Personal Training is more on the new side of job fields. With all new things come a few kinks to work out. Yes, there have been trainers for years, but this field is only recently becoming something anyone can do. Personal training no longer is just the super renown and extreme celebrity trainers that were popular the past years. The inflow of people into this field recently have stirred up a number of issues. This is mainly because of the popularity and attention shown in regard to trainers and training in general. My interest in becoming a personal trainer directly pertains to some of these issues I will be discussing. I may face the same things moving forward with my career.
I was an Exercise Science major and was more leaning to initially going into personal training. I wanted to try working up from there depending on how I liked it. The biggest issues I had heard of over the years of me being interested were rather concerning. Now I have moved away from that career but the issue is still present. The biggest being the lack of regulation on how trainers get certified. Someone can get an online certificate in an hour and go train at a gym. The issue here is these people are ruining it for those that put in serious time with school and study. I am not saying these people aren’t able to be good trainers, it just makes it difficult to really separate the two groups wage wise etc. Another issue I have heard from trainers podcasting is the gap of interest between a trainer and trainee. Most people going into this field are passionate about fitness and have a great relationship with it. This causes issues because the people you train most the time dread the gym but are told to go because of insurance, doctors, or social standards. Connecting with a client can be difficult. This sort of leads into another issue which is keeping people interested enough or motivated enough to stay with you. The number of people that quit their gym membership after a month or two after New Year’s is significant. This can really hurt trainer’s money wise as well as making it seem impossible to make money enough to live. On the other side of that, training is a busy job and extremely demanding. The hours do not always work well because most clients come in before or after work making your day start early and end late. The middle of the day is sort of a dead spot and a time where you aren’t making money either. Mentally the job of a trainer is to be a friend, drill sergeant, and therapist all in one depending on the client. A good thing about the industry might be the unfortunate obesity trend we have in the U.S. and also the fitness boom. The biggest part of this is finding a good place to start your career. For every trainer that is struggling there is also those living a lavish life and enjoying their work.
Of some of the above issues that I have mentioned, lack of regulation is the most concerning. Deana Melton, who is an Associate Professor in the Sport Science and Fitness Management degree program at NC A&T, did a study along with others on this regulation issue. Dr. Melton holds current certifications from the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. In an article found in the U.S. National Library of Medicine by Deana, she states:
“The vast number of certifying organizations indicates a lack of consensus within the field regarding credentials required to be a professional exercise leader (i.e., personal trainer). Essentially, all one has to do to become a “certified” trainer is to pay a fee, take an exam, and most fitness facilities will hire the individual regardless of the type of certification. As with most commercial industries, the quality of the product is often positively related to the cost. Thus, the lower-cost certification programs often lack the rigor and validity of the more expensive programs, such as ACSM and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) program.”
The article explains why regulation is such an issue as of right now in this field. The sides effects of people being able to go get a certification so easy mainly effect the actual clients that are paying for these trainers. Unprepared trainers can lead to injury, lack of proper instruction, or a negative physical experience. This then in turn can negatively affect those trainers in the field that actually are well informed, trained, and certified. A negative experience with one person can put a bad taste in someone’s mouth about trainers in general. It is sort of a snowball effect and does not benefit anyone.
There is a long list of these certification available right now. These certifications range in many ways. Some of them can be done completely online and allowed from the comfort of your home. Really these are all unique in their own way and this is the issue. The main ones are: NASM, ACE, FM, NSCA, ACSM, NESTA, NCCPT, NCSF, ISSA, AFAA, NFPT (Adams). Very few of these have valid methods of providing information and the needed skills for a successful trainer.
Figure 1 – (Pass Rate of Certification Exams)
Figure 2 – (Cost of Retaking a Failed Certification Exam)
The above figures show the actual pass rate of these certifications as well as how cheap it is to retake these tests if you end up failing once or twice. The issue here is anyone with some money can honestly get certified.
Not all the weight of this issue is on the trainers. Another reason for lack of regulation is on the people hiring these trainers. There needs to be a push from gym owners and those people running clubs to spark a change in the industry. If they don’t do anything soon the field is going to have to wait for governing bodies to crack down on the owners which could take longer. The biggest contributing factor to gym owners not making moves on the issue is because of pay. If trainers all begin to get licensed properly then more money will have to be put towards salary or wages. Lauren Bedosky stated in an article from Club Industry that, “You’re either going to have to cut some of your staff to accommodate higher wages for licensed professionals, or you’re going to have to raise your prices and pass that along to your members.” This change is not an easy thing for club owners to be able to do. The growing of the field may be a key to improving the entire issue altogether. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that employment of fitness instructors and trainers should grow by 13 percent from 2018 to 2028. This increase of competition is going to call for more people inside and outside to want some form of regulation.
A big part of personal training has moved online. The easy access to internet all over the world makes it easy to reach a large number of clients. If regulation is not increased alongside the growing market for online training, it will be even harder to tell who is credible. Fortunately, Brandi Binkley had something good to say about the future of personal training. Binkley is a fitness expert who writes online for The National Strength and Conditioning Association. In an article titled The Future of Personal Training: Where Is the Industry Headed Brandi mentions that, “A number of states are in the process of attempting to regulate who can call themselves a personal trainer, and charge for personal training services. Most of the states working on these regulations are leaning on higher education as a means of setting the bar for expectations.” These movements by states are going to be exactly what the field needs.
The regulation of personal trainer’s certifications is just one of the major issues that are prevalent in the field right now. As I said before, the personal training job is more so on the new side of things and is going through some kinks. As more people bring in money and attention, there will be refinement and improvements to the entire field. Me, being the starry-eyed personal trainer in the works, am very optimistic on the development of the issue. Moving forward regulation should be a focus for everyone in and out of the field.
Works Cited
Adams, Kyle. “Best Personal Trainer Certification- Top 10 CPTs of 2019.” Fitness Mentors, 18 June 2019, www.fitnessmentors.com/best-personal-trainer-certification/.
Bedosky, Lauren. “The Future of Personal Training May Be in Regulation, Certification and Integration.” Club Industry, 17 July 2018, www.clubindustry.com/trends/future-personal-training-may-be-regulation-certification-and-integration.
Binkley, Brandi. “The Future of Personal Training: Where Is the Industry Headed?” National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Oct. 2015, www.nsca.com/education/articles/career-articles/the-future-of-personal-training-where-is-the-industry-headed/.
“Fitness Trainers and Instructors : Occupational Outlook Handbook:” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018, www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm.
Melton, Deana I, et al. “The Current State of Personal Training: An Industry Perspective of Personal Trainers in a Small Southeast Community.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4021014/