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The fitness industry wants better training, higher standards

Posted on Nov 21st 2006 12:28PM by Martha Edwards

Filed Under: Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment

According to this article players in the fitness industry are trying to get the bar raised for personal trainers -- meaning that they want better training and higher standards required to become a personal trainer. At the moment, it's not that hard to gain employment as a personal trainer, and that's a little scary considering how easily someone could get injured at the gym because of careless or uneducated instruction. It's suggested that people take a 4-year bachelor's degree and undergo certification to become a personal trainer.

I think more education and higher standards are a great idea. What about you?

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6 Comment

Tags: fitness certifacation, fitness training, FitnessCertifacation, FitnessTraining, personal trainer, personal trainers, PersonalTrainer, PersonalTrainers

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tim UF 11-21-2006 @ 4:35PM

Personal Trainers fill the preventative medicine side of physical therapy. With that point of view, if i were to hire a personal trainer, I would want assurances that they are just as well certified in their field as a physical therapist.

Miguel 11-21-2006 @ 11:13PM

There are already standards bodies in place for personal trainers (NASM, ACE, etc.) so I don't agree w/ the 4 year college requirement. You don't need to be a graduate to be well versed in exercise/physiology (this is what certifications from these organizations are for).

I will agree that the bar needs to be set a bit higher, perhaps making it mandatory to obtain certification from an established and recognized org.

4 years of college to be a trainer though? Excessive in my humble opinion.

Stephen Holt 11-21-2006 @ 11:28PM

As the article implies, people with special needs should look for personal trainers with appropriate credentials and education.

The author of the article apparently is not aware that there's now a national board exam for personal trainers led by the National Board of Fitness Examiners. I happened to be one of the Expert Fellows selected to write the examination questions.

Our research showed there is indeed a dearth of personal trainers properly educated to work with clients with chronic diseases, disabilities, or injuries. Our mission is to help the public find trainers who are qualified.

Jon 11-21-2006 @ 11:40PM

Personal Trainers fill the need of psycho-therapist and listen to their clients life stories while trying to get them a good workout in, so I definitely would like my trainer to be a certified psycho-therapist with a 8+ year degree.

aesthetik 11-22-2006 @ 11:58AM

I think experience is the key to being a great personal trainer as well as continuing education, but getting the right education from the start doesn't hurt.

I'm going to school to be a cpt. That's right school! An actual 6 month, hands on program where you learn all the ins and outs of being a trainer. I think these people have the right idea. Is a weekend seminar going to give you everything you need to be a successful trainer? I don't think so.