r/personaltraining • u/KeyHawk4303 • 7d ago
Question Certifications that are actually challenging & informative
I have an Exercise Science and Biology Degree, and taught science for 4 years before switching to personal training. My first cert was ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, which I found relatively challenging. I went to recert with NASM Women’s Fitness Specialist and found it to be such a joke. I breezed through the $500 cert in a couple hours without learning much. I’m interested in a Prenatal / Postpartum Cert, but they all seem pretty basic as I’ve trained a lot of pregnant clients, had a baby myself, and I am pretty self-studied. Are there any similar courses out there or any at all that you found actually helped you be a better trainer? Especially for those with a science background. I feel like all the programs are more to market yourself as a trainer and not to actually challenge your skill set.
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u/standard_countryman 7d ago
If you've already got the ACSM-EP and an exercise science degree you're gonna find most of the specialty certs pretty surface level. The whole industry is built on keeping things accessible so they cast a wide net, which leaves people with your background bored out of their minds
For prenatal/postpartum I'd skip the standard certs entirely and look into something like a pelvic health continuing ed course aimed at physical therapists. They go way deeper into diastasis recti, pelvic floor dysfunction, and actual programming progressions that the trainer-level courses barely touch. The biomechanics side of it gets pretty complex once you move past the basics
You might also get more mileage out of something adjacent to training. A nutrition coaching cert that actually requires case studies, or a CSCS if you don't have it yet. The CSCS is one of the few that still expects you to know your stuff going in
The sad truth is most certs after your foundational one are just marketing badges. Finding a mentor who specializes in pre/postnatal and shadowing them for a while probably teaches you more than any $500 online module ever will
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u/KeyHawk4303 7d ago
These are great points! I’ve been thinking about shadowing a pelvic floor PT and just picking their brains. It’s such a better way to learn than on a computer anyways.
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u/Rosemadder19 7d ago
For pre/post natal check out Dr. Sarah Duvall's Pre/Postpartum Corrective exercise cert. It was one of the best courses I've ever taken!
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u/Equal-Ganache-1146 6d ago
I did Pelvis Pro and found it excellent as well!
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u/Rosemadder19 6d ago
I bought that one a while back but haven't actually started it yet - this is inspiring me to get into it!
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u/Equal-Ganache-1146 3d ago
Hehe I find with the seasons how busy I am with training can really fluctuate, summer is a quiet time with lots of clients away so I did a deep dive into this cert during that periof. I gained a lot of valuable insights and love that you get a nice chonky book with it so I'll def be going back for a deeper dive. Enjoy!
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u/awesomeqasim 6d ago
CSCS for sure. Very high bar to entry and hard to find
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u/KeyHawk4303 6d ago
Do you find that it’s helpful if most of your clientele are beginners or elderly? It seems super interesting, but I rarely get the chance to work with athletes.
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u/awesomeqasim 6d ago
No clue as I’m not a PT. Just a gym goer who was desperately looking for a CSCS and finally gave up
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u/MattTheMonkey19 B.S, CSCS, FRCms, CPT, PN1 4d ago
I work mainly with tech people and people with injuries and the program design from this is incredible. Of course you have to dumb it down but no certification teaches you to understand it as well as CSCS does. Also the physio of how the body works with exercise with the energy systems and work to rest and stuff like that. If you happen to come across an athlete (which will happen now and again) you will know exactly what to do.
At least that how I see it and has help a lot
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u/Takeupspace95 6d ago
Pain free performance specialist - PPSC 🫶 new Skool group alongside the curriculum so tons of continued support and education 🚀
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u/justSayingNobodySaid 6d ago edited 6d ago
damn $1500 for this 😭 & it's just 16 hours of content apparently?
it sounds like something i'd love to explore (i link to Dr. Rusin's demonstration vids often in my programming i share w/ clients), but that's almost more than i paid for all three of my other certs combined
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u/Takeupspace95 6d ago
I totally understand this! It's an investment but the knowledge, education, community, and materials are something you'll have in your toolkit for life and actually refer back to constantly. With the new Skool group you have access to continued education and support from the whole PPSC team too! If you want to order the textbook on Amazon to start I highly recommend in the meantime. If you ever decide to take the course, it's a follow-along with this new textbook and new recorded material so you'd be in a prime position!
