Certification In Sports Conditioning?

[Centaur]

I've been looking at furthering my education in
Specialist in Sports Conditioning and training and was checking out the ISSA. It seems decent at first, but then I saw the curriculum and was a little concerned that I wouldn't be getting what I really need.

Here's the overview:
# Exercises for the Chest Muscles
# Exercises to Develop the Shoulders
# Rotator Cuff Exercises
# Advanced Bench Press Training
# Bench Press Training
# Exercises for the Front of the Arm
# Exercises for the Back of the Arm
# Exercises for the Forearm
# Developing the Abs in the Presence of Excess Abdominal Fat
# Sit-ups for Shapely Abs
# The Core & The Kinetic Chain
# How-to Harness ****bolism to Fight Abdominal Fat
# Exercises for the Upper, Middle & Lower Back
# Exercises for the Neck
# Multijoint Leg Exercises
# Auxiliary Isolation Exercises for the Lower Body
# Advanced Lifts & Functional Training Technique

http://www.issaonline.com/courses/SSC/

Things like " Exercises for the Back of the Arm" and "Exercises for the Forearm" don't really seem to be in line with training athletes (in my case, fighters and hockey players). Though " Advanced Lifts & Functional Training Technique" do.

I sent an email explaining what I was hoping to learn:

I need to be able to help them train in speed, agility, maximal strength, speed-strength. I believe the best way is whole body exercises such as the Clean and Press, Snatch, Deadlift. Also to train different energy systems (glycolitic, ATP-PC, aerobic), General Physical Preparation (GPP), and Sports Specific Preparation (SPP).

The instructor got back to me (promptly, I might add) and assured me that all these types of things will be covered.

Another I was checking out was the course in Martial Arts Conditioning, which despite the name actually looks pretty decent:

http://www.issaonline.com/courses/smac/index.cfm

The ISSA

 

[Centaur]

Here's a much more accurate outline of the program:
http://drsquat.com/home/index.php?p...=132&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26&vmcchk=1

Table of Contents:
http://www.pureathlete.com/html/ssc_table_of_contents.html


I'm liking this more and more. I think I'm going to do it.

 

[encore_]

"# Advanced Bench Press Training
# Bench Press Training
# Exercises for the Front of the Arm
# Developing the Abs in the Presence of Excess Abdominal Fat
# Sit-ups for Shapely Abs"

Those lines are kind of frightening.

 

[Centaur]

Ya, that's exactly what was causing me concern, (and "Auxiliary Isolation Exercises for the Lower Body")

but

Training, 182
Principles of Training and Adaptation, 184
Endurance Fitness, 202
Muscle Strength, 214
Flexibility, 228
Jumping and Plyometrics, 240
Power and Speed, 254
Designing Training Programs, 266

and the other stuff from Post#2 def. seem more legit.

 

[Krossinc]

I'm certified as a Specialist in Sports Conditioning with the ISSA. I did mine over the internet, which is unfortunate because it's about 5x harder that way. Anyways, it's good information, not the way some of those things you mentioned above make it sound.

There's EXTEEEENSIVVEEE chapters on human anatomy, oxygen intake, heat regulation, among other things. There's also chapters for about 6-7 individual sports and mounds of other chapters on various materials. To tell you the truth, it's an insane amount of information (especially concerning the anatomy). It's a good certification.

 

[Centaur]

Thanks Krossinc. After I saw those links I posted I thought it looked a lot better.

Very good to hear from someone who's done it, I appreciate your input, and I've seen your posts and you know what you're talking about (from what I can vaguely recall).

So you work as a SSC? If so, how well did the course prepare you for it?

 

[Krossinc]

Correction, I did. I'm still currently certified but other things have taken my attention from it and I lacked the time to properly market myself. However, I did enjoy it. I loved working with athletes and it prepared me well. Personally, I've always liked working with someone who was truly looking for some results, as opposed to the average guy looking to shed 3-5 pounds.

Definitely worth it, and I still train occassionally.

 

[Centaur]

Again, thanks for you input. Appreciate it.

Personally, I've always liked working with someone who was truly looking for some results, as opposed to the average guy looking to shed 3-5 pounds.

This is why. I work as a trainer already, but it's the usual "I want bigger shoulders and a six pack, what should I do?"
I just started with a kid that plays rep hockey, and he seems determined, so this motivates me to help him more. I don't even really care about the money when it's like that.

 

[zapamy]

how the hell do you harness the ****bolism to control fat on the abs?

 

[Cap'n]

Join me in my quest to become a CSCS, like Mark Rippetoe.

 

[Newt]

Join me in my quest to become a CSCS, like Mark Rippetoe.

