Researched and written by Dr. Neeraj Mehta (Professor at American Sports Fitness University and COO of GFFI Fitness Academy).
Personal trainers are in charge of training customers and implementing regulations about equipment safety and correct usage. Individuals in this job must be able to create, record, and execute one-on-one, partner, or group fitness programs that are tailored to the requirements and objectives of their customers. This individual must be able to advise customers on fundamental exercise physiology as well as correct lifting and workout practices. This individual will be familiar with all fitness floor rules.
Personal trainers’ roles are evolving to include clients with health issues, clients of all ages, overweight clients, and athletes’ clients—a wide range of opportunities for personal trainers is on the horizon. Personal trainers examine their clients’ physical strengths and shortcomings and design specific fitness routines for them. They provide physical and emotional advice and regularly assess their clients’ development. They also make certain that consumers are not wounded while training.
We get enquiries from both gym owners and people on a regular basis about whether or not there are any restrictions that limit who may sell oneself as a “personal trainer.” The simple answer is that, as far as we know, there are no state or federal laws prohibiting someone from claiming to be a personal trainer.
Some of the latest studies say that “despite well-documented concerns regarding their position and practice standards, fitness professionals are expanding their customer base. People with obesity (Jeffery et al., 1998), diabetes (Lubans et al., 2013), Parkinson’ s disease (Corcos et al., 2013), mental health issues (Moore, Moore, & Murphy, 2011) and other health issues have benefited from fitness professionals’ health-focused exercise interventions.”
The role of personal trainers has evolved beyond the conventional gym environment, and today the groups operate in schools, medical centers, hospitals, sports medicine and rehabilitation clinics, and corporate wellness facilities.
The enormous levels of responsibility carried by fitness professionals in these many contexts raises issues and questions about their formal training and professional education.
In one of the few empirical studies on the subject, fitness experts with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology/exercise science and/or certifications from the ACSM, Growth for Fitness Instructors Institute (GFFI), and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) outperformed those without.
Is Certification Required by Law?
Nowadays, it is extremely common for a personal trainer to inform their customers that they have their “personal training certification” without providing any other information. To be clear, a personal trainer certification is not required by law. A certification is just a certificate issued by a private, typically for-profit, firm indicating that an individual has met whatever qualifications that private company feels necessary before promoting or selling oneself as a personal trainer.
Among the numerous fitness specialists, personal trainers have been studied the most. Clearly, a personal trainer’s duty extends well beyond putting up scheduled workouts. The function, like other groups of kinesiologists, has evolved to accommodate changing practice demands.
As a result of the scientifically proven positive effects of physical activity. Fitness professionals are stepping more deeply into studies to understand and get qualified for their scoop of practice.
And a variety of nations have established professional standards and certification frameworks to become fitness professionals in the field. Individuals who are healthy and fit can be served by exercise scientists, personal fitness trainers, and social sports instructors; those who are ill or injured can be served by rehabilitation therapists and clinical exercise physiologists; and those who are athletes can be served by sports psychologists and sports medicine specialists. The healthcare systems in various nations and areas have varying titles and certification standards for these exercise experts.
Despite the fact that fitness professionals are responsible for a broad variety of health-related activities, there is no consensus or understanding regarding which credentials or other types of continuing professional development are most effective in terms of supporting their everyday work practices. The majority of the research has been on the initial training and development of fitness professionals, and it has been proposed that a bachelor’s degree in exercise science/kinesiology (or a comparable area) should serve as the principal base of their professional competence (Rupp, Campbell, Thompson, & Terbizan, 1999).
Become a certified trainer today by GFFI Fitness Academy: look for the courses provided here:
Look for the latest fitness study
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00336297.2016.1224193
https://www.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/page_files/27/SRWC-StudentEmployment-PersonalTrainer.pdf
https://www.betterteam.com/personal-trainer-job-description
https://work.chron.com/career-description-personal-trainer-13014.html
