Once certified, the individual will be required to stay within their scope of practice and follow a code of ethics. Furthermore, the trainer will also have to complete professional development for credits to recertify. All this can sound fairly confusing so to sum it up, to become a certified trainer one will need to: * spend a considerate amount of time educating themselves (usually a minimum of 2 years at a college or university) * meet the core competencies (knowledge in human anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, fitness appraisal, lifestyle counselling, exercise prescription, etc.) of the certification * pass a written exam and practical exam
And once certified: * adhere to the scope of practice or code of ethics set by the certifying organization * complete continuing education. Exercise and health professionals (Personal Trainers, Exercise Specialists, Kinesiologists, etc.) designated as certified have put an extreme amount of time, effort, and education to ensure each client has an individualized fitness and health prescription. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a certified trainer, which is why exercise professionals are superior at what they do and clients get the results they are looking for.
Kate Andrews is an instructor with the Personal Fitness Trainer program at NAIT. She’s passionate about the human connection and holistic well-being. You can follow her on twitter at @katepft