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Hey Mike. I have been thinking for a while now to take the plunge and get certified as an instructor. I figured rather than reading random articles I might as well take a real course and gain a bit of credibility.
Anyway, I have been researching a bit online to see what my options are. I checked out the organisation you were certified through, as well as a bunch of others. Being new to this side of fitness, I seem unable to distinguish between the credible organisations and the not-so-credible (also since I dont live in the US that also makes it a bit harder). I gather the place you studied is tip top (noticed Hatfield was a co-founder, that speaks for itself), but I was wondering, do you know which other organisations are considered top notch in the world of fitness?
I have come across so many AFPA, AFTA, IFA, IFPA, NFPT, etc etc. Its like a bloody maze of organisations out there. It would be nice to be able to compare products a bit before I leap into it.
Thanks for any input or advice you might have.
Alan.
That's awesome to hear, Al.
Dr. Squat (I am sure you know who I mean by that)is a cool, very knowledgeable man. I remember he was talking about different training styles and he asked another trainer "Do we at the ISSA teach to train to failure?" He gave the unfortunate response of "Yes" and got a good natured ribbing from Hatfield lol.
ISSA; my home team :-P is a good choice
AFPA, NFPT, ACE are also good choices.
What you need to understand is that there really isn't one dominant organization because there really aren't set standards in becoming certified as a trainer- but they are working on making the process standardized and I think in the future since the market demand for them is increasing that you will actually need to be licensed.
ISSA is probably your best bet if you don't have a college degree in a fitness related field. You can either do the final test at a seminar, online or through the mail. I did mine through the mail and I believe the finished product was almost 30 pages long. Half multiple choice/ 2 hypothetical Case Studies where you need to draw up plans for both and a slew of "Learning Experiences" that you can choose from. 600 points in total.
My certification is up in September so I am going to have to re-certify :-(
That's another thing to keep in mind and I am speaking for ISSA here- you need to get re-certified as a trainer and in CPR every 2 years- sounds like a lot but it helps keep your certification looking very professional.
If you do decide to go the ISSA route or any route then let me know and I'll see if I can help you out any.
(Rating: 5) Great, thanks for that Mike. I will check out the organisations you mentioned and see what my options are. I will also have to take the test through the mail or online since I am based in DK. Going to "window shop" a bit and then make a decision in a week or two I expect.
Thanks again, it was just the answer I needed.