Certification For Personal Training & Fitness

Receiving your personal training certification validates your knowledge and experience in the fitness world, signifying to employers and potential clients that you're prepared to safely teach fitness concepts. Before you sign up for a class or an exam, you want to ensure you're getting a quality certification from a nationally recognized organization.

Types

Before you choose a certification, decide what kind of certification you want to hold.

A personal training certification sets you up to design fitness programs for individuals or small groups. Usually personal trainers focus on strength training in a gym or fitness center setting, although they may decide to pursue additional training that allows them to specialize in certain areas, like youth or prenatal fitness.

Group exercise certifications usually teach you about class choreography for leading cardiovascular or weight training workouts set to the beat of music.

Specialty certifications include weight management certifications, clinical exercise specialist certifications and strength coach certifications. These vary by organization, but they put you in a position to design fitness programs for special populations. Also, many specialty certifications require advanced degrees or a number of hours working within the field before you can sit for the exam.

Organizations

There are thousands of personal trainer and fitness certifications. Some of them are legitimate, some of them aren't. When you're choosing a certification, make sure that it's accredited by a third-party organization such as the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. The most highly recognized certifying organizations within the exercise science field include the American Council on Exercise, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Another highly recognized group exercise certification comes from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.

Benefits

Holding a fitness or personal training certification increases the likelihood that you'll get hired by a gym or fitness center. Because exercise carries risk, most gyms can't afford the liability of hiring non-certified personal trainers. Also, certification helps clarify where your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to fitness knowledge. Because certifications cover everything from exercise physiology and kinesiology to program design and exercise form, getting tested will highlight where you have room to grow.

Costs

Personal training and fitness certifications aren't cheap. Depending on the certification or organization, you can expect to pay between $350 to $800 for the exam fee, materials and training workshops, as of 2010. It might seem like a lot, but because most trainers get paid between $20 to $100 per training hour, you can earn your fees back quickly.

Considerations

Before sitting for an accredited personal training or fitness exam, you usually will have to show proof of a current CPR and first aid certification. This may seem like an extra hoop you have to jump through, but because most fitness facilities require their employees to hold these certifications anyway, it's worthwhile to go ahead and get trained.