Best Personal Trainer Certification

I first want to say that I've always kind of been skeptical of most personal trainers because of the perceived cookie cutter, by the book stuff that many tend to follow. I know that there are better and more efficient ways to train, but I think that getting the certification as a personal trainer could be a very valuable tool.

My buddy is getting his personal trainer certification this summer through ISSA, but I've been looking around at other programs like NASM, NSCA, ACSM, etc. I just want to know others' opinions on what would be the best program. Factors to consider would be gained functional knowledge as well as respectability of the program. I want to see what would probably give me the best opportunities.

 

I'm studying the ACE exam for this summer... pretty basic stuff but it's accredited through the NCCA just like the bigger boys (NSCA, etc).

Best thing I heard was from EZA on this forum and just take whichever one that will land you the job you want. I'm just starting small so the ACE felt like the right choice to begin with for me.

 

I took a while trying to decide which certification to go with, and decided to go with the NSCA-cPT. I just got my study materials in today, and it's very very in depth from first glance (I'm a nutritional science major at Texas A&M btw). After looking at the different certifications, I definently wanted to go with one of the best, and was choosing between NASM, NSCA, and ACSM. I just seemed to agree more with the NSCA after reading people's thoughts on the different certificatoins and the different mission statements and styles of the certs.

As far as respectability, that's also another reason I chose NSCA. It seems to be the most highly regarded, which made me want to go for the best if I was going to do it at all.

 

I'm partial to NASM, because that's what our gym requires and the book is fucking huge.

I wish I could find a cert that actually preached what I believed in though (Not one mention of burpees!) but that'd be too awesome.

 

in my opinion, ACSM > NSCA > ACE, NASM
as far as industry recognition.

 

ACSM -> ACE. Both are tough. Or you could go get your $40 certification over the computer!

 

Kieth Wassung said he used to have business cards that read:

Keith Wassung
Uncertified personal trainer

Said his phone never stopped ringing.

 

That Keith is one crazy bastard. :icon_twis

 

The NSCA's CSCS is the most respected certification for training in the country, bar none. You have to have a BS or BA, preferably in Kinesiology, just to take it. I'm currently studying for it.

 

ACSM wrote the book. Seriously. They wrote the books that are referenced by everybody else. NCSM is real close.

Many trainers do hold clipboards and count. Many want to show exercised that they learned to the wrong people.

Matter of fact, I think it is silly to see how collegiate athletic training approaches are owning the MMA world. F'ing box jumps? WTF for? YOu only have so much energy and time to train. These apes have people moving tires.

Before I get yelled at, I am not saying that that is not a good exercise. But at what risk? What else aren't you doing because you are flipping tires. YOu have to be specific and efficient when training. MMA guys are going "this is new and cool'. It is not specific to the requirements and is potentially a mis-use of energy. Give those exercises to linemen or defensive backs.

sorry.... I think I blacked out there for a while. Just one man's gripe.

 

Don't want to take this too off-topic, but flipping tractor tires for MMA is pretty good in terms of developing explosive power in the legs among other things. If you don't think it comes in handy just imagine stuffing a take-down and exploding up with a knee... that skill could be developed by flipping tires. Not useful for a grappler per say, but would be solid-gold for a stand-up fighter. My two cents...

 

NASM and NSCA are the good ones IMO. ACSM is WAY too much like physical therapy for my tastes, and less on actual athletic training.

I have the Nasm CPT and PES (performance enchancement specialist) certs.

 

Chach what's your point...last time I checked there were very few fighters who were lumberjacks yet a lot of great fighters do Sledgehammering on a tire.....which is a great explosive/plyometric movement with great conditioning benefits...

flipping tire can be a great whole body conditioning and plyometric exercise...depending on how it's done...I dont think you truely understand the reasoning behind these movements.....I invite you spend more time in the Strength/Power forum of this site and read a few fighter logs here to see how effective these techniques are....

what I do find a waste of energy and time for many fighter is the proliferation of the bodybuilding garbage programs....

NCSM/CSCS is tops hands down
ACSM is up there but not quite NCSM
NASM/ISSA/ACE are all 3rd rate certs...(which are perfectly fine for 99% of jobs out there and are all pretty good for those who just need a national cert without a BS/BA)
there are also a bunch of forth rate or unrecognized certs like AAAI, etc...

 

Thanks for the invite but I see a lot of crap there. I am a degreed strength and conditioning guy, owned a gym and trained hundreds of people. I understand more than you know. WHich leads me to a couple of thing you threw out that were probably thinking would just pass by. Everybody is talking plyos few are following the requirements.

Tire flipping:

It is not plyometric unless it is done fast. Jen's Pulver was not doing plyo work. He was doing strength work. He is 145 lifting 250. It was slow which makes it strength work. Hope he wasn't expecting explosiveness.

It is not explosive. Only exercises that are done fast are "specific" to the goal. It would develop explosiveness if the tire weight was manageable that it would provide lots of resistance but you could do it with explosiveness. Not something that fighters struggle to lift and move slowly. There is a sweet spot between power and explosivesess.

I tried to explain up-front that I do not dislike the exercise. It is prescribed for the wrong purpose just because everybody is doing it. It will help develop power and stress the body during the lift phase letting the body relax so the activity can be repeated. This will build endurance and it is very strenuous. It will have a benefit but not a benefit "specific" to every fighters needs. It is power only. That is the purpose of that exercise to build power and fatigue. What aren't you doing when a tire lift is improperly prescribed.

