Getting your personal trainer certification is hard. Choosing which certification program to go with is sometimes even harder! With thousands of programs to choose from, it isn’t obvious from the outset which program is going to give you the best chance at getting the personal training job you dream of.
One of the programs we can endorse wholeheartedly is the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and for a few primary reasons. In this article, we’ll explain the reasons we’ve chosen NASM as one of our recommended programs.
Wide Applicability
Let’s face it: the majority of personal training clients are not hulking specimens of human anatomy, but rather your average Joe and Jane Doe. I’m talking about the 50-something woman who has developed a bit of a larger belly than she would have hoped for and wants to turn her life around. I’m talking about the trucker who has a family history of heart disease and wants to live to see his granddaughter’s graduation.
These are real people, too, and they deserve to attain the physical fitness goals they have set out just as much as anyone else. But you should have your expectations in line with reality: true athletes are rare and will NOT make up the bulk of your clientele.
The NASM personal trainer certification will prepare you perfectly for this kind of clientele (which is most of America) by educating you on how to go about achieving ideal physical fitness for any kind of client, not just athletes.
Affordability
Getting certified isn’t cheap, but it’s hard to beat the value offered at NASM. For $699, you can be on your way to getting certified with the best names in the industry. This price includes the NCCA Accredited CPT Exam, a hard copy textbook, online support, video lectures, a full length practice exam and predesigned workouts.
While other programs will offer certification for $399 or less, more often than not they are only providing the exam and not any of the training materials that programs like NASM will offer. If you select packages with all of the benefits of the NASM package, most companies will creep up into the $599 – $799 range as well. This makes the NASM option much more attractive given its deep history and reputation.
Reputation
Speaking of reputation, this is something that simply cannot be faked or imitated. Aside from perhaps the American Council on Exercise, NASM has the most respected personal training certification in the world and for good reason. They have been around 30 years and have successfully trained tens of thousands of personal trainers.
Not only that, but the NASM name on any resume will instantly boost a trainers’ chances of getting hired at a gym, medical facility, or corporate setting.
If you’re looking for cheap, go for an online personal training certification. If you’re looking for quality, go NASM.