ACE certification credibility

by Hanna Forrest

I am a 35 year old new mom who wants to embark on a new career as a personal trainer. I have a lot of my own gym time and I am very interested in becoming a personal trainer. What about getting certified through ACE? Do you know anything about the credibility of the ACE certification? Thanks for your attention.

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ACE is a credible personal trainer certification
by: Katie - Admin

ACE is a good first certification. ACE is widely recognized and will get you a job at most gyms. It is not necessarily the most respected certification in the industry so you may want to upgrade to something a bit more substantial once you are certain that you want to pursue a personal training career for the long haul.

- Katie

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Part-time in-home instructor--ACE?
by: Bert

Hello,

Superb site, first of all!

I am a mid-40's guy who's always kept in good shape through working out and have a passion for health that's growing as I age. I have lived in my area of the country (northeast Dallas, TX) nearly all my life and have a strong affinity for the people here.

I'd like to become a personal trainer, going to people's homes and showing them how to best benefit from bodyweight exercises--no fancy, expensive equipment required. I'm not talking just standard pushups and situps--anyone can do that.

However, despite making it more challenging and highly varied, I wonder if I need some higher-end certification or not. For whatever reason, ACE is one that I've looked into more than others. Some of them seem to either be a bit too lengthy or expensive. This one seems more closely aligned with my goals/ambitions.

My willingness to start it part-time, though, may give me more opportunity to build this business up the right way, rather than rush through key areas.

Any advice is highly appreciated. Thanks.

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More respected certification than ACE's
by: Anonymous

I was wondering which certifications qualify for "something a bit more substantial" as compared to ACE?

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CSCS
by: Anonymous

Perhaps the CSCS as the gold standard in the industry. Hardest to get, hardest to maintain, and continually updating the research. You will never find that in ACE

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CSCS...
by: Anonymous

I believe that requires a Bachelors Degree,approximately 4 yrs and $25,000+the certification.

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After speaking w/Several 24 Hr Head Trainers...
by: MJ

I learned that, of course a degree+cert is preferred. Since I have an unrelated BA in Communications, so they told me I can get my foot in the door w/a Nationally accepted cert, then the more I recieve after that, more $$$$ I'll make. Cheapest of those is ACE(about $200), but best one they regard for one w/o a collegiate-level degree is NASM(closer to $700). Seems as though NASM can get you in the door all over the U.S. Then of course the more certs you acquire, the more lucrative the profession. You Definitely gotta have the desire/passion as well.

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Oh yeah, the other nationally accepted certs...
by: MJ

They named all of these PT Certs:
-ACE
-NASM
-ACSM
-IFPA
-Cooper Certification
-NCSF
-NESTA
-NFPT
-NSCA

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CSCS
by: Anonymous

CSCS does require a Bachelor's degree which, is a daunting cost if you don't already have one. The certification fee is lower for NSCA members, but you're still paying for a membership so essentially it's like breaking even. A non-member would be looking at approximately $475 I believe. It also requires continuing education to maintain the certification. All the information can be found on the NSCA website.

If you're just looking for a personal training certification, the CSCS really isn't something you'd need to put the effort into unless you're really gung ho because it's actually geared more toward fitness/medical professionals that work with athletes.

I think what the previous poster meant by "more substantial" is that some personal training certifications are more lax about continuing education or prerequisites for certification. Those types of certifications tend to be seen as lesser in quality.

ACE will be one of your cheaper certifications. NASM certifications run between $699 - $999, ISSA is pretty similar. I'd recommend doing some researching into pricing and continuing ed/prerequisites and the like, then make a decision from there.

ACE certification credibility

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