I very much think our profession needs a professional license. Why do you/don't you agree?

I totally agree. As a legitimately educated fitness professional with a master's degree in the field, ACSM certification, and a whole host of other certifications, I would love to have a license to completely separate myself from the unqualified folks in the field. Because there are "trainers" out there with online "certifications," or worse- no education at all- we are all scrutinized. Then there are the institutions that make up their own specialty certification, then brainwash the general public into thinking that trainers that don't posses their particular certification are not credible. A trainer that has a solid education on kinesiology and proper biomechanics should be able to use any equipment in the gym without question of if they have "certification" on that particular unit. Bring on the license!

I agree completely! It helps bring credibility to not only the professional but the profession as a whole. With so many people referring to themselves as a qualified "personal trainer" we have no standard of proving they are or aren't qualified unless they are certified. Certifications now can be obtained in a matter of hours, so making everyone in the profession pass a license similar to Physical Therapy or Nursing ensures everyone possesses the skills necessary to care for their clients.

The existing certifications were developed to give our industry criteria for potential and existing pfofessionals to meet .Adding more regulations and fees
are not a guarantee again this is the reason for ACE and ACSM to mention a few.. the others have to be expose by the industry!Way too much regulation by government as well as fees .Time to MAKE MORE OF AN EFFORT EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON EXISTING CERTIFICATIONS AND THEIR BENEFITS CHOOSING A PROFESSIONAL FROM THE EXISITNG ASSOCIATIONS

I completely agree. As long as unqualified trainers can beat people up on tv and it is making someone money, it just isn't going to happen.

Yes, there needs to be not only licenses in the fitness profession; but basic standardization as well. You can't polish someone's nails without a license, yet you can offer exercise program to anyone with nothing??? All wrong. Those comments above I don't disagree with and with a degree and multiple certifications, you as well as me, should be grandfathered in. But where will the line be drawn as to who gets grandfathered and who doesn't. I left a job because non-certified people were "training" all ages, all levels of abilities with NO assessments.

Seems to me that the certification and reputation with clients should speak for itself and the comment made earlier about educating the public about qualified professionals is the best standard anyone can ask for.

For example, Physicians are required by law to have their license to practice medicine, but that doesn't make them ALL good. I used to work at a Hospital and believe me, I've seen some really crummy doctors. Some of the things I've seen and heard would make your head spin. It's so important to build a reputation as a fitness professional as someone who is knowledgeable, but also a great coach, instructor and a motivator to those that require our services. That is something that no license will ever show.

I think a license would be great for differentiating the Pros from the Cons. Nothing tops good old experience but at least the fakers would be put out of business and a lot of potential success stories would not be stories of defeat... and injury!

Ours is the only arena in the health industry that does not require a state license to go to work. All of you who mentioned you don't need a license to show how good you are...you guys would be good at what you do no matter what cert or license there is. Either way, those of us in the industry for 15+ years will be grandfathered in some way anyhow.

This license thing isn't going to happen anytime soon. The powers that be in this industry can't agree on a test to use. Maybe someday.

It doesn't help that what the industry teaches, whatever the topic, can be held up for debate any given week. Crunches or not, knees over the toes or not, squats or not, olympic lifts or not, HIT or not, run or not...shall I continue?

Licensure opens up a can of worms to much more discussion than should we be licensed or not.

I totally agree. For once the UK seems to be head of the US in this respect. All qualifications need to be written by industry experts to agreed National Occupational Standards and they sit on the Qualification Credit Framework. Take a look at this link to see the structure of the QCF. http://www.qcda.gov.uk/resources/qcf_intro_animation/QCF_main.html
I am proud to say that I have personally been part of the shaping of this process in particular for Mat Pilates, Group Exercise to Music and Personal Training.
We still have a long way to go before every fitness professional has the relevant qualifications but it is a great start.

I agree with Audra. I have a degree in science, I also went to a credible college for almost two years doing a fitness program certification which included kinesiolgy along with practical experience with submaximal testing, gait analysis, I could go on but ended with an internship with a competitive sports league...this program was based off of ACSM. I also worked in the fitness industry for two years before becoming certified. With all that under my belt I went with ACE and that exam was HARD. I earned my way and know my stuff. It is hard enough to work in this business, as Audra said, especially when you are self employed. I don't need to a license to prove myself...my resume and training capabilities speak for themselves. I have seen the people who get their week end certs and try to make a living at it. They struggle most of the time. You know what I am doing next week besides teaching classes and training? Going on a local talk show and teaching a mini boot camp on camera LOL in honor of the Joining Forces Campaign (spreading the word) given to ACE by our President and first lady. I love that they are supporting the community. Way to go ACE! Backed by the president...I don't need a license. ACE is fantastic and their requirements are sound.

