You see the ads all over the Internet offering everything from $99, $49 and even free personal trainer certification. Don"t do it......... Many new personal trainers flounder for months and quit because they didn't know what they were doing after taking this online test and diving head first into training people. It was obvious to their clients, obvious to the other trainers, and eventually obvious to themselves. Most of them quit at this stage thinking that personal training is too hard. But the reality is that they were unprepared for their new career.Luckily most Gyms or studios require experience backed with a solid education and accredited certification.

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Now which certification should you use........ which one is the best ? Every one has thier on opinion of which company they like and why.... you still need experience first and some time really learning the core part of personal training and you must have a passion for fitness and love what you are about to start helping people learn. And while everybody else is arguing over which certification is the best, you can go get educated and then take all the exams. By grounding yourself with a good education, you are not locked into any one "certification philosophy". You can think for yourself and for your clients. We are lucky enough to have the US sports Academy very close to Mobile. With a short drive accross the bay or a computer you can embark on a real career with a solid back bone. They offer several routes you can take, talk to a counselor and see which one fits your lifestyle best. I would recommend the following certification courses that they offer. The cost is about $900.00 plus your books, but is well worth it. (24 CEU's) here are the courses. Follow that up with an ISSA workshp and exam and you will have the knowledge you need to be a great trainer. Now you just need experience. Remember people are very different in real life. The books can only prepare you for so much. Every person is different and most people are very different from the ones in the books!

CER 526 Personal Training

CER 505 Human Anatomy and Physiology

CEB 373 Scientific Principles of Coaching

CER 511 Sports Performance Enhancement

CED 556 Sports and Fitness Nutrition

CEB 566 Psychological Aspects of Health and Fitness Programming

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Great advice Sandra! In addition, I would recommend that you get out there and the "walk the walk" that you're going to be preaching. You will have all sorts of people coming to you asking about everything from running marathons to powerlifting. I've found, for myself, I really enjoy being well rounded and having first hand experience in many different areas. For instance, I've run many marathons and have hit the wall on a few occasions. This definitely helps me explain 'the wall' to clients having been there myself. It would be difficult to just give a text book definition without the actual feeling. Get out there and try Boot Camp classes, to Pilates and Yoga, Kettlebell training to trail and road running. Most importantly have fun!