Nice site, John (interestingly enough, I work with one of your panelists, Chaney)...
I tend to agree with you. Certification, IMO, indicates that you were able to study for and pass a test. It speaks nothing of your overall abilities to be able to motivate, educate, or influence your clients/athletes. Certainly, there are some certifications that are considered "better" than others, and the level of knowledge needed to pass these tests does, on paper, indicate a "superior" professional. However, I have known trainers with "lesser" certifications and no formal education in exercise or physiology that I consider to be outstanding trainers, and I have also known well-educated, highly certified individuals who aren't worth a damn.
Certification is a test and a framed piece of paper. It is the individual trainer/coach that makes it count for anything.
Jonathan
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