Certifications & What They Mean

[Mark Limbaga]

This guy am talking about is ACE certified. I respect someone if he has a doctor's degree but CPT certifications sometimes are like diploma mills

What are his certifications?

Sorry, but you're blanketing, and I think your statement is untrue. You realize an M.D. is a certificate, right?

 

[Madmick]

I can't believe fucking personal training certifications are being compared to PhD's, MD's and EMT's. What the fuck. Personal training certifications are simply to comfort the exercise illiterate among us. Many of the certification programs can be obtained via mail or weekend course. How much can someone really learn from that? Go to your local gym and have a conversation with a certified trainer and you'll figure it out real quick. If you want to get strong, ask a strong person...if you want to get slick hair tips, ask a certified personal trainer

This guy am talking about is ACE certified. I respect someone if he has a doctor's degree but CPT certifications sometimes are like diploma mills

Wasptrash, you misinterpreted my reasoning. I did not compare CSCS's to MD's, I only used the metaphor to show how baseless I think the belief is that all certifications are useless. And as BoxingFan already pointed out, the ambition of the thread was to distinguish between which certifications are reputable and which are not. Not every certification in the gym is a personal trainer certificate, and not every personal trainer certificate is a scam.

Which is funny in light of your post, BabyPhenom, because when I first asked me boss about CPT's, I was trying to look up all the organizations that issued them (this was overwhelming), and our conversation went such that I asked him about ACE. He got a look of disgust on his face and said, "A joke."

That was actually pretty hilarious because the first CPT he hired (and only CPT at this branch of our chain) is ACE-certified. When I saw that on the card, I came in the next day and teased him about it, but I was really like, "WTF is that about?", you know. Turns out this guy used to be a competitive powerlifter (saw him pop out 6x505 squats the other day like he was stretching) and actually really knows his shit. After telling me this, my boss rolled his eyes at me, as if to say, "I interviewed him, Andy."

 

[Mark Limbaga]

A certificate is just a feather in your cap IMHO. If I was to work as a personal trainer full-time, I'd get a certification for formality sake. I've been an athlete my whole HS and college life and have been currently reaing up on my basic physiology and nutrition so I'm sure that would be sufficient enough aside from weight training for the past years.

Wasptrash, you misinterpreted my reasoning. I did not compare CSCS's to MD's, I only used the metaphor to show how baseless I think the belief is that all certifications are useless. And as BoxingFan already pointed out, the ambition of the thread was to distinguish between which certifications are reputable and which are not. Not every certification in the gym is a personal trainer certificate, and not every personal trainer certificate is a scam.

Which is funny in light of your post, BabyPhenom, because when I first asked me boss about CPT's, I was trying to look up all the organizations that issued them (this was overwhelming), and our conversation went such that I asked him about ACE. He got a look of disgust on his face and said, "A joke."

That was actually pretty hilarious because the first CPT he hired (and only CPT at this branch of our chain) is ACE-certified. When I saw that on the card, I came in the next day and teased him about it, but I was really like, "WTF is that about?", you know. Turns out this guy used to be a competitive powerlifter (saw him pop out 6x505 squats the other day like he was stretching) and actually really knows his shit. After telling me this, my boss rolled his eyes at me, as if to say, "I interviewed him, Andy."

 

[Madmick]

A certificate is just a feather in your cap IMHO. If I was to work as a personal trainer full-time, I'd get a certification for formality sake. I've been an athlete my whole HS and college life and have been currently reaing up on my basic physiology and nutrition so I'm sure that would be sufficient enough aside from weight training for the past years.

Yeah, but if you had ambitions to be something more, like a university-level head strength and conditioning coach, you're not going to get hired unless you have a CSCS or graduate degree, the same as a hospital won't hire you unless you have that MD. This is for the reason that some certifications are not bogus, the CSCS being one, but simply reflect a standard which must be achieved by the certified.

If you fall into the comfortable judgment that they all are a feather in your cap, you've been just as foolish as the guy who believes by rote than all certificates are good, and thinks that since this big guy at the gym has a CPT, he must know more than anyone who doesn't have a certification. See what I mean?

