2 Key Areas Missing in Most Personal Training Certifications
After years of working in the industry and observing personal trainers on the job, there are two areas most personal training certifications miss, which we prioritize at AIHP.
Over the years working in the fitness industry, I’ve interviewed, supervised and managed many personal trainers. Based on my observations and conversations with them, paired with my own experience, I’ve gained a well-rounded understanding of what’s included in many personal training certifications—and what’s missing.
Generally, I’ve found two key areas that either fall short or are missing altogether in most personal training certifications: 1. the practical application of the coursework in real-world scenarios, and 2. guidance on how to succeed as a personal trainer from a business and industry perspective.
When I decided to launch the Academy of Integrated Human Performance (AIHP), both of these areas were top of mind in our content development for the Integrated Strength and Performance Coach (ISPC) Certification for personal trainers, which we refer to as strength and performance coaches.
Below, I’ll share why these two areas are critical for setting up future strength and performance coaches for success.
1. Practical Application in Real-World Scenarios
A lot of personal training certifications are strong on the science side, but the coursework doesn’t directly relate to what it’s actually like to be on the gym floor working with athletes and clients. I’m not sure why that is, but my best guess is that there’s a disconnect between the people creating the content and what a real-world application of this content should be.
During my time in the industry, I saw plenty of examples of a lack of competency on the floor. I’m sure I made mistakes as a trainer as well, but I saw with some frequency certain types of gross mistakes that just shouldn’t happen.
For example, it’s one thing to understand the physiology of how to properly do a squat. But if a trainer doesn’t know how to cue a squat for their client, it’s all for not.
I’ll go one step further. If a trainer is working with an athlete who’s doing a back row, they might be tempted to put their fingers in between their athlete’s shoulder blades and have the athlete squeeze their shoulders to demonstrate the movement. But to do that, the trainer must get the athlete’s permission first.
I’ve found many trainers don’t know this, and it can get them—and their place of employment—in legal trouble.
Real-world application is also relevant to how we respect our scope of practice as strength and performance coaches. I’d often hear trainers prescribe supplements or say things such as, “You have a torn meniscus.”
We’re not dietitians or doctors. Those areas are outside of our expertise. While we can suggest that our athletes seek guidance from a health professional, we need to stay in our lane, as these are two more examples where legal action can be taken against us.
While some strength and performance certifications may do limited coverage of real-world applications, others seem to rely on the future employer, such as a gym, to educate their trainers on these topics. At AIHP, we view that as a miss. There has to be a real-world application built into the curriculum.
The real-world application is what prepares future strength and performance coaches to work in the industry. It ensures they know how to actively use what they’ve learned, whether in professional communications, putting together programming, cuing an athlete properly on where to stand for different exercises, or understanding their scope as a strength and performance coach.
Read more on how to be a good personal trainer.
2. Business Guidance to Succeed in the Industry
I did my college internship in cardiopulmonary rehab. I thought that was what I wanted to do as a career. But within one day of my internship, I hated it. Knowing what you don’t like to do is just as important as knowing what you do like.
I’ve found that a lot of personal trainer certifications on the market lack education on the various career options in the industry and how to succeed from a business standpoint.
Strength and performance coaches can work for a company’s wellness or fitness center or do one-on-one training under their own business name, among many other career pathways. But certifying organizations often fail to educate people on what working in these different environments is like.
In commercial fitness, for example, there’s more selling required on the part of the trainer. Whereas in corporate fitness, there’s less focus on selling and more focus on high-touch client engagement.
In my experience, most trainers don’t get into fitness because they want to sell. They get into it because they love fitness. I’ve found that a lot of really smart trainers would struggle on the sales side of the business, and it can lead to them leaving the industry altogether.
So, if a trainer is not strong in selling, they might want to go over to corporate. But if they don’t know that, and the certification doesn’t discuss this, they may end up choosing the wrong pathway.
This is one of the big reasons we developed a robust business module in our ISPC Certification. To help future strength and performance coaches learn about various work environments, we have podcast-style interviews with leaders in different areas of fitness, including virtual, one-on-one, commercial, and corporate.
Trainers going through the certification can watch these videos and learn about what it’s like in different areas of the industry: What does it take to succeed? What does a day in the life look like? How to prepare for an interview?
Beyond that, the business module covers communication and professionalism, liability waivers and insurance, coaching policies and more. It’s all the nuts and bolts of what trainers need to know that are often excluded from other certifications.
Curious about how much you can make as a personal trainer? Read this post.
Final Thoughts
The curriculum we put together for the ISPC Certification is from real-world experience, being out there in the field, understanding what trainers need to know, and identifying what other programs are lacking.
We’re bridging the gap in education for the most commonly missed areas—practical application of the coursework in real-world scenarios and guidance on how to succeed as a personal trainer from a business standpoint—to better prepare our future strength and performance coaches for long and happy careers in the industry.