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. I'm actually an ACE Master Trainer, and think their certifications and continuing education are very thorough and do represent what I think a trainer ought to know. I also have both a bachelor's and a master's (working on my Ph.D.) in the field, and wish that this was enough. I suppose I'm just seeing and hearing more clubs and gyms requiring multiple training certifications and I am just not understanding it. My thought with the licensure is that similar to what a dietitian goes through, this would be enough to say you are fully qualified and trained to do what we do best. I suppose time will tell!!

The problem with trying to educate the general public on the certification standards for the health industry is there are no standards. Arguments are made among those of us in the industry as to which certification is better than others, what qualifies one fitness professional over another purely based on certifications, so how are we going to educate the general public? By allowing standardization every one will be guaranteed that each and every licensed fitness professional will have learned a core set of basic and advanced information. It is sad when a professional with a BS and masters in fitness, exercise physiology, and the like have doors closed to them because they did not obtain the "correct" training certification that some company or person believes is the best and then hires someone with the "correct" certification yet puts their client in danger because they are not truly qualified.

Did a whole bunch of job interviews a while back and I gained some valuable insight into why fitness clubs do not like to hire college degreed people and instead usually go with a reputable certification and experience first. This was told to me by two different places during two different interviews. College students seem to have this grandiose idea that they are supposed to come out of college and land these fantastic paying jobs. That they are owed something in this business because of their degrees. That they are going to make the 60-100 bucks per hour from the start. I was told that the colleges are NOT doing their students any favors by filling their heads with this.
If you go out there and think you are owed something or that you are going to make 40 k + a year from the start..you are going to be disappointed.
One of my fav things to say to clients and it applies to everything in life. Nothing in life that is worthwhile, comes easy! If it were just handed to you, then you wouldn't respect it like you should, you wouldn't see the value in it. What have you learned? This is a huge process that has to be taken in steps, a foundation needs to be built or what has been created will surely come crumbling down.
I stick to my first statement. I would NOT trade my experience and certifications for some license for anything!

Personally, I don't think a degree makes a great trainer, experience and continuing education is what it is all about in this industry.

I am all for state license for trainers and I wonder if all of the trainers with degrees would pass. In this economy, not all of us are blessed to be able to afford a college education! I have met so many really talented trainers that don't have degrees and some really bad trainers that do have degrees that just think they are great in their own minds.

I think a degree would be a great thing for the industry. Gyms I used to work for had so many under qualified people working as trainers because they were able to pass a 100 question test. Experience is clearly the best thing, but in what profession isnt that the best! Yet most other professions all require a college degree. Why should being a trainer be any different than other professions. Just because you have a college degree isnt going to make you a great trainer but it sure wont hurt your chances!

Do you really think the government is going to require crazy rules and how much to charge? That does not go along with what they currently do with most trade licensing procedures and policies which is the most likely category that trainers would fall under. Unless you hold a government position the government cannot indicate what you can charge.
I do understand your concern about giving someone else, especially the government, power though but that is for another discussion :)

My concern has to do with the copyrighted programs such as ZUMBA and Crossfit "certifying" anyone who can take the time and money to do it.

We do need to figure out a way to keep our guidelines enforced in a sensible way and we do need to figure out which certification is a must....

It doesn't matter to me either way, but I welcome a licensure that would allow us to take insurance as a form of payment. It would also go a long way as far as credibility within the Health industry

I worked in the student fitness center when I was in college at the University of Delaware. My senior year we were offered the option to take the IFPA Personal Trainer Certification. So I signed up along with about 40 other students.

We attended a 2 hour seminar, then sat for the test. I passed with a score of 97%. Virtually everyone else passed too. Turned out the seminar essentially covered the exact questions on the test, then we took the test.

We were then offered the opportunity to stay for an additional 2 hour seminar and then take the "Certified Sports Nutrition Counselor" exam. Why not, right? 2 hours later I passed with a score of 99%.

I will be the first person to tell you that at that point in my life I was NOT ready to train people, and I was nowhere near qualified to provide nutritional counseling. Yet I was certified in both.

As far as I was concerned, those certifications meant nothing. I have always believed that certified does not necessarily mean qualified.

