An attentive personal trainer performs a surprising number of mental gymnastics, from using complex formulas to calculate heart rates to multitasking: simultaneously spotting you, counting repetitions, monitoring your form, giving you feedback and adjusting the rest of that day's workout plan as necessary. So it should come as little surprise that many personal trainer certifications require at least a high school diploma before you can enter the program. Some certifying bodies impose other educational requirements, including college degrees and additional training.
CPR/AED/First Aid
If you're working as a personal trainer, you should have a current CPR and AED certification. This teaches you not only how to administer CPR or use an AED but also how to recognize dangerous situations before they devolve to that point. All reputable certifying bodies require personal trainers to show proof of CPR certification, but not all require first-aid training. Nonetheless, injuries can happen in the gym, even if you and your client do everything right. First-aid training helps you evaluate and handle the situation until medical help arriveS.
Math Education
Certifying organizations usually don't screen you for math aptitude before you begin their training program, but you will be expected to perform basic algebra to calculate body fat percentages, target heart rates and other fitness-related information. Even though you can usually get by with looking up answers in charts or tables, you still should be able to understand the basic principles behind the computations. If math isn't your strong point, some training organizations offer industry-related math courses to help you prepare for fitness-related figuring.
Advanced Degrees
Although a high school degree is adequate for most basic personal training programs, trainer certifications often are tiered and the higher level certifications might require college degrees. For example, you can get a basic personal trainer certification with the American College of Sports Medicine, long considered the gold standard in the industry, if you have a high school degree. But as of July 2011, if you want to earn the second tier of ACSM personal trainer certifications, health and fitness specialist, you need a bachelor's degree in an exercise-related field. Previously, an associate's or bachelor's degree was acceptable.
Continuing Education
Just because you've earned your personal trainer certification doesn't mean you're free of all educational requirements. Almost all reputable programs require you to earn continuing education credits in order to keep your certification current. Earning additional certifications, attending training workshops, taking quizzes and studying online or print-based courses are good ways to earn CECs, but ultimately whether your activities count for education credits or not is up to the organization that oversees your personal training certification.
References
- American College of Sports Medicine: Minimum Requirements for Becoming an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer
- American College of Sports Medicine: Requirements for Becoming an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist
- American Council on Exercise: Personal Trainer Certification
- National Academy of Sports Medicine: Get Certified
- National Strength and Conditioning Association: About the NSCA-CPT Credential
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