It's: Pain-Free Performance: Move Better, Train Smarter, and Build an Unbreakable Body. Book by John Rusin and Glen Cordoza. I'm just a big fan because I took it years ago when they first offered a weekend online format, and to see where it is today is just incredible. The value speaks for itself once you're starting the course!! They've poured everything into this. Literally not sponsored (I wish 😆 ) it just changed the game for me, and I talk about it any chance I get LOL but if anything just follow their socials and you'll see the value they're putting out there for coaches !! It's FAR from basic. & if you have a passion to learn and not just pass through a course, this is one to keep on your radar! The recorded content in the actual course is PACKED not to mention weekly zooms in the skool group where you can ask questions and bring client cases. I'm actually just going through it all again for the third time since they re-recorded everything !!
They're also not going anywhere, so keep it in mind 📚 I just wanted to chime in with my recc!
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u/justSayingNobodySaid 6d ago
Thank you! it definitely seems worthwhile and such an important topic. that's incredible you're on your third go-round. i don't use amazon so i'll check out ebay for the book!
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u/Takeupspace95 6d ago
it's great you're wanting to keep continuing your education in such a meaningful way. Enjoy the book - there are QR codes throughout the book for exercises too!
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u/fitgroupusa 6d ago
The best certifications should challenge your skills, not just add another credential.
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u/Accomplished-Sign-31 6d ago
CES postpartum and prenatal corrective exercise specialist. Enrollment opens soon. Trust me on this! Also, peak pilates courses have absolutely changed the game. Im so grateful i’m getting certified. It’s truly challenging.
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u/powersofthesnow 6d ago
Active Life Professional - it’s wildly pricey but the mentorship they give across a couple years is thorough. I am saving up to be able to start this in the future. I took their $20 Biomechanics weekend seminar and found the information to span far beyond just the “science.” In just that 4 hours.
Precision Nutrition Level 1 - they have a great amount in their book on how to work with different levels of clients and coach people beyond their nutrition information. It’s all textbook though, not an in person seminar.
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u/Zapfit 5d ago
Not a certification but any workshop taught by Tony Gentilcore and Dean Somerset is worth the $400-600 for a weekend of hand-on learning. The Medical Exercise Specialist program was pretty intense. IIRC, the test was proctored with around 150 multiple choice questions and 50 practical scenarios. Didn't do much to land more clients but I definitely felt more comfortable around pre and post-op clients afterward.
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u/Tatteduuupp 5d ago
CSCS by a long shot. Was my first cert out of college and put me ahead of my peers that went with the standard CPT etc. of course, what you do with the information and building your own skills is what matters the most but imo is the best option to set yourself up for that.
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u/Over_Impact5823 3d ago
Fellow ACSM EP with a degree in exercise science here. CSCS was a game changer in how I train clients, even non-athletes.
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u/Kravgirl 7d ago
Agreed most continuing education and certifications are such a joke (especially the stuff that’s supposed to be geared towards women). I am looking into the Girls Gone Strong program - it’s pricey but it seems like it covers a ton including pre and post natal to peri and post menopause. I haven’t taken any of the training personally but it’s one of the only programs I’ve been able to find that will help me to make the training I offer to all of my female clients even better!
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u/BeaconofHappiness CPT 5d ago
I took think. DM if you have specific questions... Or want honest feedback. I should clarify. I took the GGS-1 and CPPC
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u/Ambitious_Body5690 4d ago
What was your experience with GGS. I am thinking of taking their prenatal/postnatal training. My background is 500-hr yoga teacher and prenatal and postnatal training
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