Recommendation for Certification

[The Dark]

As I alluded to in another post, I am a professional in another field and have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I have considered certification in personal training so as to potentially add that to my arsenal of stuff I can do for fun and, marginally, profit. I have been training for 30 years, and as a scientist, have always stayed informed about training, nutrition, supplementation and drug use.

But, anyway...looking around it is easy to see there that are a lot of different organizations that certify trainers and a lot of variability in the curriculum, exams, price and so on. If I am going to do this, I prefer to do it right or not at all.

So...if one wants to get certified and hold a certification that has meaning (e.g., is worth the paper it is printed on), what certs are to be considered seriously?

Thanks.

[kingarty]

Im currently doing NASM. I've heard nothing but good things about this cert. it is quite pricey but a lot of clubs value it as a beginning cert. I find the material interesting and very easy to relate to in the realm of fitness. It focuses more on posture and correcting any previous imbalances than anything else. It is a very safe cert program and if you follow its base, the client will see results and won't sustain any injuries.....and will keep coming back to you.

[Poppa Pump]

What would you like to do with it? It is funny that you are a clinical psychologist looking to become a trainer. I am a trainer looking to become a clinical psychologist. I am certified through ISSA but at the gym where I train NSCA is considered the top tier training system. I am planning on getting certified through them in another year or so rather than renewing my certification through ISSA. NSCA also has a program geared specifically towards strength training. I think that would be very beneficial as a psychologist if you were interested in sports psychology, since training for hypertrophy would not be a concern in that arena.

[The Dark]

Mostly looking at the possibility of cutting back on my "professional" activities and doing some personal training. Although I am interested in sport and athletic performance (my area of expertise is drug use and I have written a bit on steroid use), my interest, I think, would be to work with older males who think they are too old, too far along, to build a fit, muscular, lean physique, Kind of an "Old Fart's Fitness" approach. Of course, I have always felt that personal training and psychology are complementary activities. The connection between emotional, mental, and physical health is clear.

Anyway, as a clinical psychologist, in order to practice I must maintain a license issued by the state and, of course, that imposes certain requirements with regard to program accreditation and quality of training.

Obviously there is no such requirement for PTs.

Thanks for your input...and good luck with your professional aspirations.