If you only have so much energy. You need to make sure that the exercises are "specific" you your requirements. You only have so much energy and as a trainer better know exactly what the hell the price is for doing it. You will have less energy for skills work because a trainer thinks he is cute prescribing this exercise. It should be about the client and objective of the fight (opponent) and not about how you can show them 14 ways to work glutes. Trainers forget this.

Exercises that engage large muscle groups for the purpose of power/strength may end up incorporating slow twitch. Retarding explosiveness.

I am all set with reading the forum when there is mis-information there.

 

Not sure how you think I am trying to get something by you but an exercise is an exercise...how you use it is up to you.....the specific protocols you choose end up differentiating what you end up doing vs what someone else is doing...you can do the same exercise in order to train strength, explosiveness, endurance, hypertrophy, etc...it all depends.....

i'd get a little bit more established here before you start attacking this forum outright....

also I dont know your background despite your claims but your second to last paragraph is complete nonsense....not quite sure if you mispoke or if that's what you really meant..

 

Chach,

I'm not sure if english is your native language or not but your post was very difficult to understand. There were many statements you made, or tried to make, which did not make a whole lot of sense.

Some points:

First, tire flipping will never be a plyometric exercise no matter what the speed may be. For an exercise to be plyometric it needs to have a rapid amortization phase, less than .15 seconds by Verkhoshanky's guidelines, so regardless of the speed of the flip it will never be plyometric by any means. Tire flipping doesn't even really have an amortization phase since it essentially starts out of an isometric position.

That said, however, tire flipping is an explosive hip extension movement with a horizontal force component that is a great exercise for fighters and is plenty specific to MMA regardless of the tire weight or speed of the flip. It has plenty of uses in different phases of training for a fighter. You are confusing external movement speed and motor recruitment principles, among other things.

Second, I'm not quite sure where you think the sweet spot is between "power and explosiveness" but perhaps you could elaborate on just what the difference between the two are? And where is this sweet spot exactly?

I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about when you say that exercises that incorporate large muscle groups for power/explosiveness may end up incorporate slow twitch and retarding explosiveness. Slow twitch fibers fibers are fired in every resisted movement as they represent the lowest threshold motor units.

Lastly, the ACSM wrote the book on what? The ACSM is mostly for people who want to work in a clinical setting and focus on high risk cardiovascular patients and such.

Most of your post is gibberish but again I'm not sure if this is what you are intending to say or english is just not your native language. Either way I would check some of your statements for accuracy before making them.

With regards to certifications, as I said in another post get whichever one will get you the job you're looking for. If you want to work in a hospital or clinical setting, get the ACSM. If you want to work as a strength and conditioning coach, get the CSCS. If you want to work in a health club, most will be just fine with the NASM, or ACE. None of them will teach you anything aside from the basics and don't mean much of anything. I had both certs from the NSCA and two from USAW but I let them lapse years ago.

 

ACSM/NSCA are both pretty solid. ACSM is one of the biggest and considered the gold standard for sometime - it isn't just for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation or clinical exercise physiologists.

A lot of gyms don't even care though - just if you have the PT cert. most are trash and even the top ones don't guarantee you will be a good trainer, just that you have a foundation to work with.

 

Since I studied ACSM in school, I guess you meant it is the most clinical. You will learn how and why muscles work from the fibers and up. That will help you really understand what is happening. The exercise programming is very intense as well. I have thousands of hours of training and never hurt anyone. I rehabbed clients that other trainers broke. It came from understanding the exercise and what the true impact on the body would be. Exercise prescription can be learned in a short time.

 

I come to this forum to exchange with people. I tolerate ignorance and name calling. I am not sure why their can not be an exchange without tough guy anonymous speak.

Listen douche. If you want to disagree on a science basis feel free. However you seem to be the kind of guy who jerks off looking in the mirror at himself.

We are not disagreeing on plyometrics. I said the same f'ing thing you douche. And yes, it is not a typical plyometric exercise but with a proper weight (sweet spot) that accomplished the requirements of Verkhoshanky's guidelines, it can be plyometric. I said the same thing. It does not start in an isometric position. What the hell does that mean? The hips, back, knees and elbows are bent. The object is not imoveable. It is actively NOT isometric. I could keep going.

ACSM have you done it? NO? THen shut up. You are giving bad information. I can't believe you come in saying that. Thanks for the lesson on slow twitch. Yes they are involved. It is to the degree that they are involved.

I do not need to get a certification from three different orgs. That is kind of silly. It is like going to three different colleges for an English degree. Go tho the best college once.

 

As far as I can see, you're the only one throwing out tough guy anonymous speak. EZA and DS were just not quite sure if English is your first language (I don't think it is, based on reading your posts) because a lot of your points are confusing and a bit hard to understand from a syntactical standpoint. It's not some sort of insult to ask for some clarification.

You're not winning any friends here by acting like this. I for one had some respect for you after your initial post, not because I believed what you were saying (I hold a different opinion), but because you at least came in here, stated what you believed, and backed it up with some explanation.

I still would like to hear more on this discussion (particularly between you and EZA, as you both seem to have quite a bit of education), but not if it's going to devolve into a lame, gradeschool argument.