Education of a Fitness Trainer

If you are an aspiring Fitness Trainer you are most likely an extremely active person with a sports or fitness background. You may also be someone who has been inactive or overweight in the past but has become a fitness convert. In my previous blog I discussed the ways of adding accreditation to your practical experience with certification. Before getting certification, a grounding in some level of exercise science should be necessary! There are a number of paths to attaining this background. They are as follows:

University: The conventional way would be to obtain a Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology or Physical Education. This would provide good grounding in Anatomy, Physiology and Movement Mechanics. However, it should be noted that this process will take four years and will not be totally specific to the goals of becoming a Fitness Trainer. Such degrees are often designed to turn out Physical Educators or gym teachers. There may be unrelated arts options, a course minor, and courses on recreation or sports administration. There is not likely to be much class time devoted to teaching how to sell the product of Fitness Training. On the plus side, university teaches the skill of critical thinking. The university graduate will then require one of the standard accreditation certificates.
   In the USA, an aspiring Trainer could get a Bachelor degree and continue through the National  Strength and Conditioning Association with a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist designation or any of their other certifications. In Canada, a university grad could complete the requirements of the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology and become a Certified Exercise Physiologist,

College: The college where I took Personal Fitness Training was the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton, Canada. It was a pioneer in the Fitness Training field. The mandate was to streamline the university route and present a curriculum specific to the skills needed to be successful as a Personal Fitness Trainer. Colleges with a Fitness Training program may have up to 100 hours of practicum time. These are actual training sessions with clients. My college course went for a year and a half and we attained a certificate when we successfully finished. We also took the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology  course for what is now the  Certified Personal Trainer certificate. We were also expected to have a provincial certificate that required a weekend seminar, a practical test and a written exam. The graduate wound up with three certificates in fitness and a sports first aid certificate.
My Alma Mater now runs the Personal Fitness Training course for two years and give a diploma plus a CSEP certificate. The provincial certificate is now optional................ Are you still with me?
   A perspective employer or a potential client MAY NOT know the difference between a mail-order certificate, a weekend seminar certificate, or a certificate from a college. 

Continuing Education / Adult Education Schools: Some of these institutions offer 40 weeks of Fitness Training courses along with a practicum. The graduate will receive,....guess what,.....a certificate. Grads will also be required to take an accreditation course for another certificate if they want to qualify for insurance. Many of these institutions are strip mall colleges but that may be the route that you decide to take.

Other Certification Courses: There are numerous other courses that can be done by correspondence, online, or by attending a seminar. They will award you a Fitness Training Certificate, for what that's worth,

Now where does all of this leave us? Let's take an example from my hometown of Ottawa, Canada. What are my choices if I want to become a qualified Fitness Trainer?
1. I could take Kinesiology at University of Ottawa and follow up with the CSEP certificate.
2. I could take the 2-year Diploma course at Algonquin College then get a CPT certificate.
3. I could take 42 weeks plus a 4 week practicum at Algonquin Careers Academy. This is no relation to Algonquin College. It is situated in a small industrial park. I would wind up with the Academy certificate plus a Can Fit Pro certificate.
4. I could take any advertised course and call myself a Fitness Trainer.


There is obviously a market for teaching courses for aspiring Fitness Trainers.
My question would be "Is the demand from potential clients that huge?"
Remember, my college course has about 6 Personal Fitness Trainers actually earning a living at it from a class of 40.
If you decide on this career path, be prepared to have to hustle. You also want to do your research! Be careful where you spend your money learning your trade! Make it count!

Until next time,.......keep fit!

Now that you're accredited you can get ready to move all that money to your
Swiss bank account. Remember to use your legs,  not your lower back!

Little Bobby Strong!
Bachelor of Arts (Not fitness related but I earned it so I'm putting it after my name)
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology- Personal Fitness Trainer Certificate  
Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists- Certified Personal Trainer
Ontario Society of Health and Fitness (OSHF)
Alberta Fitness Leadership Certification Association (AFLCA) ( Okay, this one expired.)
Sports First Aid Certificate
Emergency Medical Responder
(EMR) (Just in case I work my client too hard)

P.S.Trying to make sense of all of this has made me truly 'certifiable'.

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