This is why it is your responsibility to educate yourself on which certifications are reputable: the ones that require rigorous study to earn. That was the point of this thread: a little bit of education for the guys caught up in a world of confusing and often bogus information, and sham organizations and credentials.

 

[wasptrash]

Wasptrash, you misinterpreted my reasoning. I did not compare CSCS's to MD's, I only used the metaphor to show how baseless I think the belief is that all certifications are useless. And as BoxingFan already pointed out, the ambition of the thread was to distinguish between which certifications are reputable and which are not. Not every certification in the gym is a personal trainer certificate, and not every personal trainer certificate is a scam.

Your list is good and informative, however, I believe all certifications in such fields are irrelevant or at least grossly overrated in the search for strength and power. PT's can be irreplaceable in some injury related circumstances, but otherwise most certifications in this area of study are rather useless. A strength trainer is distinguished by his own personal level of strength, knowledge, intellect (that's the big one) and the accomplishments of his/her athletes , not the letters that follow his or her name.

 

[Rjkd12]

I agree that there are a lot of bad certifications out there. The thing is that when jimmy down the street may be able to be impressed with a cheap certification someone who is a good employer will not. So in the end the person who gets certified by www.deplomas.com will get it in the end. You can even get degrees online, but a degree from www.payfordegree.com won't get you very far.

A buddy of mine who didn't go to college always talked about how one day he was going to get his life straight and go to a trade school or something. He told me he recently got his bartending certification and I was all impressed. I asked him how hard it was, how expensive, how long it took etc.. He told me it was easy and wasn't that expensive. He took a few modules on a website on Saturday and took a test on Sunday morning and got his certification. All I could do was sigh.

A thread saying which certs are good is great as then people who want to get certified can do so and choose a good company. But also, you should use your head. Are you taking 3 months of night classes and have an interactive lab or are you going to a seminar on sunday afternoon? You can somewhat determine if the cert is going to mean anything yourself.

 

[BoxingFanNoMore]

Yeah, but if you had ambitions to be something more, like a university-level head strength and conditioning coach, you're not going to get hired unless you have a CSCS or graduate degree

Exactly.

Thats great if you can determine a persons ability and potential as a strength coach, by looking at his own personal level of strength, knowledge, intellect, and the accomplishments of his/her athletes. But I dont know how somebody can get that across on a resume.

Do they just list their lift totals, IQ, and some of their clients?

Here is a current opening for a Head Strenght Coach for a Div-I school.

Head Weight and Strength Coach - Utah State University

"Masters degree and CSCS required."

I guess certifications arent worthless if you want to apply for this job.

 

[wasptrash]

Well, thankfully I don't want to apply for that job, so maybe they are worthless.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

I'm talking about experience here. I have worked as a personal trainer but I have other things that put food on my table and pay my bills. I always believe you should never stop learning that is why i still look for new updates every now and then. Sadly, where I am from, there are not many certifications that are good, If time and funds allow it, I plan to get a degree in human kinetics.

Yeah, but if you had ambitions to be something more, like a university-level head strength and conditioning coach, you're not going to get hired unless you have a CSCS or graduate degree, the same as a hospital won't hire you unless you have that MD. This is for the reason that some certifications are not bogus, the CSCS being one, but simply reflect a standard which must be achieved by the certified.

If you fall into the comfortable judgment that they all are a feather in your cap, you've been just as foolish as the guy who believes by rote than all certificates are good, and thinks that since this big guy at the gym has a CPT, he must know more than anyone who doesn't have a certification. See what I mean?

This is why it is your responsibility to educate yourself on which certifications are reputable: the ones that require rigorous study to earn. That was the point of this thread: a little bit of education for the guys caught up in a world of confusing and often bogus information, and sham organizations and credentials.

 

[dogmai]

Yeah, good post Madmick, I have a fellow student in my Yoga class who is a CPT who went through the NASM and she was giving me a lot of good advice and knew a whole lot more than I figured a CPT would, considering my experience with them at gyms. She's actually well informed and intelligent in what she speaks and now she's helping me get started with the NASM for schooling.

 

[cockysprinter]

babyphenom i think you should stop posting for a while.

