A few years ago, The Atlantic Club in New Jersey made a transition. Instead of focusing on general fitness — and general fitness alone — the club wanted to incorporate a medical focus in order to better aid the deconditioned portion of the population.
As a result, the club pursued a Medical Fitness Certification through the Medical Fitness Association, which it officially received on November 8, 2014.
Many clubs in the industry are making a similar transition, which raises the question: as your facility transitions to include more medical fitness offerings, should your personal trainers’ certifications evolve as well?
“We feel that trainers at medical fitness facilities — and all facilities — should have NCCA accredited certifications,” said Kathy Guibord, the senior director of health and wellness at The Atlantic Club. “Our top preferences are ACSM, ACE, NASM and NSCA. For trainers working with moderate-risk individuals, we like to see higher-level certifications such as the ACSM Health Fitness Specialist or the ACE Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist. These certifications specifically focus on working with individuals with chronic illness.”
In addition, Guibord said there are select specialty certifications that are beneficial to trainers working at medical-based clubs, including ACSM’s Cancer Exercise, ACE’s Weight Management, NSCA Certified Special Population and NASM’s Correct Exercise specialties. “As trainers begin to focus in areas that they are passionate about, they generally pursue additional trainings and certifications in those categories,” she said.
Guibord explained these types of certifications give the trainers that work at The Atlantic Club more credibility. “In addition, in order to maintain their certifications, trainers need to do continuing education credits to keep their certification current. This also helps to ensure that they are staying up to date in their field.”
At The Atlantic Club, some personal trainers get to exhibit their expertise through the club’s medical-based 60-day Physician Referred Exercise Program (P.R.E.P.). Members are referred to the program through their physician, and receive a specialty rate in order to participate. At the end of the 60 days, the participants have the option of becoming a regular member.
As an outcome-based program, it’s important the club’s personal trainers have quality certifications. However, Guibord explained other qualities are vital as well. “Equally as important to us at The Atlantic Club is to find trainers who are passionate about working with clients to help them achieve their goals,” she said. “We look for personal trainers with excellent communication skills, compassion and follow-through.”
As your club transitions from general to medical-incorporated fitness, consider what certifications your trainers could earn that would increase their – and your club’s — credibility with physicians and their patients.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
