This is a post we did on Facebook. We wanted to reach out to other well known fitness professionals with a simple question regards to PT certifications.
1-Today its as simple as passing an online test to become certified. On a scale from 1-10… 10 being valued ****How important is a certification these days vs. the education of Academia / Visual along with hands on experience one needs to be qualified?
2- I have read repeatedly employers don’t care or even know the difference between certs, they want application, and personal nurturing skills.
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
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- You, Victor Wu, Vince McConnell, Nate Didiano and 76 others like this.
Darren Travers Actual education is very important for injury prevention. Yes, a lot of what we do is best learned visually or hands on in the field, but without good education, a practicum program and accountability to some higher governing factor, we are riding blind, and could really hurt people. Also, rehab is something you learn from school, not trial and error while working on clients. The textbook trainers are not qualified and really shouldn’t be training the public.
It’s true most employers and clients don’t know one cert from another.
20 hours ago via mobile · Unlike · 198
Ann Heizer Nothing beats the practical or visual experience!
20 hours ago · Like · 101
Andrew D Dixon experience and further education is more important. I have a cheap, easy online certification, but I also have 11 years experience in Australia, a diploma in massage therapy, ART, NKT, PICP and if I trained with you Dave, I’d have your Cert also. My online cert means nothing to me and it’s a joke how easy it is to become certified.
20 hours ago · Like · 167
Andrew D Dixon and let’s not forget, nothing can beat a good Bro Science degree. lol
20 hours ago · Like · 391
Dave Parise The biggest reason behind this post Is to clarify one concern. Over the last year I have heard let’s call them rumors… The nationally accredited organizations the ones we know of today are losing revenue streams tremendously. Formulating alliances with small schools like myself in trying to give a cert to everyone under the sun for any skill. State licensing is coming up fast, and organizations are trying to omit certifications. It seems they’re trying to run our businesses like a hairdressing studio 50 to 100 hours of hands on application prior to getting licensed. I can’t say I disagree with this because I’m the hands-on guy. Most believe in online certifications or just reading a book or taking a test. These are just a few of the facts that have been coming across my desk in the last three months. Large organizations are scrambling and down over 35% based on the value of the certification today. I just need other professionals opinions because personally I can study a book on anatomy and learn what I need to know, and read about certain therapeutic procedures and know what I need to know. And then rely on my hands-on application courses to fill in the void and make me a more qualified / requested trainer. These and other lets call them rumors are what’s in our industry today. Employers are not even looking for certifications because they know how devalued they are based on the application from the student passing the test. Employers are now seeking the hands on application which you can’t find on youtube, or a text book. I’m just waiting for other professionals to comment on this post. And I would love to hear from some business owners as well.
20 hours ago via mobile · unlike · 435
Melissa Turner Compassion, energy, and passion partnered with the correct knowledge and guidance. I have NASM and Massage cert with 8 years, however it’s my visual and hands on experience that gave me the job. I also believe we can all learn from each other at a certain point because we each have different experiences and philosophies (as long as you have similar principles).
20 hours ago via mobile · Like
Melissa Turner
Most massage licenses require 600-750 hours of schooling and clinical hours. I’m surprised training isn’t the same as we have a greater risk of seriously injuring people nor are we required to have liability insurance (something most new trainers don’t think about). I love my certification but then again I got months of hands on training as well including my year in massage school at the same time.
I think licensing is smart for our industry to keep it professional.
19 hours ago · Edited · Unlike · 149
Ethan Benda
Dave Parise, I’ve been training for 13 years, been a Fitness Director for a large health club, and owned a gym that specializes in pt. I never went to college, but chose to pursue self education instead. I’ve seen the changes you are speaking of in regards to the “business” of certifications. The most legit is probably your Dave. This is probably one of the least known certs by gym owners though. The standard certs are used in large part to lend some credibility to a gym’s pt sales force. When I started training in KC, there were only a handful of trainers. These people were dedicated to the education and the service they provided. Now there are over a thousand here. It’s way too easy to become certified, but the last time I looked the average trainer only lasted 8 months. I think it’s this high turnover rate of inexperienced trainers that has devalued the certs. We love what you do with the Fit-Pros Academy! Thank you Dave
19 hours ago via mobile · Unlike · 276
- – NASM
Kelli Calabrese
Great question Dave. It’s a huge issue in our industry. With 3 science degrees including a masters in clinical ex physiology, 26 years hands on experience and 25 fitness and nutrition certifications I firmly believe personal fitness pros needs more hands on experience combined with academics. I ran a cert program for 9 years preparing over 3,000 candidates to become certified with a 95% passing rate. I would hire about 10% of those graduates to work for me.
Like any other profession for a high level of success, in addition to passing a test they need extraordinary people skills.
I am seeing larger gyms choose one certifying body and requiring all trainers get that one. These gyms are way behind the times. However in reality they don’t care. Gyms need to keep trainers accountable to stay current, continue education, and to be evaluated on results and professionalism. The bar definitely needs to be raised. Keep educating trainers, you have the right program!
