This post will be a little long winded, so thanks in advance for reading it.
When I was younger I was mentored by a gym owner friend of mine. Over the years he taught me a lot about training and nutrition. Eventually he gave me some responsibilities in his gym and even let me help out with his clients. At the time I wanted to train for a career, but things happened and I took a more stable occupation.
Fast forward some years and I find myself in a position where I severely hurt my spine. The spine injuries (herniated disc in the lumbar and thoracic spine, and arthritic facet joints) cause chronic pain rendering me unable to work.
After being laid up for several years I find a decent medication and supplement regimine that ease the pain a bit. With this in mind my doctor recommended that I try to start exercising again as I had gotten very unhealthy at that point. Since swimming was not an option I asked him if he thought I would be alright back in the gym. He consented and as a result I slowly and cautiously started a resistance training program.
After a year of training I find myself feeling the best that I have in years. I am still in pain, but at a greatly reduced rate. I am still not "normal", but I am probably as close as i am going to get.
All that said I have been out of work since hurting my spine. Now that I am feeling better I am ready to re-enter the workforce (even though I love being a stay at home Dad, the pay stinks). Specifically I am going to pursue a career as a personal trainer. This is one of the better options for me, as sitting down for long periods of time is still painful, as is standing up in one place. Being in a gym allows me not only the freedom of movement that I need, but also a schedule that will allow for trips home to lay down if need be.
That being said, money is tight. I have been doing research on the various certifications available, and the most prestigious certs are quite expensive for someone in my position. I am thinking of going for ACE, as it seems to be pretty cost effective. What do you guys think? Would I be ok with ACE, or is there another organization out there similarly priced that is better?
All advice and guidance will be greatly appreciated.
It seems to me that if you are thinking of starting out with a chain-type gym, you should check with them on their hiring specifications to see if they have any specific requirement.
It might not help you to hear that NSCA-CPT is the way to go if they are looking for something else to check off their checklist and can't/won't accomodate something "better".
That said, I'll let someone else comment on the relative "merits" of various certifications.
It seems to me that if you are thinking of starting out with a chain-type gym, you should check with them on their hiring specifications to see if they have any specific requirement.
It might not help you to hear that NSCA-CPT is the way to go if they are looking for something else to check off their checklist and can't/won't accomodate something "better".
That said, I'll let someone else comment on the relative "merits" of various certifications.
I will probably have to start in a chain of sorts. It is not my preference, but the chain gyms are pretty prelevant around here.
I will probably have to start in a chain of sorts. It is not my preference, but the chain gyms are pretty prelevant around here.
100% agree. Call the gyms around you, find the ones hiring and then ask them which certs they accept. From that list pick the cheapest and fastest cert to get. Most people doing the hiring don't care too much which cert you have, and neither will your clients. The main reason you have to hold a cert is for insurance purposes.
I would also check because most of the chain gyms will give you 6 months from hire date to become certified. So you can get hired, make a bit of money and use that money to buy your cert.
Good Luck, working in a chain gym doesn't have to be as bad as its often made out to be. I have spent all of my time working for them and still really enjoy what I do.
Danny
__________________
Limitations are for people who have them.
This post will be a little long winded, so thanks in advance for reading it.
When I was younger I was mentored by a gym owner friend of mine. Over the years he taught me a lot about training and nutrition. Eventually he gave me some responsibilities in his gym and even let me help out with his clients. At the time I wanted to train for a career, but things happened and I took a more stable occupation.
Fast forward some years and I find myself in a position where I severely hurt my spine. The spine injuries (herniated disc in the lumbar and thoracic spine, and arthritic facet joints) cause chronic pain rendering me unable to work.
After being laid up for several years I find a decent medication and supplement regimine that ease the pain a bit. With this in mind my doctor recommended that I try to start exercising again as I had gotten very unhealthy at that point. Since swimming was not an option I asked him if he thought I would be alright back in the gym. He consented and as a result I slowly and cautiously started a resistance training program.
After a year of training I find myself feeling the best that I have in years. I am still in pain, but at a greatly reduced rate. I am still not "normal", but I am probably as close as i am going to get.
All that said I have been out of work since hurting my spine. Now that I am feeling better I am ready to re-enter the workforce (even though I love being a stay at home Dad, the pay stinks). Specifically I am going to pursue a career as a personal trainer. This is one of the better options for me, as sitting down for long periods of time is still painful, as is standing up in one place. Being in a gym allows me not only the freedom of movement that I need, but also a schedule that will allow for trips home to lay down if need be.
That being said, money is tight. I have been doing research on the various certifications available, and the most prestigious certs are quite expensive for someone in my position. I am thinking of going for ACE, as it seems to be pretty cost effective. What do you guys think? Would I be ok with ACE, or is there another organization out there similarly priced that is better?
All advice and guidance will be greatly appreciated.
In your situation ACE is the best way to go. To my knowledge it is about 1/3 the cost of NASM and is still accepted almost everywhere.
The knowledge you will gain in an NASM certification is far superior and useful than an ACE certification but since you don't completely know how long you will be a trainer for, ACE is the way to start.
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