca/accredorg.htm

According to MSNBC; ACE, ACSM, NSCA, NASM and AFAA are all credentialed by NOCA.

I just found that.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 09:35 PM
Thats a national crediting organization. I could get crap in a box and have it "credentialed". Do you think they actually verify the quality of the programs they credit????

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/03, 10:46 PM
They as well as MSNBC say that they verify curriculum is up to par. I have no idea if they really do but at what point is it certified or accredited? Colleges are accredited but you can argue that the organization that accredites them doesn't know anything. At point do you trust the man?
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/03, 10:51 PM
This is from NOCA's website:

"NCCA accreditation is a means of demonstrating to your board, your profession and your certificants that your certification has been reviewed by a panel of impartial experts that have determined that your program has met the stringent standards of NCCA. NCCA accreditation provides certification programs and many of our members a means to answer the question, "who reviewed your certification program?" which is sometimes asked by members of your profession, courts, and employers."

NCCA is the accreditation part of NOCA. I trust a third unbiased party until proven otherwise. I suppose.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 10:57 PM
No, I don't. What do they specialize in???? Printing certificates. That is it. What the hell do they know about training??? About as much as the trainers they are allowing to become certified. A certification is nothing other than a piece of paper that gets you a job, and you should see it as that. For the record, I am ACE and AMFPT certified. But I realize that being certified does not mean results. And that is the only thing that seperates the a successful trainer from the guy in the corner doing 1/4 squats in the smith machine on a bosu ball with a 300lb morbidly ovese client while said client juggles the pink dumbbells.

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 10:58 PM
they are unbiased because they are paid to be that way. they are full of shit if they say otherwise. I am not biased, i just know how to seperate all the crap out there on training from what is real

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 11:02 PM
did you even bother to see what the process for becoming accreditted is???? it asks for nothing other than name and payment information...

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/03, 11:05 PM
http://www.noca.org/docs/mbrapp.pdf
Mr.BadAss
Mr.BadAss
Posts: 27
Joined: 2005/10/30
United States
2005/11/04, 07:02 AM
They do have standards that they check. The organization must provide documentation of their curriculum.

I realize that all I get is a peice of paper. I know that taking a test isn't going to make me an expert or anything near it. There is also no way for anyone to monitor every trainer certification. I can go online and print off a Bach Degree. I assume the one that I have has undergone some sort of scrutiny by being accredited. I don't know what goes on for an accredited college but I assume that it is more than a non accredited. Even having an accredited Bach degree doesn't make me an expert.
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/07, 07:46 PM
and i am telling you what goes on. next to nothing. as long as you realize that that piece of paper means nothing with a stamp or seal or a postage stamp in the corner, then you understand what the certification means. However, having a bachelors degree in exercise physiology will allow you to recieve your CSCS, the only certification out there that deserves to be recognized.

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.
2005/11/07, 09:39 PM
couldn't have summed up all those certifications any better wrestler...

i see trainers with no cpr, no certifications working with clients who know 0....or some trainers who supposedly are certified with 0 knowledge that can't explain their reasons for a particular program or are so out of shape I am left wondering how can they get work?

NASM, ISSA, ACE, AFAA are all about equivalent...
7707mutt
7707mutt
Posts: 7,686
Joined: 2002/06/18
United States
2005/11/13, 10:14 AM
So I am totaly at a loss then. I wish to get cert. As I have a chance for a position within a new gym opening. I get the feeling they wat all employees cert. Now not to toot me own horn, but I am fairly confident that I either know as much or more than your ave trainer. I still continually learn new things (such as my try at west side). SO which route do I go? On one hand I can afford a ISSA cert, but going back for a BA and all that is way too much for me, (unless someone would like to pay for it for me). So what do I do?

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Less Talk, More Chalk!

7707mutt@freetrainers.com
wrestler125
wrestler125
Posts: 4,619
Joined: 2004/01/27
United States
2005/11/14, 10:53 AM
Yes mutt, I guarantee you know more than your average trainer. The certification course I took, I actually feel dumber having taken that exam. But, it will get you in the door. With a BA and a CSCS, you can work as a TOP strength coach, as in not just as some trainer in the gym. You could be the head trainer, or work as an upper level trainer for a specialized clientel. If you get the certification, it will get you the job. Not much more than that. It's something for your resume, and a way in the door. Most gyms do like to have "certified" personal trainers, even though you and I both know it doesn't mean anything.

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The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. ~~~Hunter S. Thompson

If you smoke or don’t wear your seatbelt, please don’t tell me the deadlift is dangerous.