There are a number of people moving into the career of personal training. I find it great that people are discovering their passion for a new career. However, to those fitness professionals looking to hire personal trainers, I express caution against hiring someone that does not have a nationally accredited certification.
The accreditation of a certification means that the organization’s educational and testing process has been validated and meets certain standards. Having a nationally accredited certified trainer is not only becoming the standard, but in terms of liability it also helps protect your club from being found negligent in a lawsuit. In terms of insurance, most companies require all trainers to have a certification from a national accreditation body, just to insure the facility. Here is a list of the personal training certifications that are accredited:
NASM
NSCA
ACE
ISSA
NFPT
NCSF
Accreditation is also important to our industry by simply setting a standard of testing and credentialing. That’s why as a personal training director, I’d strongly discourage hiring someone based off a non-accredited certification alone.
Vic Spatola is the Director of Personal Training for Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club in Greenwood Village, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. Contact him at vics@greenwoodatc.com.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
