Well taught personal trainers have great insight into the profession. They’ll be knowledgeable in the fields of nutrition, anatomy, physiology, exercise technique, biomechanics and creating exercise programs. They will also have a certification or degree.
If you two would like to become a personal trainer, know that it can take time to become knowledgeable and gain your certification. The exact amount of time will be affected by how much you already know and your experience levels.
Online Courses
Many of the organizations the certified personal trainers have programs that can be completed online. What’s very nice about these programs is that they’re self-paced, so they can be done in tandem with your current profession.
The international sports Sciences Association states that its average time to completion for its certification is approximately 8 to 10 weeks. That is provided that the student takes a couple hours out of each day to study.
The same organization actually has a limit for how long you can take a course. It is very generous however and they allow for 4 months.
Exams
Some of the organizations, like the American Council on exercise are rigorous and their certifying policies. As such, they mandate that all certification exams be done at a testing center. The purpose is to make sure that you are not cheating on your exam.
Seminars
Many of these organizations hold workshops and seminars that you can take in addition to their normal course material. They are generally not required as a prerequisite to the certification. Obviously since they exist they do have to use however. That is, as an additional resource for learning about your new profession.
Associate’s Degree
For those trying to take their knowledge and profession it’s possible to enroll in an even more rigorous program that will earn you an actual associate’s degree. With higher credentialing comes more intensive coursework that often cannot all be done online.
For instance the international sports Sciences Association requires that you complete one third of their work in person as structured undergraduate coursework.
The time to completion for associate degrees is often significantly longer. Many take two years or more to complete.