I;m trying to decide if I should do my Group Cert through AFAA or ACE. I have my personal trainer cert through AFAA. Any advic
Should I stick with AFAA, there is a workshop in my area soon, but I get so nervous about the practical part of the test. I know ACE has only the one test, but cost more for premium package and no review workshop. Also I have the 2002 Fitness Theory & Practice and I wonder how much difference there is between the 2002 and the 2010 book?
Oops! I forgot to mention, you might also look at how much time you have, and whether you want to start small and grow into fitness, or if you’d rather study a little longer for something that will get you farther.
For me personally, ACE PT has been great. I thought it was all that I’d ever need to have. But then I applied at a place where every trainer had NASM, which is perceived as a notch higher than ACE in many circles. I did end up getting the job because of some other specialty certs that I had and they needed, but it made me run out and buy all the materials for NASM. If I’d just done NASM in the first place, I could have saved about $600 rather than paying for ACE first and then NASM later.
I have been certified by quite a few accrediting bodies, and ACE and NASM seem to be the most highly regarded. NASM covers everything, and I love how in depth they go into the stages of training, with the OPT model.(In fact, I have to get re certified because I took a few years off…and I did a quickie online cert to tide me over…If I were knew to the industry, I would know just the basics…and probably have trouble finding a job. NASM is accepted everywhere. I had an employer require that I get NASM within 90 days of being hired. It’s a challenging cert to get, but well worth the time, money, and effort. I hope this helps.
Smiles….
I have always liked to check out what different certifiying organizations are doing and how they present and approach their material. I do like the ease of renewing my two certifications with ACE. And I do like what ACE is doing in our industry. I would recommend having at least one certification from ACE. It does have wide acceptance in the industry. And I would recommend having at least a group cert and a personal trainer cert.