Personal Fitness Professional - March 2009 - (Page 14) CERTIFICATIONS? What you, the readers, said about the certification process It’s been talked about for years. Should there be a standard, or should it be a free market? Do clients even care about the letters behind your name? Does more mean better? You probably have already taken your stance on the controversial certification process, but how do the rest of your peers feel? We asked you the following questions, and you answered — and with gusto. What about What certifications command the most respect among fitness pros? ACSM: 60% ACE:44% NSCA: 50% NASM: 41% Note: Percentages from this question do not total 100% due to multiple certifications being mentioned in several survey answers. “For general fitness, ACE, AFAA and NASM are well-respected. For sports conditioning, NSCA is probably the gold standard. For medically based programs, ACSM and Cooper Institute are respected.” Do clients respect certifications? Yes: 43% No: 28% Mixed: 29% “Yes” or “no” didn’t win the majority here — responses were varied but very interesting, especially the ones that noted that clients respect that fact that a trainer at least has a certification, no matter what certification it may be. And many of you stated that some clients don’t know that some fitness pros train without certifications or official qualifications! “I feel they believe there is a standard certification process and that being a ‘certified personal trainer’ is the same across the board, which it is not.” “Most have no way of distinguishing between one certification and the next. They are content to know their trainer or coach is certified, but once that box is checked, they move on to NSCA (CPT and CSCS), NASM (PES, CES and CPT), ACE and ACSM were thought to be the most respected due to their current popularity and difficulty to obtain, although NFPT, e Cooper Institute, ISSA, Les Mills, C.H.E.K, NESTA, NPTI, AFAA, IDEA, AEA, STOTT, YogaFit and FiTOUR were suggested as well. Some of you even recommended obtaining degrees versus certifications. “NSCA-CSCS is at the top because it requires you to have a bachelor’s degree to take the exam. NFPTCPT because of its extensive exam and study guide.” “At present, ACE and ACSM seem to have a top position within the industry, with Cooper, NASM and AAFA near the top as well.” “ACSM because of its name and longevity, NASM because of its inclusion of practicality and ability to analyze posture, and NIHS, a sleeper that is so practical and helpful that it towers above most others. I especially enjoy their individual [certifications for] back specialist, knee specialist, etc.” “ACSM, NASM, the Cooper Institute and the C.H.E.K Institute. e first two because they are considered the best amongst academia, and the latter two because they provide a ‘real world’ education on how to actually work with a variety clients to get ‘real’ results!” “I believe that having your degree in exercise science and/or kinesiology yields the most respect among fitness professionals. is guarantees that that professional [doesn’t hold] a fly-by-night certification and has dedicated true time to the understanding of the human anatomy and how it works.” MARCH2009 WWW.FIT PRO.COM http://www.fit-pro.com
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