 

[wasptrash]

Seriously guys...is there anybody here that needs to concern themselves with certifications?
"Oh, sorry dude, that sounds like good advice, but you're not carrying the proper credentials, so I can't take your advice."
"Oh, sorry Carnal, that sounds like good advice, but you're not carrying the proper credentials, so I can't take your advice."
"Oh, sorry Urban, that sounds like good advice, but you're not carrying the proper credentials, so I can't take your advice."
"Oh, sorry Cmart, that sounds like good advice, but you're not carrying the proper credentials, so I can't take your advice."

 

[Madmick]

Seriously guys...is there anybody here that needs to concern themselves with certifications?
"Oh, sorry dude, that sounds like good advice, but you're not carrying the proper credentials, so I can't take your advice."
"Oh, sorry Carnal, that sounds like good advice, but you're not carrying the proper credentials, so I can't take your advice."
"Oh, sorry Urban, that sounds like good advice, but you're not carrying the proper credentials, so I can't take your advice."
"Oh, sorry Cmart, that sounds like good advice, but you're not carrying the proper credentials, so I can't take your advice."

The thing is, any of those guys wouldn't have much work to do if they wanted to test for the CSCS. They've already learned a great deal of it on their own. Fortunately, we have a forum where peer-review maintains order. But if you're on your own, and a guy is telling you about what you don't know (and presumably that's all you'd be asking information on, or you'd be wasting your time), and his information was bad, how would you know he was full of shit without someone else there to reel him in on it?

 

[Madmick]

Sadly, where I am from, there are not many certifications that are good, If time and funds allow it, I plan to get a degree in human kinetics.

Do you mean you want to get certified in kinesiology?

 

[Cmart]

I would like to maybe get certified one day. I'm thinking about volunteering as strength and conditioning coach for our high school football team when my boys get that age.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

Not just a certificate, I'd like to get a degree.

Do you mean you want to get certified in kinesiology?

 

[Madmick]

Not just a certificate, I'd like to get a degree.

Okay, yeah, if you'd said that, I would have understood. The certification part threw me off, I was wondering if this was the name of some kinesiology-oriented certificate through some organization.

That's a great sports medicine field. That's my boss's B.S. and M.S.

 

[Madmick]

I would like to maybe get certified one day. I'm thinking about volunteering as strength and conditioning coach for our high school football team when my boys get that age.

Hell yeah. That would kick ass for your sons and their team.

If football is still coached the way it was when I was in high school, every high school football coach needs a seminar from the NSCA. It was ridiculous how ignorant their methods were. We swimmers were appalled at how poorly they cared for their athletes.

 

[Mark Limbaga]

Now we're on the same wavelength. I do my best with self-studfy on training but I eventually plan to get a degree. We al knw a certificate to a degree is like a weekend seminar to a 4 year course. Besides, it is more credible when you have a degree in human kinetics, kinesiology or physiology and have a cscs to your name rather than just a certificate.

Okay, yeah, if you'd said that, I would have understood. The certification part threw me off, I was wondering if this was the name of some kinesiology-oriented certificate through some organization.

That's a great sports medicine field. That's my boss's B.S. and M.S.

 

[Madmick]

Now we're on the same wavelength. I do my best with self-studfy on training but I eventually plan to get a degree. We al knw a certificate to a degree is like a weekend seminar to a 4 year course. Besides, it is more credible when you have a degree in human kinetics, kinesiology or physiology and have a cscs to your name rather than just a certificate.

Absolutely. I think the real key is getting your degree in that related field- whichever it is. I mean, the CSCS requires a degree just to sit for the test, but if I earned it, and wanted to get a job as a trainer with some large organizing body (like a university, or semi-pro team), they'd take one look at my English B.A. and tell me, "Back to school."

Yeah, if you're really serious, that's the way to go. Get a B.A. or B.S. in Kinesiology, then an M.S. in it (or a related field). Then you'll have to get your CSCS. You'll be set.

For me, I don't have time to go back to school to get a dual science degree just to have it. I'd like to get a CSCS and affiliate myself with a gym part-time while I am at law school, or maybe work as a grunt at a company that trains athletes like my boss did.