If you want to be an independent trainer, are certs necessary?

[GIGAJONES]

I'm not seeing the benefits but I'm really new in looking toward this path.

[WoofieNugget]

Especially as an independent trainer, how are you going to market or insure yourself? Do you think when you advertise and people ask about your credentials "Oh, I've been working out for years." will suffice?

Certs are not necessary, but education is - if you want to promote yourself as someone who knows anything about how to manipulate someone's body in a positive way.

[PeteratCastle]

As Woofie said, you have to get the education. The best way to do that is by going ona course. You also have to get insurance, you won't get this without a cert ( I don't think, tbf I have never tried) I have yet to come across someone in the gym, who only works out, who has the knowledge I have. There is a lot of info out there, and most of it it BS.

[CAC758]

Definitely get some sort of cert or education. Makes you appeal better to customers, and I believe it would help you in the case of a lawsuit.

[cthulhupun]

Definitely get some sort of cert or education. Makes you appeal better to customers, and I believe it would help you in the case of a lawsuit.

The certification is worth it for the liability insurance alone. Otherwise, if your trainee gets injured, you will go bankrupt. I've also found that people who think they know about working out don't know what they don't know. Remember that the people you will be training will very likely have completely different goals than you. The most common thing I see is a bodybuilder making their overweight and unfit clients who have little training experience since high school gym class do isolation exercises.

[MaxFuark]

Otherwise, if your trainee gets injured, you will go bankrupt.

If they decide to sue... Not every country is as lawsuit-happy as yours.

I'm not saying don't get a cert, it's still something every trainer should have. But it's not as though if your client hurts his shoulder your bank account is empty the next day.

A lot of people are just going to accept that injury is something that happens sometimes when working out and not rush to sue unless the trainer was clearly negligent.

[KyleAaron]

Of course, some degree of education may actually reduce the chances of your injuring someone. This assumes that you actually care about whether you injure people, which I realise is not necessarily a given.

School is only the beginning of your education. But it is a beginning, and even the crappiest school is better than most guys who've worked out for years, bro. Do you have experience? In coaching people?

[journeyfitness]

I think it's 100% essential. As has been stated multiple times above the insurance alone is worth it, but the most important part is the education. Going through a certification program helps to educate you. There are plenty of guys and girls who train in gym settings without certifications and I see them time and time again showing clients how to perform an exercise INCORRECTLY. Form is the most important piece in the puzzle of fitness. You don't want to injure yourself or clients, and you don't want to cause muscle imbalances either.

[KyleAaron]

Most PT certifications don't teach much in the way of exercise form.

[PerFit]

No you dont need one to actually train someone but you sure as hell should get one as you cant get insurance without it. If you hurt someone your life is finished.


Just needing a licence to drive a car.

[PeteratCastle]

Most PT certifications don't teach much in the way of exercise form.

True, I don't remember seeing an awful lot about form in any of my PT manuals...other than "Neutral spine". There is a section in reps level3 about "teaching points" for certain exercises, as I recall, but very little about form and definitely not enough about injury prevention.

[KyleAaron]

Still, even the crappest certification teaches you more than the typical gym-goer. And if things come to court... well, magistrates spend their lives with bits of paper, so they respect bits of paper. Thus you want to be able to present them with a bit of paper to demonstrate "reasonable duty of care."

Of course I realise that people reading this will think, "them others in the gym are all stupid, but I could totally coach people without a certificate because of all my experience and stuff." Yes, you're the exception. It's all the other people who are stupid.

[PeteratCastle]

Still, even the crappest certification teaches you more than the typical gym-goer. And if things come to court... well, magistrates spend their lives with bits of paper, so they respect bits of paper. Thus you want to be able to present them with a bit of paper to demonstrate "reasonable duty of care."

Of course I realise that people reading this will think, "them others in the gym are all stupid, but I could totally coach people without a certificate because of all my experience and stuff." Yes, you're the exception. It's all the other people who are stupid.

Oh definitely, you definitely learn a Lot from a good PT course. Definitely picked up a lot of anatomical knowledge I never even considered when just working out.