How to Become a Personal Trainer
Have you been trying to find unbiased information on becoming a Personal Trainer?
A How-To manual on becoming a Personal Trainer by a Certified Personal Trainer that learned the hard way about certifications, the industry and how to run a Personal Training business.
Having trouble finding any information that isn’t obviously supported by a certification organization?
Do you wish you could just have someone explain the industry to you?
When I started to I had these problems too, so I decided to do something about it…
My Story
About a year ago, I decided that even though I was making a lot of money in the Corporate world, I wanted to do something I loved. Although I loved making money, I really wanted out of the rat race to do something that meant something to me.
I have always been athletic with an avid interest in fitness and nutrition. I enjoyed working with people and have a little business background that might come in handy.
It seemed that becoming a personal trainer would be a fantastic career choice for me.
All I needed to do was check the Internet and see what the ‘typical’ education path is for personal trainers.
Internet Information on Personal Training
Guess what I found? Probably what you’ve found…no formal regulations regulating the industry, unlimited pitches for “this” certification and “that” degree, and more confusion than answers.
I thought the Internet was supposed to make this easier? If I want to be a computer programmer, there are tons of resources that explain some popular paths to become a successful professional. But unbiased information on becoming a personal trainer is impossible to come by. Believe me, I’ve tried.
What does each personal training certification mean? What’s ACE, NPTI, NCCA, and CSCS? Are they any good? Are some certifications better than others? How long does it take? Is an online certification as good as an at-home certification? Do I need to take a job at a gym for long hours and bad pay? How would I start a personal training business?
Trying to find these answers on the Internet was futile as far as I was concerned. There are some message boards with some random guy’s opinion about “what his brothers girlfriend did 5 years ago.” There are web sites set up by certification programs that try and convince you that their certification is the only ‘good’ certification. (This is not true, there are many good certifications) The information out there right now is simply insufficient for anyone trying to determine a cut-and-dry way to become a personal trainer.
PROBLEM #1 – All the information out there is geared to sell us something else, some course, follow-on product, or referral. It’s not intending to “inform” us, its intention is to sell us something that we aren’t sure we need.
PROBLEM #2 – The information we need isn’t easy to discover unless we have a trusted friend in the business. Even then, they only know one avenue…which is what they did to get them to where they are. What if that’s not what you want?
PROBLEM #3 – All sites with information about becoming a personal trainer are front-ends to explain why they believe their certification is the leader. It’s just advertising to get you to sign up for their certification.
PROBLEM #4 – The books available in bookstores – Personal Training for Dummies, etc… – don’t have any detail about exactly ‘How’ to do many of the things they outline in the book. Saying “Get Certified” is one thing, but my book goes into detail about how to actually “Be Certified.”
My Mission
That’s why when I learned the answers to my questions through experience and many mistakes, I promised myself I’d share it with others. I wrote down everything that happened to me and package it in an easy to understand, informative, and conversational fashion so that others could learn from my experience.
I’ve spoken with fitness professionals, personal trainers, college administrators, and many others about the personal training industry. I kept notes on different programs, career options, and business information that new personal trainers need to know. Compiling all of this, I ended up with over a hundred pages of information.
Finding that there’s so much information that isn’t on the web was a shock. How can anyone make informed decisions based on the advertising and worthless information on the web? I sure as heck didn’t want to!
The Current, Up To Date Information
Having just completed my certifications in late 2007 and early 2008, I know about all the current changes and undercurrents in the personal training industry today. For example, just a few years ago there were only five NCCA certified organizations, now there’s eight and it’s soon to be nine or ten. But it’s difficult to find out about all the other certifications that are just as good and may be better for your particular circumstance.
I decided to break the Personal Training education process into different sections, to make it easier for people interested in learning about how to become a personal trainer to understand the various aspects involved; Personal Training Fundamentals, The Education Process, Popular Certifications, and finally, Legal Forms and Guidelines.
