Personal Trainer Certification

Hey everybody, I'm fairly new to the forum here at bodybuilding but I have been here before. I have a couple of questions that maybe some of you can help me out with. Any input is appreciated. Let me start off by saying that I am a big fitness enthusiast, I love to workout and push my body to its limits. I'm an amateur boxer therefore I'm not the biggest guy you'll see as I fight in the 140-152 lb range but I'm pretty lean and in real good shape. I am from New Jersey and my community college recently has implemented a new program of a fitness specialist certificate (personal fitness trainer) which only takes 2 semesters to complete. Now my main concerns regarding this, is at the end of the program it is stated that it is up to my responsibility to arrange the certification exams, I skimmed through the thread of the "Big 3" and would you recommend getting certified in all 3 or just 1? Obviously they all require a lot of money/time but would it be worth it? or should I start off with one, lets say NASM, and gradually work on getting certified from another program/organization as time progresses and I gain experience. I'm going to also assume it is a pretty competitive field so finding a job would also be hard (any comments on this). I definitely want to make a change in people, I don't want to be just punching in the time card and that's it. Nope, I do that now working in retail cause I hate it and being in the fitness industry and doing something I love and helping people change their lives and bodies is what I would love to do. Also after completing the fitness specialist certificate program, would it be a smart idea to get a degree in exercise science/exercise physiology to gain more knowledge on how the body works, nutrition, etc. I really love working out and fitness in general. My people skills are okay I would say and obviously being in a field that I love I'm sure my attitude will change from that of being and working in retail. I don't know where else I can gain some insight and knowledge in this field besides this website so hopefully I can get some help before I invest time and money in this change. Also are there specific certifications for trx, kettlebells, cross fit, etc? Thank you to all who contribute to this and I will be back to maybe add some more questions. Look forward to hearing from you guys.

[QUOTE=G00166716;999607423]Hey everybody, I'm fairly new to the forum here at bodybuilding but I have been here before. I have a couple of questions that maybe some of you can help me out with. Any input is appreciated. Let me start off by saying that I am a big fitness enthusiast, I love to workout and push my body to its limits. I'm an amateur boxer therefore I'm not the biggest guy you'll see as I fight in the 140-152 lb range but I'm pretty lean and in real good shape. I am from New Jersey and my community college recently has implemented a new program of a fitness specialist certificate (personal fitness trainer) which only takes 2 semesters to complete. Now my main concerns regarding this, is at the end of the program it is stated that it is up to my responsibility to arrange the certification exams, I skimmed through the thread of the "Big 3" and would you recommend getting certified in all 3 or just 1? Obviously they all require a lot of money/time but would it be worth it? or should I start off with one, lets say NASM, and gradually work on getting certified from another program/organization as time progresses and I gain experience. I'm going to also assume it is a pretty competitive field so finding a job would also be hard (any comments on this). I definitely want to make a change in people, I don't want to be just punching in the time card and that's it. Nope, I do that now working in retail cause I hate it and being in the fitness industry and doing something I love and helping people change their lives and bodies is what I would love to do. Also after completing the fitness specialist certificate program, would it be a smart idea to get a degree in exercise science/exercise physiology to gain more knowledge on how the body works, nutrition, etc. I really love working out and fitness in general. My people skills are okay I would say and obviously being in a field that I love I'm sure my attitude will change from that of being and working in retail. I don't know where else I can gain some insight and knowledge in this field besides this website so hopefully I can get some help before I invest time and money in this change. Also are there specific certifications for trx, kettlebells, cross fit, etc? Thank you to all who contribute to this and I will be back to maybe add some more questions. Look forward to hearing from you guys.[/QUOTE]


If you want to get started in the fitness industry I would first look at the area you live in and see if it can be profitable unless you are truly doing it to help people regardless. Next pick one certification most of them have alot of info and you can grow your knowledge from there the hours that you put in with your clients and time spent implementing what you learned on them will help you succeed. There are so many ways you can start in this industry find what you like who you would like to train and how. Good luck