really necessary to join NCSA? - Page 4 - JP Fitness Forums

John Sullivan · 08-22-2006, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alcoholiday

John, what is your degree in? I'm just curious in what some people's degrees are in, and who end up doing some sort of training/athletic background? What about Brad's? I already know Eric's.

International Affairs

malkore · 08-22-2006, 09:46 AM

On my education: I did start off wanting to teach English. dropped that idea fast though. so then it was a history minor, for about 2 weeks. philosophy just kinda happened,and I loved it.

4 days to 14 months...I guess 12 months for my goal isn't too bad.

Did you all find that the Essential Str. Training & Cond. book was all you really needed? Cuz NSCA has a truckload of other study materials. Should I only look at the materials for sections I really struggle with? (like the 17 layers that make up a muscle....)

John Sullivan · 08-22-2006, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malkore

Did you all find that the Essential Str. Training & Cond. book was all you really needed? Cuz NSCA has a truckload of other study materials. Should I only look at the materials for sections I really struggle with? (like the 17 layers that make up a muscle....)

That and the practice tests are all you need

bipennate · 08-22-2006, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Sullivan

That and the practice tests are all you need

Agreed, although whatever helps you pass is worth it, so if you feel that you need more, than get it. I don't know anyone personally that used anything more than the book and the tests though.

This has turned out to be a fantastic conversation, IMO! I think that I'll link it to my "Blog!"

Keith Scott · 08-22-2006, 11:47 AM

All I used was the text and some of the practice tests as well.

malkore · 08-23-2006, 09:32 AM

Thanks guys, you've all been tremendously helpful in this undertaking!

pnx · 10-29-2006, 05:19 PM

Look at these, guys. In a forum, where I was all praise for a CSCS,

1.Originally Posted by Bchemist
If you think that getting a CSCS automatically makes you a "Coach" or even half of the respect of one, you are in for a RUDE awakening. Say what you said about what makes a "real" coach to a Russian medalist coach, Bulgarian coach, or even Coach Louie Simmons or Bill Starr (none are certified or CSCS)...and you'll be lucky if they don't just laugh at you...or pat you on the head and tell you to go back to your little province and become a fish pond manager instead.

How do you expect these people to get certified, if they're the PIONEERS! - my reply. Am I right?

2.A REAL COACH is someone who has trained a CHAMPION CALIBER athlete.

3. And for the record AGAIN, certifications ARE NOT USELESS!!!! But they prove NOTHING as to your PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE. I've read the CSCS manual, and all I can say that with 16 years of experience at the Master level (training international class athletes)) and an advanced degree in a great portion of the science behind the CSCS (since I have a degree in biochemistry and know it in FAR MORE DEPTH than the CSCS teaches), WHY THE HELL WOULD I NEED A CSCS? WHAT BENEFIT would I get from spending the money? Throwing money away so someone can hand you a piece of paper that tells you something that you already knew...very smart. You had the NERVE to say that just because I don't have a CSCS that I'm not a "real" coach, yet you call others "pioneers" who I HAPPEN TO HAVE MET and share correspondence from time to time WHO ALSO ARE NOT CERTIFIED AND TOLD ME THAT IT'S A JOKE AND A WASTE OF YOUR (MY) TIME? Dude...did they teach you logic when you grow fish in the fish pond? - BChemist

4.This just goes to show that you don't need to be certified to prove you are a good coach. Years of experience and client portfolio are far more important - Blakedaddy

5.Dude.

I know people who have passed the CSCS but look like walking sticks. Would you like to be trained by a wimp?

I have gone through 5 years of school in Sports Science. And your basis is a CSCS certification? The CSCS is all contained in 1 book! Something I can finish reading in 1 week! You better reassess your position. - Musclefreak

6.A CSCS may mean you know the theories but it doesn't automatically mean you are a real coach. A real coach is someone who can use his acquired knowledge through various training with clients and givnig them the results. - blakedaddy

7. Last time, and hopefully even someone of your miniscule intelligence can understand this: THE CSCS IS NOT INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS A COACHING CERTIFICATION. Because you are a sucker for falls for slick marketing and propaganda pushed down your throat by the NCSA, you are hence ignorant to that FACT. So are you ignorant and can learn this fact, or are you just stupid and cannot learn and accept it? It is up to the institution at hand to decide whether or not they wish to recognize it. This is an INTERNATIONAL FACT. Why can't you get that through your THICK skull? If your brain matter was as dense as your skull.....or even 1/20th the thickness, you might have a CLUE by now. - Bchemist

8. The book is about 300 pages, but it would take someone with a science background about 6-7 hours to read cover-to-cover. Most of what is stated there is covered over the course of about 1 year of fitness magazines, in other words, the same crap the bodybuilding and fitness rags recycle year after year is condensed into the CSCS book. The only positive thing they teach is Olympic lifting, but it's very brief and inadequate. - Bchemist

PS- I will take my NSCA CPT next year then will try my luck next on CSCS.

My mind is set. These posts won't change my decision.