My Goal and Intentions
My goal when writing my report is to make sure that you know what steps to take to become a personal trainer when you finish reading it.
You should be able to determine what type of Personal Trainer you want to be, which certification would benefit your goals, and how to start your business and/or get a position in a gym or fitness studio.
I will help you get an idea of how long it will take to get a particular certification or degree.I will show you the personal and social skills you will need to succeed.
I will teach you how to recognize which type of certifications to watch out for that are scams. There are way too many scams in this industry.
I will show you how to get money for your personal training education.
I will give you legal forms that you can use to create your personalized legal packet that you use with clients.
And this is just the beginning. My goal is to make sure that you really know how to get certified and make money doing something that you love. Just like I do.
Let me tell you what you will NOT find in my report:
NO advertisements or biased endorsements for any particular certification.
NO requests for you to purchase my ‘weight solution’, supplement, or other add-on product that you always see in this industry.
Unlike the “Rich Dad” series, Trump Real Estate course, or infomercials, I’m not selling this to get you to go to a seminar or other ‘advanced’ course. I am not selling a more ‘expensive’ follow on product.
You will see that becoming a personal trainer is much less of a complex and confusing process than the competing certification companies make it seem. You will see that become a trainer is an achievable goal for ANYONE.
But isn’t this just a bunch of happy hype with no downside?
Absolutely not. You will see how deeply I stress the commitment and dedication it takes to become a personal trainer in my report. I do NOT want ‘tourist’ trainers in my industry. There are too many already. They bring down our professionalism and reputation.
I lay it out honestly with respect to what you are going to need to do to become a trainer. There is no sugar coating and I promise that I discourage the people who shouldn’t be pursuing this career.
Will reading your report make my mind up for me?
Once again, absolutely not. My report is not a substitute for your own research and serious consideration. Just like a career in a legal, medical, or technical profession, you must learn as much as you can about the expectations before you begin.
My goal is to give you the information you need to decide if this is the career for you and give you the tools to begin right away.
Table of Contents of “How to Become a Personal Trainer”
To give you a better idea of what’s available in my report, here’s the Table of Contents:
____________________________________________________________
Overview
About Me
Who I am and how I came to creating this book for future personal trainers.
Personal Training Fundamentals
Being a Personal Trainer
Understanding the commitment and rewards of being a Personal Trainer
Skills
The Two “Sides” to Being a Personal Trainer
Time Commitment
What Type of Time Commitment does it take to Become a Successful Personal Trainer?
The Certification Process
A Certification usually involves either Home Study or On-Site Classes with a Competency Exam.
Making Sense of all the Personal Training Acronyms
What’s the difference between NPTI, NCCA, NCSF, and NSCA? What do I really need to know?
How to Recognize Scams in the Personal Training Industry
The prevalence of scamming individuals and companies has become a real problem, here’s what to look for.
Personal Trainer Education Process
Education Overview
Education Opportunities – At-Home, Online, Workshops and School/University
College Programs
College opportunities for aspiring Personal Trainers.
Financial Aid
Financial Aid can assist you with a 2 or 4-year degree. It can even assist in gaining an NCCA Certification
How to Choose the Right Certification Program
Weighing the choices of certifications and degree programs with your personal situation
Certification Programs
Online Certification Programs
Online Personal Training Certification Programs are becoming more prominent in the industry. What are they and what to look for when choosing one.
Do I Even Need a Certification?
If you already have a lot of experience, you may not need a certification
Which Certification Should I Get? How about a Matrix to Help?
Differences between certifications can be the best determining factor in deciding which certification is best of your goals.
Comparison of Certifications Matrix
Certification Reviews
My reviews of many of the most popular Personal Training Certification Programs
American Aerobic Association / International
Sports Medicine Association (AAAI / ISMA)
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
American Council on Exercise (ACE)
The Cooper Institute (CI)
National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF)
National Exercise Trainers Association (NETA)
National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT)
National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
National Personal Training Institute (NPTI)
Legal Forms
Overview of Relevant Legal Responsibilities
Legal issues to help protect your new business and yourself.
