Certified, Qualified and Insured?

Note: This article is written for information purposes only.

Certified, Qualified, and Insured are three words that should mean something to everyone; no matter what type of service person you’re looking for, whether you are looking for a mechanic, carpenter, landscaper, etc… For the purpose of this article we are talking about Personal Trainers. If you were to do a web search for “Personal Trainer certifications” you would find numerous certifications available, and if you type in “Personal Trainer certifications Palm Coast” you would see that Palm Coast has its very own certification through a company called “Expertrating” for $49.99. This certification company even offers a Sports Nutrition, Pilates, Aerobics and Yoga certification in addition to its Personal Training certification. Further investigation will reveal that all you have to do is take the exam online and you will see your results right away.

Well the reason for this article is to let the public know that there are many different certifications out there and many different ways to get them, whether it is online, taking an open book exam at your home, at a computer center, or in a proctored exam room. Some certifications require a Bachelor’s degree prior to sitting for the exam and others just require that you are 18 years of age. So with all of the certifications out there, how do you know which Personal Trainers are better qualified than others? This article is not intended to say that one Personal Trainer certification is better than another, this is for you to decide, but this article is intended to educate the general public about Personal Trainers certifications, qualifications, and liability. One thing you may want to look for when searching for a Personal Trainer is if their certification is accredited by the NCCA. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is the accreditation agency for the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) which is the leader in quality standards for credentialing organizations. Some certifications that are NCCA accredited are the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), American Council on Exercise (ACE), National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).  In addition, most Personal Training certifications have an expiration date. In order for the Personal Trainer to keep their certification up to date he or she needs to accumulate continuing education credits by going to seminars, conferences, or taking exams. This assures you that the Personal Trainer is up to date on the newest research and development in the industry.

Ask if the Personal Trainer is CPR/AED trained and if it is current. Most CPR cards and CPR/AED cards expire within one to two years. Many Personal Training certifications require CPR but do not require CPR/AED. One last thing you may want to know is that Personal Trainers should carry their own liability insurance. Some Personal Trainers believe or are told that if they work at an establishment they are covered under the establishment’s policy, but this is not always the case. Most establishments carry liability insurance to cover the establishment but do not cover the individual Personal Trainer. Remember, just because someone says that they are “certified”, it does not mean that they are “qualified”. As stated earlier, this article is just an informative article about what to look for when searching for a Personal Trainer and how all certifications are not the same.

Article written by: Dave Challice, BS, PTA, CSCS, TPI FP3, GI2, JC2