IDEA Personal Fitness Trainer Recognition System Hailed As Industry Breakthrough

San Diego – The IDEA Personal Fitness Trainer (PFT) Recognition system – an unbiased and impartial professional standard designed to assess the expertise and experience of personal trainers – has been identified by John McCarthy, Executive Director of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), as “an industry breakthrough.” And he predicts, “the concept, which recognizes the highly differentiated skill levels of personal trainers, will begin to sweep the industry.”

Many personal trainers seem to agree. Over 1,300 trainers from all 50 states and eight countries now participate in this program. This new industry standard is designed to benefit consumers seeking qualified personal trainers as well as trainers working to develop a successful career path.

“Personal training has experienced tremendous growth over the past several years, with an estimated 100,000 personal trainers active in the United States and a training base of more than four million clients,” says Kathie Davis, Executive Director of IDEA Health & Fitness Association. “There are, however, two primary problems confronting this profession. No clear set of industry standards for personal trainers exists and no career track for either entry level or experienced trainers has been identified or defined.”

The IDEA PFT Recognition System addresses these problems by recognizing specific quality benchmarks for personal trainers who have demonstrated their commitment to education and/or certification and the highest ethical standards. The IDEA PFT Recognition System – which has four levels of achievement – takes into account a trainer's educational background (certifications, degrees, CPR, CECs, etc.), their years of experience, their dedication to industry service, their standing among peers and clients, and their commitment to a code of ethics. Currently, the IDEA PFT Recognition System recognizes 17 personal trainer certifications and six personal trainer certificate programs.

All of the participants in the IDEA PFT Recognition System are listed in The International Personal Trainer Registry, an online database. Found on IDEAfit.com, this directory is a free-of-charge service to consumers and allows them to easily identify and contact the world’s leading personal fitness trainers. Other leading health and fitness websites as well as many trade and consumer publications have established links to this online locator.

The IDEA PFT Recognition System is open to all personal trainers who meet the criteria, which was developed by the IDEA Personal Trainer Committee, a group of leading trainers from the United States and Canada. IDEA membership is not a requirement, however, IDEA members may participate in this program for free. For trainers who are not IDEA members, the cost is $75 for two years.

“As a non-aligned organization that does not certify fitness professionals, IDEA is in a unique position to administer a program of this nature. For more than 20 years, IDEA has been dedicated to providing continuing education and promoting high standards for fitness trainers and instructors,” IDEA’s Davis adds.

To receive a brochure or an application for the IDEA PFT Recognition System, call 800-9994332, ext. 226 or, e-mail Recognition@IDEAfit.com or, visit the IDEA website at: www.IDEAfit.com.

IDEA is the world's leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals with more than 19,000 members in over 80 countries. Since 1982, IDEA has provided health and fitness professionals with pertinent information, educational opportunities, career development programs and industry leadership while helping them enhance the quality of life worldwide through safe, effective fitness and healthy lifestyle programs. For more information on IDEA events, publications, educational products, member services or other activities, visit the IDEA website at: www.IDEAfit.com.