Ditto - I'm studying for the exam now. If you want the most respected certification, this is really the route to go. Check out:
www.nsca-cc.org and www.nsca-lift.org

 

[Centaur]

Mr. Goode, Newt:

Thanks for the idea, I've looked at that before but unfortunately I don't have a bachelors degree, nor am I even close to getting one.

I can understand why they would like to have their trainers have some sort of post secondary degree. At the same time I think it's kinda of superfilous if said degree is in Art History or something else that little to no relevance to anatomy or physiology.

If you guys DO have a bachelors I can totally see why you'd go that route, and good luck to you both. I hope you do well.

 

[cockysprinter]

how respected is this certification? id like to get one as well, but im not planning to go back to college anytime soon.

 

[mobeck]

I'm a month away from taking the NSCA-CSCS exam as well. As far as strength and conditioning, it is the most widely regarded, however as has been pointed out you need a Bachelor's degree in order to even take the test in the first place.

There are other routes you can go. As far as physical training goes, the most reputable certifications are from NSCA, ASCM, NASM, and ACE.

I have a Personal Trainer certification from NASM (www.nasm.org). If you get this particular certification, you can then go after the NASM-PES (Performance Enhancement Specialist) certification. It is essentially NASM's equivalent certification to the NSCA-CSCS, however instead of requiring the college degree, they simply require the base level certification as a prerequisite.

 

[Newt]

IMO, the CSCS is the most respected, but you do have to have a degree for the certification. My opinion, unless the certification is required for a club or gym you're looking at working at, I wouldn't waste money on any other type of certification. If you just want to train people on your own, if you've been around Sherdog long enough you probably already know enough to train the average Joe.

That said, you might want to look up the requirements for the NSCA's Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification. That's the same organization that offers the CSCS, but I think the CPT may have a lower educational (as in college degree) standard? Their websites again are: www.nsca-lift.org and www.nsca-cc.org

 

[mobeck]

IMO, the CSCS is the most respected, but you do have to have a degree for the certification. My opinion, unless the certification is required for a club or gym you're looking at working at, I wouldn't waste money on any other type of certification. If you just want to train people on your own, if you've been around Sherdog long enough you probably already know enough to train the average Joe.

That said, you might want to look up the requirements for the NSCA's Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification. That's the same organization that offers the CSCS, but I think the CPT may have a lower educational (as in college degree) standard? Their websites again are: www.nsca-lift.org and www.nsca-cc.org

Yeah, the CSCS is the most respected. For instance, many professional sports teams require their trainers to hold the CSCS.

The NSCA-CPT cert does not require any type of degree as a prerequisite, and it is a very useful and respected certification as well.

Most gyms...well, pretty much all gyms require that their trainers have a cert from either NASM, NSCA, ACSM, or ACE. If you are looking at working on your own, it's entirely possible to work without a certification. Your liability insurance will be very expensive however, as having a certification through a major organization will give you amazing discounts on insurance.

 

[Centaur]

I personally would never hire a guy to train me if the answer to "How did you get certified?" was "I'm not, I learned it from the 'Net."

 

[mobeck]

I personally would never hire a guy to train me if the answer to "How did you get certified?" was "I'm not, I learned it from the 'Net."

It's crazy though, I know of a few successful trainers in my area who don't have a cert to speak of. The thing is that they started years back when the field was far less regulated than it is now (and it still isn't regulated enough, as is). There are some certifications that a complete moron could probably study for and attain within 2 weeks. Obviously these aren't accredited by the NCCA, but a lot of clients probably don't know any better, so if they see some random four letter certification, ie: ICQF-CPT, they'll jump on board.

In the future I'm sure we'll see crackdowns on this, and all those certs that aren't accredited will be done away with. It'll probably take a few lawsuits though

 

[Centaur]

I know man. The Can-fit Pro one is 24 hours I think, over 3 days, so basically a "weekend warrior" type thing.

Then AGAIN, look at Ross Enamait. No certification (that I'm aware of) but probably knows more than 99% of regular gym Personal Trainers (myself included).

 

[mobeck]

I know man. The Can-fit Pro one is 24 hours I think, over 3 days, so basically a "weekend warrior" type thing.

Then AGAIN, look at Ross Enamait. No certification (that I'm aware of) but probably knows more than 99% of regular gym Personal Trainers (myself included).

Yeah, a good certification is a decent measure of how good a trainer might be, but really you can have people like Ross who are amazing trainers with true passion for everything that goes along with it who may not have a formal certification. And then it goes the other way as well. You could have a college grad with a degree in Exercise Science/Kinesiology plus an NSCA-CSCS certification, but they may be a terrible trainer and someone you shouldn't listen to at all.