How to Become A Personal Trainer?

I am sitting at a park waiting on my last client while I write this blog to you and sometimes I can't believe I really get to do this every day for a living... Every day I get to write, teach, and talk to people about their nutrition, their goals, workouts, inspiration, stories and then help them on their path to accomplish all those things! I am no doctor or surgeon, but I get to make a huge, positive impact on somebody's quality of life every day! What could be more rewarding?

One of my favorite clients had his last session this past Friday (we will call him, John) and after training with me for five days a week over a 3 year period. When I went to leave his last session, he hugged me and said "I just wanted to say thank you. You truly saved my life". John was severely over weight and a few pounds away from possibly never seeing his 8 year old daughter make it to high school. Long story short, through hard work and discipline John is now in the best shape of his life and no longer has fears about his health and the future of his family.

Personal Training is a very rewarding career with so many endless benefits. If you are someone who is passionate about helping people, nutrition, exercise, self-discipline, and a positive lifestyle then personal training may be the right career for you! I started my personal training career in 2009 after graduating with my Bachelor's in Business Management. I have always been active and always loved learning new workouts and healthy recipes so immediately after I graduated I researched how to become a personal trainer. Found out very quickly, there are A LOT of ways to become a trainer but the key is finding the right ways!

With so many different certifications out there, the first thing you want to do is check accreditation. A lot of newer certification companies do not hold proper accreditation so if you do your education through them you risk not having your certification accepted through some employers. Every personal training certification will require you to receive your CPR & AED certification first for safety reasons. There are numerous places in every state that offer short one-two day classes on this that can be found through the Red Cross and the American Heart Association. Once you have received that, you will want to research the top 3 certifications that hold accreditation and that interest you. I chose to go with NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) since they are the most highly accepted and the certification that is taught at colleges for students receiving degrees in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, and Athletic Training. NASM offers self-taught courses that give you several tests date (usually 3-4 months out from receiving your materials) and they also offer live workshops to guide you through your course work to prepare you for your Personal Training test.

With the NASM certifications you have several choices with training to choose from with the basic CPT course along with various specialists certifications such as nutrition, rehab, sports performance, etc. Education can never go wasted, but if you are just planning on starting your career as a personal trainer at a local gym you will want to get your basic personal training certification then gain experience to decide what your niche or specialty will be. 

Once you have received all of your certifications, the world is limitless to the options you have as a personal trainer. You can pursue a career at a well-known fitness facility and work your way to the top, travel on cruise ships as a fitness specialist and see the world, work with kids or adults who struggle with exercise and nutrition, become an entrepreneur in the fitness industry, a writer, whatever you want to be you can do it! You are wanting to become a personal trainer so I know you are self motivated. Follow these steps to gain your certification that see what the world has to offer! :)