But I just want to share the posts of an anti-CSCS.

kuri · 10-29-2006, 10:57 PM

Nice timing in bumping this up. Almost exactly 1 month left to study for me. I've been taking any pretests I can find and going back through Essentials yet again and taking as detailed notes as possible for review and drilling.

For those that have taken the CSCS what was your strategy in the last month leading up to the exam?

Funk · 10-30-2006, 04:28 PM

My strategy was studying for my finals and hoping to hell I was done with college

Make sure you review olympic lifts' positioning and technique if you don't do them regularly; they were a big part of the video portion of the testing. Good luck.

-Dustin

Lisa~ · 10-30-2006, 04:36 PM

pnx, I think Bchemist got pretty offensive in his comments, but I can't disagree with this quote from one of the other posters:

Quote:

6.A CSCS may mean you know the theories but it doesn't automatically mean you are a real coach. A real coach is someone who can use his acquired knowledge through various training with clients and givnig them the results. - blakedaddy

I think the CSCS is the best and most well respected certification currently available. That's why I got it. It gives you starting credibility, but does not, in and of itself, make you a good coach or personal trainer. I still think it's the right place to start.

Lisa~ · 10-30-2006, 04:38 PM

Kuri,

My strategy near the end was to focus on the topics that the self-tests revealed needed the most work. I looked back through the book and also for additional material on those topics.

Good luck!

Spartan · 10-30-2006, 05:14 PM

pnx, it sounds like those guys are just being dicks and posturing. If they think the NSCA is just some fitness organization that is just looking to make money they're mistaken. I don't think there are many who think getting a CSCS automatically mean they're going to be a a good coach. Or not having one necessarily means one is a bad coach. But even having coaching experience doesn't mean someone is going to be a good coach. What the CSCS does is increase the likelihood that a candidate will be a good strength coach. I really cant see a reason why someone who's looking to be a strength coach of any kind for a career wouldn't do it. Hell, there are a ton of coaches who thought the CSCS was useful enough to take. Damn near every strength coach for every professional and collegiate sports team in the country, Tate, Berardi, Santana, Poliquin, Staley, Kraemer...the list is pretty long.

UConnJulie · 10-30-2006, 06:13 PM

I have 2 bachelor's degrees ... one in Sports Medicine (but never sat for the ATC) and one in Physical Therapy ... I have many friends/colleagues who are CSCS certified ...

I currently only work one weekend per month (as a physical therapist), but am more and more interested in working for me on my own schedule. Due to legalities with my PT licence in the state of Connecticut, I cannot really just hang out a shingle ... so I am sitting for my NSCA-CPT in January. I called the NSCA to speak to them about which test I should take ... they said that the CSCS doesn't really prepare you to work as a trainer with individuals of varying fitness levels. It is more for working with teams and athletes. That helped me make my choice as I will be targeting a different clientele. With my background in sports medicine and physical therapy I don't forsee any problems with the exam (either exam really) and may end up sitting for CSCS next year.

I did order all the study material because I do not want to be complacent only to fail ... and the more I know, the better when "hanging out my shingle". Thanks for all the tips on this thread ... even though they are more specific to the CSCS, they should help with the NSCA-CPT!!

Keith S. · 10-30-2006, 10:12 PM

I am currently studying to sit for the CPT (hopefully in February). I have the Essentials of Personal Training, Essentials of Personal Training Symposium (with CDs), CPT Practice Exam Vol. 1 & DVD, & Free Weight & Machine Exercise Tecnique viedo. (Yeah, I know, a lot!)

I am hopng to get back in school in January to Brooklyn College (Exercise Science). At Brooklyn "Individuals completing this program will have met the educational eligibility requirements for certification by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health/Fitness Instructor." And if admitted, which I think I will be, when I finish I'd sit for the CSCS soon after graduation...

kuri · 11-02-2006, 11:20 AM

Dustin and Lisa, thanks for the advice.

I'm curious about the video portion in that are the nature of the questions identifying bad posture, not getting full extension etc...?

Steve-O-68 · 11-02-2006, 11:28 AM

I missed the registration date for the December test... crap! Now I have to wait until Feb!

Lisa~ · 11-02-2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuri

Dustin and Lisa, thanks for the advice.

I'm curious about the video portion in that are the nature of the questions identifying bad posture, not getting full extension etc...?

My self test had a DVD with sample video questions. The actual test was exactly like that. Sometimes they ask about lifting technique, sometimes about posture, sometimes about proper progressions (like for plyometrics). I remember one that asked what was wrong with the step-ups the guy in the video was doing, and the answer was not alternating his feet properly. It was minutia, imo, but I got it right.

dos · 11-02-2006, 03:45 PM

I was a CSCS with a masters degree in 1992....what I knew then and what I know now are night and day. That's life....you learn, adapt, change, tweak, steal, conform, rebel etc. etc. The bottom line is that some 'experts' are meant to be practitioners, knee deep in the battle and others are meant to be in the labs proving that things that practitioners have been doing in the field for years either work or don't work.

The CSCS is a starting point, what you do from there is on you.