A personal training program's main objective is to educate students to pass a personal trainer certification exam. Other objectives might include developing a successful business, communication skills, creating fitness programs and working with specific demographics such as the elderly, injured or cardiac patients. There are generally no prerequisites except that students must be 18 years or older.
On-campus personal training programs offer in-person classes with hands-on training and experience as well as live examinations in a classroom environment. A couple of these programs are the Colorado National Personal Training Institute in Lakewood, Colo., and the Academy of Applied Personal Training Education in East Meadow, N.Y. In addition, World Instructor Training Schools (W.I.T.S.) offers on-campus personal training education in locations all over the country.
Personal training programs that use distance learning are available to anyone who has a computer with an Internet connection. Some distance learning personal training programs are the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) and American Fitness and Professionals Associates (AFPA).
People hire personal trainers so they can get in shape, recover from a health problem or reach a personal health goal. With a personal training certification, you'll can be self-employed or work at a gym or health club.
Use an accredited personal training program to increase your credibility as a personal trainer. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is the accrediting association many training programs use. The NCCA is responsible for accrediting examinations, not education. Other accreditation programs are ACE; Vital Research; Board of Certification; American Occupational Therapist Association; Fitness Standards Council (FSC); and the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). Research the personal training program you use to make sure it has the accreditation that will provide you with the most credibility.