I want to get a personal trainer/group fitness certification with hopefully some nutrition cert on the side, but there seem to be many associations who provide slightly different versions of these certs. Does anyone know if any are better than the others? I think I like the ACE the best but I don't want to pick one because they spent more money on their website :-) Any ideas/hints/past experiences would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

Hi,

I am not sure which certification is best but as an alternative, I've been reading up on exercise physiology. A year to year -and-a-half master's degree (30-36 credits) will also qualify you to work in medical settings (maybe more job stability?).

Also, if you are interested in teaching classes (kickboxing, spinning, etc), I think some gyms will help you through your group fitness certification process if they like your teaching style/background.

Good luck!

Hi I'm taking a course at a campus. It is a 2 year courseand helps you with everything. Some people take courses a universities but in the end they making sam e much as the guy that just took the2 year course. The big money is just when u go self employed and have your own clients

I am certified by the ISSA. My best advice is that you want to get a certification that is widely accepted in most gyms. ACE is well respected. I actually was going to get it through ACE and bought all the materials . I found the material difficult to understand. Since you are reading on your own, you do get stuck and found myself pronouncing words incorrectly. The ISSA was easier to understand and also found the material user friendly and is also accepted in most major clubs. I work for a large Fitness facility, it's a good starting point to grow some cliental and you could branch out eventually .