All of this is my long winded way of saying that yes, I 100% absolutely, wholeheartedly agree that we need licensure. Like any profession, licensure does not guarantee that one will be good at their job, but at a minimum it requires a more stringent standard than what many of the countless require for certification.

There are actually organizations out there that state right on their certification page "Don't pay unless you pass." In fact, the BBB did an inquiry:

http://tucsoncitizen.com/bbbconsumeralert/2010/09/07/bbb-warns-american-...

While it may cost me more money to become licensed, it will be money that I consider well spent to bring some respect to a profession that I care so passionately about that is being tarnished by not having an industry standard.

Wow, that was a lot. Sorry, just kinda passionate about this topic.

I agree with and respect all of the answers posed here on both sides of this issue. While I totally agree that there are many, many well-qualified and professionally competent certified trainers, and reputable certification agencies out there, the truth is that not everyone in our industry fits that profile. I see the purpose of licensing as not primarily being "trying to PROVE our competency" to the outside world, as some answers suggest here. I see it as encompassing a much broader purpose. I think that if licensing is ultimately required to trainers, with that may also come 1. health insurance company coverage and payment to trainers, 2. physician and other health professional referrals to trainers, 3. ease of creating business partnerships with physicians, therapists and other health professionals. Each of these could serve to increase our potential to make the type of living in our profession that for years we have clamored for.

Yes, licensing creates more administrative hassle and paperwork, but like it or not, as business professionals, we are required to have an administrative part to our businesses. As the movement becomes more and more about "prevention," and a "holistic approach" to health and wellness, we as certified trainers and fitness professionals will have to change and adapt with that movement. Unfortunately, this may require our becoming licensed as the medical and health industry attempts to move more of the patients and purchasing public out of the medical offices and into a more preventive arena such as our fitness studios and gyms.

LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
larue.cook@lecfitness.com

I think it would definitely bring a new light to our industry. There are so many out there that have no qualifications or some that are very questionable..and that makes me worry. That also makes it hard for those of us that spent a lot of time and hard work in school to truly prepare for our certification exams not just by buying a book.

However, I agree with those comments stating we prove ourselves in our work. So a license shouldn't be necessary. I also would not want to go back now and get a license after I have worked so hard on many different certifications and a full blown education.

So its a toss up to me!

I was very upset when I read about needing a license 3 years ago but that may be better for trainers to have a license as far as being recognized as a professional and doing things in a more legit manner

I am all for standards, but requiring a license will just cost more money and get the government(people who know nothing about our trade) into it, it will not make those whom are "bad" trainers any better. It is best that we govern ourselves, let the consumer decide with whom they wish to train with. This is a very slippery slope, once the government is in, we will be stuck with their rules, which may someday include how much we can charge and who knows what else. Be careful what you wish for.

I agree with licensing, but then the question becomes "Which certifying agency sets the standard for licensing". It is ASCM, ACE, AFAA, NCSF, NETA or one of the other 200 or more certifying agencies. If I had my choice, I would opt for the ACSM (although I am presently not certified by them). They are the oldest certifying body in the industry and one of the most progressive when it comes to initiatives like "Exercise is Medicine", which looks to add medical validity to our profession.

I think personal trainers should be left alone, but I would love to see a profession that has a license to help people in their quest for fitness. It could be something to a registered dietitian. The problem is that it is difficult to have a standard definition of what fitness is. Some may view it as strictly cardiovascular and some may think it is strictly musculoskeletal. I doubt we'll see something like this within the next couple of years, but I could see it in the next decade or so.

I believe if personal trainers are working within the scope of practice of their credentials, particularly if they have no background working with people with clinical conditions, there is no need to have a license.

When I look at my ACE CPT Certificate it states clearly that I have "met all the requirements of the American Council on Exercise to develop and implement fitness programs for individuals who have no apparent physical limitations or special medical needs."

If personal trainers with credentials as the above working within their scope, I don't see a need for licensing.

Currently, the field of personal training encompasses a wide array of educational, training, and experience backgrounds. Members of the public have little ability to distinguish among the many types of certifications that might be held by a personal trainer. The argument for licensing is that it allows for a standardization of a minimum level of education and skills in order to practice as a fitness professional. On the other hand, certification by professional organizations (the current model) does provide a method for determining a minimum level of competence. These organizations also provide a code of ethics for certified members. Is State licensing really an improvement on this? Licensing laws are handled by each State individually and every State will have a different standard. I am a licensed psychologist and I can attest to how difficult it is to move from one place to another and need to be relicensed. Every State has its own examination and other sets of requirements. There is a tendency as an area of practice becomes under the legislative umbrella through licensing for the requirements for the license to steadily escalate. There also certainly would be no uniformity among the various State laws.

