Personal Trainers I have a question???

[sandman1]

In your opinion who is the best and cheapest association to go under? My wife is looking to become a trainer and was wondering who would be the best.

Later

 

[edgecrusher]

A.A.A.I./I.S.M.A. I paid aout 150 bucks, went one day and got certified. They are primarily an aerobics association, but offer personal training certs. They have a webpage, but I lost the addy.

 

[sandman1]

Are they nationally known?

Later

 

[bignate73]

best and cheapest dont go together.

issa
nasm
nsca
ace (last resort)

 

[flex4life]

best and cheapest dont go together.

bignate is right on w/ this...yrs ago, ACE seemed difficult when I was new... now after much more acquired learning & experience, ACE doesn't offer much in the way of knowledge. IFPA is about the same I understand... very basic (cheaper too). ACSM & ISSA are more difficult , yet more expensive. You can check their wesites for cert info.

I guess it comes down to your priorities.

 

[bignate73]

hehe. ACE. i remember studying so hard for it, only to get laughed at by the more advanced trainers. now im shooting for the NSCA-CPT in sept. NASM is another good one. very indepth. they have CPT and performance exercise specialist or something to that effect.

 

[sandman1]

Thanks for the info. We were considering ISSA and NSCA. Who has the best training and is the most respected in the field.

later

 

[bignate73]

NSCA has the CSCS certification which is pretty much the standard. im not sure about thier CPT cert yet, since i take the test next month. the book im reading is for the CSCS and its pretty indepth
ACSM is the authority. pretty much no question as to their credibility. but you need a degree.
ISSA is recognized as being a good "starting point"
NASM is pretty damn good. not classical trainer though, you become more of an expert in assessment and bodymechanics, which if you have a background in exercise already, will make you a guru.

 

[ballast]

I'd go with ISSA.It's not cheap, but you are more than compensated for.Tons of useful info.The guidebook/study manual for personal trainer is 450 pages.Definetly worth it in my opinion.

 

[edgecrusher]

I nwver said a.a.a.i. was a great cert. It is cheap and nationally recognized. Basically at this point in time, I am refusing to pursue a cert that costs %300 +, when I am purisuing my degree. Once I have that, I'll look into my CSCS and a few other top quality certs. But until then, I don't feel like I should have to spend that much money, when I can spend half and get payed the same amount.

 

[Buffalo Joe]

AFAA is another one that is cheap and ok. NASM was one of the best but they took out the practicle part of beggining courseso its kinda ok now even AFAA had a practicle. find one that does both a Hands on(practicle) and a written testsing they are normally more successful places and national certifications.

good luck

 

[bignate73]

buffalo joe. you sure about the practical? my buddy just took the NASM 2 day thing and it had tons of hands on. im going to take mine in vegas in nov. and i am sure there has to be some practical application and hands on.

 

[Buffalo Joe]

unless they just re-instated it yes. i was going to take it and it was all written. what level did your buddy take?

 

[bignate73]

CPT

he went to a 2 day workshop on assessment and core stability etc. it was classified under the CPT program. they didnt even touch a weight, he said.

 

[sandman1]

I know ISSA is all handwritten and you do not have to attend a seminar to be certified. If you do not attend your test will consist of essay questions.
BTW thanks for all the info.

Later

 

[Super Girl 22]

I'd go with ISSA.It's not cheap, but you are more than compensated for.Tons of useful info.The guidebook/study manual for personal trainer is 450 pages.Definetly worth it in my opinion.

i'm certified with issa. its really good. teachersare excellent and its worth the money