Business Insurance vs. Liability Insurance
The difference between business insurance and liability insurance
Personal Trainer Liability Insurance
Yes, you need it. Here’s how to get it.
Personal Trainer Liability Form
Informed Consent Form
Incident Report Form
PAR-Q Form
Legal Appendix: Sample Personal Training Legal Forms
Sample Legal Forms for Personal Trainers
Conclusion
Good Luck!
____________________________________________________________
My “How to Become a Personal Trainer” Report
“How to Become a Personal Trainer” costs $17.00.
That’s not dirt cheap, but it’s less than a dinner out or a couple of fitness magazines.
I also put a price on my report because it’s important to me to keep my profession walled off from the ‘fly-by-night’ trainers that don’t care about being a professional. What sense does it make to share information with any Tom, Dick and Harry if it’s only going to bring about the demise of the profession? We have enough poor quality trainers in the world, I do not want to assist in creating any more.
It’s also important to put value on information when it’s truly helpful for my customers. I packed in over 90 pages of information on becoming a Personal Trainer into this book. Because I offer a money back guarantee, there is no risk to purchase my report and this price values the information by the return you get from what you learn.
If you have ANY questions or problems before or after you order, please feel free to contact me at Leslie@trainingfragments.com
I began using Google Checkout in 2008 and have found it to be a safe, secure, and fast way to deliver products. When you order, you get immediate access to my book, no more waiting for the mail! You can use Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express to order via Paypal. Below is a picture of my reviews since 2008:
I have conducted hundreds of sales through Google (and Paypal) and am a Google (and Paypal, for that matter…) verified seller. (That means they know who I am, have access to my credit cards, bank account, and tax ID number…so I can’t just ‘disappear’ on you!)
I will NOT have access to any of your credit card information. I will only receive notice that you’ve made payment and downloaded the materials.
Here’s how it works:
1. You hit the big “Google Checkout” button below and Google will let you pay by credit card.
2. You will be sent a link, once your payment is successful, to download the PDF book. The link is valid for 72 hours. If you have issues, please email me.
3. Then, get going on your Personal Training career!
In order to purchase my report, by Credit Card, click below. (The charge will appear as “Google * VistaPhoenix, LLC” on your credit card)
Only $17.00
Please please please make sure you whitelist “@google.com” so that you can receive emails from me if there’s an issue. I’ve had customers who had trouble with my information going in their spam folder. So if you don’t get anything, please check your SPAM folder!
I can’t find any comparable sites or resources that provide this information, even for free. For $17.00 you’ll get all that I’ve learned with my 100% satisfaction money back guarantee.
I’m just a personal trainer, hardly a professional writer or internet guru. So it’s important to me to make sure that I satisfy my customers since they are my peer group. If for any reason you’re dissatisfied, please just email me and let me know. As mentioned above, I will refund your money with no questions asked!
Again, if you have ANY questions or problems, please contact me at my address here, Leslie.
Remember, I handle each order personally. I usually ship (by email, so please don’t mess up your email address!) within a few hours, but no more than 24 hours.
Only $17.00
Please please please make sure you whitelist “@google.com” so that you get the product. I’ve had customers who had trouble with my information going in their spam folder. So if you don’t get anything, please check your SPAM folder!
P.S. In case you are nervous about ordering from somebody you don’t know, I want to reassure you that I am no scam artist. I am a personal trainer, prior corporate manager, and live in the Northeast with my boyfriend. You know how to reach me at any time (Leslie), so please send me any questions about your order that you have.
I’m simply a fun person who’s interested in helping people who have found themselves in the spot I was a year ago. I know how hard it was to figure out the industry and I want to share my knowledge to anyone who’s serious about becoming a personal trainer.
Good Luck!!!
– Leslie