There are a number of States (California, New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia, Massachusetts, and D.C.) considering legislation that would require licensing/certification for personal trainers and other fitness professionals. In 2008, a New Jersey bill proposed a licensing law that was both a title and a practice law, protecting both the titles of “personal trainer” and “fitness instructor” (among others) as well as the actual scope of practice. The proposed requirements were an associate’s or bachelor’s degree or 300 hours of approved classroom instruction and a minimum of 50-hour unpaid internship supervised by someone licensed under this proposed law http://www.nbfe.org/pdf/NewJerseySB2164.pdf. Other proposed state laws specify a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Louisiana has a licensing law governing the practice of exercise physiologists.

Particularly when it comes to the passage of legislation restricting the practice of a field to those with licensing, there is a question of whether this is aimed at protecting the public or protecting turf. Certainly there is an obligation by governments to protect its citizens. On the other hand, once a licensing process is started the requirements for licensing tend to gradually escalate excluding more and more individuals. For example, 30 years ago many States allowed individuals with master’s degrees in psychology to be licensed as psychologists. Eventually, every State required a doctorate. Following that, requirements were increased to include a one-year internship and now a two-year internship is required by nearly every State. Is this really the direction that the personal training and fitness field wants to go?

wow, there is certainly a large rift between those who like this idea and those who absolutely do not. That said, I am a BIG proponent of licensing myself. Degree or no degree, certification or no certification, this organization or that organization, if there's one thing this industry desperately needs it's consistency in its guidelines, standards, protocols, and procedures. Too many chefs in this proverbial kitchen, to be sure. Not only can anyone become certified by taking "exams" that you don't pay for til you pass, but if I or you wanted to make up our own certifying agency this afternoon, we could. It's ludicrous what often passes for "certification" in this industry, and the poor unsuspecting public become the experimental lab subjects for the fitness charlatans who are undeniably among us. Any professional arena that works with the exercising public, either one-on-one or in a group setting, should have to meet a minimal standard of competency and should also be required to maintain that licensure via continuing education. There are plenty of certs out there that require ZERO continuing education--I suppose they figure that once you pass, you know everything there will ever be to know about the subject area. Nonsense. This industry is constantly changing and evolving, and we as professionals in it must also.
Just as there are licensed doctors, attorneys, and phlebotomists who are substandard, there will be the same issue in licensed fitness professionals, no argument there. But I can not use that straw man argument to say that since such a thing could occur, we should trash the idea of licensing for all those individuals altogether. Licensing by a minimum competency standard prevents an innumerable number of people who would otherwise take advantage of an easy money scenario from becoming surgeons simply by hanging out their shingle next week. I am no fan of big government either, but I genuinely believe that in this particular case, the benefits outweigh the risks to the public. And as a fitness professional, the public's longterm safety and wellbeing are my primary concern. And if you're a fitness professional reading this, I bet it's yours too.

I totally agree with the need of a professional license. To add to this Personal Training & Nutrition should be included together. It never made sense to me that you can have one w/o the other. Optimal health is not a choice between fitness & nutrition you MUST have both to reach any goal you have. Because PT's deal w/ all sorts of issues I think it's so important for us to be trained as a Doctor would be on how to rehabilitate people back to life because let's face it when you lack optimum health it's difficult to feel full of life. How many of us even know what the definition of exercise is??? I was already working as a PT when a more experienced PT & exercise specialist asked me to define exercise, to my surprise I didn't know but I do now & I will share:

The First Definition of Exercise - By Ken Hutchins:

Exercise is a process whereby the body performs work of a demanding nature, in accordance with muscle and joint function, in a clinically-controlled environment, within the constraints of safety, meaningfully loading the muscular structures to inroad their strength levels to stimulate a growth mechanism within minimum time.

Quoted from www.renaissanceexercise.com

Some food for thought: Three national lifeguarding organizations (ARC, USLA, & YMCA) united their certifications this year in a bid to eliminate the slight discrepancies between their individual standards of care/practice. I know I'm chiming in late here, but thought I should share. All three groups participate in the United States Lifeguard Standards Coalition, whose mission is to "research, identify and promote evidence-based standards for lifeguarding and water rescue" (http://lifeguardstandards.org/). They simply standardized the testing & qualifications- candidates can still choose to be taught by any one of the organizations but the test & practical contain the same materials which were agreed upon by the coalition as a whole.