With the intensity of training being pushed with crossfit type workouts, it’s more important than ever that a qualified pro is leading and supervising.
19 hours ago via mobile · Unlike · 211
Martin Biancalana
Well, this is an unsolved issue in the fitness industry.
Trainers are seeking “fitness programs certs” instead formal certification, more specialized or those one offers technical contents or exploring in details some fields (i.e Methods/physiology/biomechanics etc.) nasm is not the top choice here.
The fitbiz pushing harder than any other market to do what the trends dictates (I don’t approve that but I know what happen for experience) so then, fitness professionals decides to take what improve “their business” beyond the quality of the contents certs or courses and professional experience hands on….in my opinion the score get further ahead the first ones. I mentioned vs. Last ones, that I no have any doubt the last options are the best ones at first hand.
As training strategy says: “quality-over-quantity” that could be able to apply in many others ‘arenas’. As in life as well ; )
MPS – Universo Funcional –
Adrian Crowe
Certifications = ability to purchase business liability insurance. Beyond that they have next to zero value. Learned more in your videos Dave than I ever did in my certifications. The products and mentorships along with all the articles, videos (such as YouTube, www.fixmyfitnessclub.com, and ExerciseBay), etc offer far more in terms of education. Just my two cents.
19 hours ago via mobile · Unlike · 45
Andrew D Dixon Agreed Adrian, I learn far more from in the trenches coaches like Dave . I like to pick my mentor, not my school.
19 hours ago · Unlike · 134
John Holt 98% of what I do with clients is from firsthand experience in the trenches. Getting a cert only proves you are CAPABLE of learning. That’s when the real journey starts. I will be doing Fitpro with you Dave.
Scott Rattray ya being cert just gives basic legitimacy — but doesn’t actually mean can actually do… as John says is just the beginning — passing a test just means you get to start the journey. Cert just shows knowledge in a specific area, but it has to have a foundation of greater experience and education to apply to real life. There is a reason college is more than just a major, and why a degree is not the finish but a ticket to the starting line…
18 hours ago · Like · 211
Brandon Bornagainfitness Jenkins
Book knowledge only gets one so far. The real learning starts when you start working with people. Most clubs where I am at will only hire trainers who have a college degree but don’t care about the certification.
17 hours ago · Like
Jason Herget Certs are a “baby step” into direction that we want to go! Sure we can quote that the Bicep inserts on the Radial tuberosity, because we have said it 1000 times to appear smart!! But being able to apply it in a real time setting, takes time! As trainers we must ask ourselves how will this help my paying client? does it hinder or help their goals, will it help them in daily living? will it make them stronger in the long term, or are we just going through the motions of do this , do that. We should understand that there are certain things we should never do, just because we saw it on youtube or a “guru on FB. So to answer your question Dave, i think hands on is waaaaaay more beneficial to us as a Trainer!!!
17 hours ago · Unlike · 124
Mike T Nelson Maybe a 7–some certs are great and some are not so great, either way, even at their best they are only a starting point. While I am a big fan of formal education, I also understand it is not the best path for everyone. What matters in the end are the results you can get with clients.
16 hours ago · Like · 39
Mark Garcia Limbaga A certification only means you have met the standards of a said organization.. it does not necessarily mean you are already highly skilled. It doesn’t mean much of anything. People will know when you start to train them.
Its also the time spent practicing your craft and how you continue to seek improving your craft over the years that will put more weight to you name in the long run.
Think about this: why are references important in one’s resume???
16 hours ago · Unlike · 2
Vince McConnell Dave, may be a bit off-topic but ‘having knowledge of information’ and being proficient at ‘conveying’ that information into actual application are 2 near-entirely different things.
Certifications–including the ones with standardized practicals–are basically inert at preparing an individual to coach and lead another human being into direction of realizing fitness goals/objectives.
I used to consider certs a prerequisite for a prospective trainer. In last 5-6 years, my view has changed drastically. The ineptitude of “well-certed” trainers has cynical-ized me.
I’d prefer taking an individual with limited “knowledge” and strong people skills and mentor THEM over a “highly-informed” man/woman who is overloaded with theory.
12 hours ago via mobile · Like · 198
Mark Garcia Limbaga Vince good points you brought up. When I first stepped into the industry, I remember a coworker with several certs yet the way the guy teaches makes you wonder how he can solve a basic jigsaw puzzle. Years later when i decided to work in the industry …See More
12 hours ago · Unlike · 2
Vince McConnell I realize I’ve slammed certification “agencies” a few times over the years, but in their defense, it’s the individual taking the certification that’s the issue.
When a trainer, or prospective one, is simply seeking knowledge to further their ‘skill set, this troubles me. When they seek to learn visually, and hands on I hire them!
12 hours ago via mobile · Unlike · 239
