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Other/Mixed Best Path to do personal training ?

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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@Anna C ,
Was there anything that made you choose NASM over NSCA? I'm looking to get my CSCS from NSCA (17 classes left for my BS), is there merit in sticking with one agency over the other? I.e. CPT from NASM but CSCS from NSCA?

I'm only taking one class per semester and a man I respect suggested to get my CPT now. I disagreed with his logic at the time, but the more I think on it, the more I realize he was right!

Thanks ma'am.
 
I looked at the exam content for all the major ones and chose the one that had the content I most wanted to learn. But honestly looking at the NSCA-CPT content now (I had a downloaded copy of the Exam Candidate Handbook), it looks just as good. The NASM has been overall solid, in my experience -- the book is a quality product, the process went well, the organization seems sound -- but it's not all that amazing that I would rave about it. So if you are intending on CSCS, it seems that NSCA-CPT might be a better choice.
 
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Looking at websites and CEUs, I don't see any StrongFirst events on the NSCA list, and only the one day kettlebell user course on the NASM list. What's been people's actual experience with how these organizations count StrongFirst courses and certs for CEUs?
 
Does anyone know the difference between the "specializations" from NASM? Are they covered by the one cert from the NSCA, or are they something offered exclusively by NASM? Does the CSCS from NSCA compare to the various specializations?

Is anyone a NSCA member? Is it anything special or a waste of money? It does seem to have some benefits for pricing.

Ms Anna, you said the NASM content was challenging, is it doable alongside a college class, or would you suggest taking a semester off? I'm assuming the NSCA content is similar, so same question to any NSCA CPTs.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm about to make an investment on my future and I'm trying to make the best decision both financially and professionally.
 
Miguel said:
is it doable alongside a college class
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I'd say it's about comparable to a 3-credit college class overall, in terms of the effort you will need to put in to pass the test. So if you can do 2 college classes in a semester, this plus one should be fine, but if one is about all you can manage with your schedule, might want to dedicate to it. That said, you can do it as quickly as you want, so it's totally possible you could be ready to test in 4-6 weeks if you really hit it hard. (Come to think of it, that's pretty much what I did... 80% of my effort was in the last 20% of my time. Isn't there a principle about that? ;) )

I have not looked into the NASM specializations. My impression is that there is not anything that NASM offers that is as in-depth as the NSCA CSCS, but I'm not sure about that. Seems to me it's about breadth and depth... the NASM specializations offer more breadth, but CSCS is really a lot deeper AND broader.
 
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Ms. Anna,
Thank you and thank you.

I will be selling light bulbs door to door until I gather enough money for my study materials.


Need any light bulbs? ;)
 
@Anna C, the NSCA CSCS is open only to people with a minimum 4-year degree in an exercise-related field, if memory serves - or at least it used to be. I just took a quick look at their web site and it only mentions the 4-year degree, and not that it needs to be in an exercise-related field.

A further look shows that it requires only a degree and doesn't specify in which area. Separate guidelines are given for people who want the CSCS but don't have an exercise science background.

-S-
 
Just wanted to add that I was just looking at reviews of the manuals, and there seem to be a lot of negative ones on the NASM and NSCA manuals, while those on ACE seem more positive. FWIW...
 
Steve Freides said:
and some of them will allow your continuing StrongFirst education as CEU's (continuing education, which all the certs now require in order to maintain your certification).
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Resurrecting this thread with an eye to Steve's comment and @Brett Jones list - particularly NSCA, NASM, ACE - does anyone know which of these organizations do or do not accept StrongFirst education as CEUs?
 
@Michael Perry, there are two ways this can work as I understand things. Some organizations might accept these as CEU's, others might not say they do but you can petition individually and sometimes that works. Best to check with your individual organization.

-S-
 
Michael,
NASM has approved CEUs for the Kettlebell Course (one day user course) and we will be working with them on the other SF offerings

NSCA for example - i list my SF workshops as Category A Non-approved provider CEUs
ACE - you petition for approval ($25 fee and form to submit) etc...

As Steve said - check with your provider to see what the procedures etc... for that organization.
 
I have reached out to one of our instructors who has had success in petitioning for CEU's. Hopefully he'll post here in this thread.

If we can collect enough specific information about our multiple courses and which organizations give CEU's for what, and whether petition is required, I will try to collect that information in a single place for when this question comes up in the future. I realize the material is time-sensitive since policies change, so we could update it as new information comes in.

My one bit of information to add is that, at the time I last checked, NSCA had a policy of not granting CEU's for training that resulted in their own certification, so the kettlebell instructor certification wasn't granted CEU's (but the course would have been).

-S-
 
Interesting thread. Lately I've been toying with the thought of teaching others in some form or another. I think it is definitely some thing I want to do in the future. How to get there might be a lil different in Europe (Netherlands) than the US though. But I'll keep an eye on this thread for ideas so I can plan my course.
 
Thanks @Steve Freides and @Brett Jones , I don't have an organization to check with at this point. I'm evaluating which CPT certification is best for me, and frankly don't see much difference, except that the ACE manual seems to get better reviews from users than the other two. So, knowing who does or doesn't accept StrongFirst work for CEUs would be a helpful measure.

Steve Freides said:
If we can collect enough specific information about our multiple courses and which organizations give CEU's for what, and whether petition is required, I will try to collect that information in a single place
Click to expand...

Brett Jones said:
and we will be working with them on the other SF offerings
Click to expand...

Thanks, good news.
 
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