I think this would be entirely feasible in the world of personal training & other exercise-related certifications, and would be much less complicated than a licensing process. If a similar concept were adopted in our industry all the governing bodies (ACE, NSCA, ACSM, etc.) would have their name included in the by-line of the coalition, so there could be less vying for the title of top dog. This way all the professionals could agree on their common ground while still allowing for the specializations that each individual nonprofit (or other) certifying body provides, and the standards would be recognized (possibly even endorsed) by the national government. This would eliminate the problems associated with state-wide and similar licensing. As a side-note, the talk of a lifeguarding coalition first began in 2003 and the agreed-upon materials were only released this January (2012). Let's get the ball rolling, people!

Fitness professionals are professionals. For the past 20 years or greater, there has been a proliferation of new trainers as well as new fads, such as Corrective Exercise, TRX, trigger release therapy and now Kettlebells.

All these interventions require one solid component. Knowledge. As one prior respondent stated, if a nail salon has to be licensed, a hair dressor needs to pass a national exam and obtain a license, a occupational and physical therapist has to take and pass a national and state board, how is the fitness profession any different.

Respecting the >100 personal training certifications out there, the two that are consistently scientific and research based, which are ACSM and NSCA. Both clearly have a scope of practice.

As uniquely BOTH an experienced physiotherapist and personal trainer, I do believe the time has come. I don't think necessarily licensure is the option, but definately some form of regulation.

Just because someone has passed an ACE CPT exam, it does not give them the right to work with any population. In addition, the personal trainer still has to have and understand fundamentals, that are not being understood and carried out. I am making this comment from the past 16 years that I have worked as a personal trainer in gyms in the east coast, mid west and west coast. There is a discrepancy in knowledge base and with knowledge comes confidence, safety and results. The proliferation of Kettlebells is a fine example. I had a 60 yo patient who was working with a personal trainer and he had her perform a snatch to press with a 20+ kettle bell. Not only did she injure her shoulder, she had a medium tear to the supraspinatus.

There has to be some form of regulation now. The time has come and all personal trainers really need to learn the science behind the movement, have a sound understanding of anatomy, basic biomechanics, pathology, and truly understand exercise prescription.

A great topic to talk about and most of all, needs to be addressed more seriously!

Personally, I agree that we need to be licensed and regulated. Too many people get the impression that a personal trainer = fitness enthusiast.

TV shows do not help, as mentioned above. How would people feel if a doctor started yelling at their patients? It gives people a notion as to how we work as well as gives an unprofessional light to us.

Certifications and degrees go a long ways, a background and experience goes even farther.

Gyms willing to hire low budget trainers that show dangerous moves to clients should be weeded out.

Being able to charge insurance companies, or have doctors prescribe personal trainers would go a LONG ways for us as well.

It seems like a good idea, but I am never in favor of more government regulation.

The problem with this is how do you structure and establish competency. passing a driver's test is suppose to prove competency to drive a car yet how many horrific drivers do you see driving daily. Those same drivers at one time passed a government controlled "competency" exam. Certification agencies weed out some but not all. More should be required but then the question is how much and by whom? I agree that weeding out incompetent trainers should be the goal as well as increasing professionalism of all trainers but logistics may prevent this from ever happening by regulatory entity. We as an industry can start to increase awareness to clients to demand more of ourselves and slowly we can raise the bar.

I would be all for it. There would be a lot fewer trainers if this were to happen and more regulation. In my opinion this is not a bad thing. However, having a lot of trainers is not a bad thing, but having consumers who have no idea what they are getting when they get a trainer that is certified from _________ with specialty training in ____________ is not doing them any favors. As it is even educated consumers do not really know the the ins and outs of this industry.

Licensing and regulation goes against our free market principles. It's not good for the economy. Especially when the regulators are not knowledgeable of the industry in which they exert their power. It's a barrier to entry with no guarantee of higher quality or consumer protection. It means other people telling you how you can run your business including what to do and what to charge possibly. It can make it hard to differentiate. It can stifle competition. It can provide larger more established companies a way to prevent competition from entering the market paving the way for monopolies.

We can't insulate everybody from everything. We still have to respect freedoms and allow the market to work efficiently. Consumer education is the key. The market will decide. Consumers are smart even though the opposite appears to be the case sometimes.