Start Here Before You Get a Personal Trainer Certification [Infographic]

Dan McCarthy https://www.fitnessmentors.com 2m 402 #personaltrainer

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Get Your Personal Trainer Certification

There are literally dozens of personal training certification bodies where you can pursue a future in fitness training. However, choosing the right certification for you can be an exercise in futility.

Do you choose one that is really easy to pass but is not highly regarded, one that is inexpensive but requires tons of continuing education to maintain, or one that is expensive but tends to pay really well?

To help personal trainers answer these mostly subjective questions about the best personal trainer certification, we provide objective details on some major criteria. Use the attached infographic to quickly reference things like:

• Price: the cost of the exam as well as the study materials
• CEU Requirements: how many hours of CEUs are required and how much are they?
• Popularity of Certification: how many people have a specific cert?
• Average Income: what does the average trainer with a specific certification make annually?

And a few more items. Keep this guide handy while you consider the important factors for your future in personal training.

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Best Personal Trainer Certification

An objective analysis of 9 major certification bodies

Aspiring personal trainers have a lot of options when it comes to the selection of a major certifying body. When it comes to getting a job as a trainer, some say the actual certification body matters little; however, it is important to go with a certification that is NCCA-approved so that you are likely to be able to work at any of the major gyms across the USA.

The following 9 personal training certifications are evaluated by a number of factors that are of utmost importance to potential trainers. We break the factors down one-by-one so you can compare them in each category.

NCAA Accredited

Price

• NCCPT $478
• AFAA $499
• ISSA $499
• ACSM $520.97
• NSCA $712.80
• NASM $799

Pass Rate

• ASCM 54.00
• NCSF 57.40
• NSCA 58.00
• NASM 64.30
• ACE 65.00
• NESTA 65.40
• NCCPT 65.90
• ISSA 89.90

Test Questions

• NASM 120
• ACSM 120
• AFAA 120
• NESTA 125
• NCCPT 140
• NCSF 150
• ACE 150
• NSCA 155
• ISSA 160

CEU Requirements

CEU Hours

• NCSF 10
• AFAA 15
• NASM 20
• ACE 20
• ISSA 20
• NCCPT 20
• NESTA 40
• ACSM 45
• NSCA 60

Popularity of Certification

• NASM 50000
• ACE 44621
• ISSA 38000
• ACSM 15947
• NESTA 10000
• NCCPT 4000
• NCSF 2455
• NSCA 1529

Average Income by Trainer

• NASM $41,598
• ACE $41,546
• ACSM $38,739
• NSCA $38,116
• AFAA $37,599
• NCSF $35,061

Retake Fee

• AFAA $75
• NCCPT $99
• NESTA $149
• ISSA $149
• ACSM $155
• ACE $199
• NASM $200
• NSCA $435

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