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ISFTA?? International Sports and Fitness Trainers Association

by Veelicious
(Florida)

Has anyone heard of this? I have been doing endless research for the right company to gain my certification through. I also can not find anywhere stating that they are NCCA, which is very important to me. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. The course is offered through a one on one tutor system which I fund that I need. Self study has not been beneficial at this point.

Please help!!!!

V

Comments for ISFTA?? International Sports and Fitness Trainers Association

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ISFTA is the best certification out there.
by: David Barnes, CPT

ISFTA is an awesome certification. I got certified through them in 2001 and they are the BEST in customer service, updating the info, and actually caring about what they are doing. I have sent several of my friends through them and they all have been doing well. Most of the others are bogus online things, but the ISFTA training is geared toward real world working environment. I totally recommend them.

ISFTA Certification
by: Michael Posner

I got my ISFTA personal trainer certification and I couldn't be happier. I also got continuing education credits for my physical therapy license. They are they only company recognized nationally by PT, OT, LMT boards. Clearly the most credible organization.

ISFTA is great
by: Anonymous

I just got certified and they actually set you up with a trainer or possible master trainer as in my case and he was very thorough and took all the time necessary to help me fully understand everything. They are very clear and fully cover everything so you can learn and apply it.

skip it
by: Anonymous

I am also ISFTA cert. Unfortunately, they are not widely recognized and I have had trouble finding a job. I'd stick with the well known certs till they get their name out there more.

Great cert./ Great leadership
by: Jim (Massachusetts)

I took my course a little over a year ago while in school for Exercise Sciences Degree. I haven't stopped since! I just recently openend, with a backing partner a small fitness facility that enables me to practice my skills, train as I was shown, and continue as an ISFTA PROFESSIO0NAL. My next goal is to become an ISFTA TRAINER---- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

VERY UNPROFESSIONAL PEOPLE
by: Anonymous

These people are a sham i took a course and the owner nicoke was great before i paid but once they had the money they did not deliver. I suggest you be very careful. They look qualified but were not ethical. Be very clear with them what you expect i will not use them again. Good luck .

Best Hands on Cert . Around
by: Tony (Tampa, FL)

I just got certified through them and had an amazing experience. My instructor was awesome. I just got a position at my local health club and was told that I was one of the most prepared trainers that they had ever hired. Defiantly one of the most pleasurable educational experiences I had ever had.

Thanks ISFTA

Don't do it!
by: Anne

I have been trying to get in touch with isfta for 2 months!!I purchased their home study course online And am ready to be tested but they have changed proctors in my state. I have also left multiple voicemails and still have not heard back from anyone. I am sad to say but don't waste your time or money on this company.

GREAT Certification!!!
by: Tammy

ISFTA is a GREAT certification. I got certified through them in 2009 and am in the process of taking some of their CE courses to further my expertise. They made it so easy for me to find the right courses that would meet my needs. If you're looking for a certification company that is able to give some real hands on experience then look no further than ISFTA.

What a joke! Nobody accepts this cert for a job.
by: Anonymous

Apparently the company changed hands and the new owners are all about the money, but not providing what you pay for. I have tried 5 different gyms and nobody will take this certification. Don't make my mistake, get a cert that is NCCA accredited like NASM, ACSM, or ACE.

Simply Pleasurable
by:

I have been certified by many organizations during my 20 plus yrs of being in the health and fitness field. I have never had a more pleasurable educational experience then what I had with ISFTA. There exam prep and live hand on workshops are simply awesome. They are ICE accredited and have very strict requirements on their curriculum due to there being a provider of CEU's to medical professionals in multiple states. If you are looking for a cert that has a little more beef to it than your traditional certification. Then ISFTA is for you.

Endless Thanks and Gratitude
by: Rick

I have been so blessed as to the direction my life has gone since having become ISFTA certified. I now have my own at-home private training business, here in town with a great and growing clientele base and I am looking forward to the future that the health and fitness industry holds for me. There is no question in my mind that ISFTA played a very important role in getting me started on the right foot. I would recommend everyone get certified through them.

Pros and cons
by: Anonymous

I actually worked as a instructor for them and have to say that any program is only as good as the instructors are. No other certification prepares in such detail with a one on one training. I also taught for ACE,NASM and some international certification programs.The ISFTA material is comprehensive and the exam is thorough. Students of the program are well prepared to start working as fitness professionals. I do however recommend to get a second certification since good facilities look for more then one and at this point there is no way around NASM,ACSM,NCCA or ACE.
Recently customer communications with ISFTA seem to be an issue.

A Joke
by: Anonymous

I have never seen anyone run a business as poorly as they do. Never get back to you, once they have your money forget about it. It is tough finding a course out there, everyone wants to do it on line.

Their approach is spot on.
by: Anonymous

I am a Physical Therapist, Personal Trainer, Nutritionist and Health club owner. I have to say that Their approach is spot on with the direction that the industry is going in. With the lines between medical professional and fitness professional getting closer and closer. ISFTA has served me well and there staff has always been very friendly and informative. I have many trainers working in my faculty and many of them hold different certifications from different companies. I do have to say that the new trainers that come to me from having been through the ISFTA certification process are bit more prepared to be on the floor than others. All Certification companies have their pros and cons but I believe that ISFTA is on a unique track that separates them from your average certification company

Don't waste your money
by: Anonymous

I took a continuing ed class in functional rehabilitation. I ordered the class, an exercise ball and foam roller. It has been over a month and I STILL have not received my ball or roller. No one answers the phone, returns phone calls or emails. I filed a complaint with the BBB today.

DO NOT PURSUE THIS CERTIFICATION
by: Anonymous

I have worked for ISFTA since 2010 and I warn all of you to pursue this. The current owners / managers are not organized and the certification gets no recognition by club owners or the industry. They were going throug many problems are very unprofessional. ACSM offers a certification for the same money with huge credibility. They claim links to the medical community and can not back that up. One of the owners is more concerned with her fitness model career then you becoming a succesful Personal Trainer. Just check with IHRSA, IDEA and ACSM or ECA conventions and you will see that none of them recognize CEC's for ISFTA to renew the certification. If you do decide to try it anyway good luck !!

Great Experience! Highly Recommended
by: Vanessa

Great Experience! Highly Recommended
I got certified though them not to long ago and had no issues finding job placement. My instructor was awesome and it was a very pleasurable experience. It appears to me that the last two posts are probably a student who did not pass the exam and needed to vent and x-employee who is mad about being fired for some reason. Probably for not being able to construct a proper sentence as his or her post clearly shows. I have had nothing but a great experience with this company and look forward to attending further workshops in my area.

HELP!!!!!
by: Anonymous

I have tried to get my home study courses delivered, they charged my credit card, and i have yet to recieve!!! They won't return emails & their voice mail is full!! does anyone know who else I can turn to for help??

naples fl

Fast, Prompt and Professional
by: Betty-Sarasota, FL

To the person above: I am sure if you contact them during regular business hours they would be able to get your issues rectified quickly. I have taken several Home-study courses with them and have had no issues what so ever and have gotten someone every time I have called them. Just make sue that you have purchased your home study directly though their site and not any where else. They are fast going company who seems to very quick at wanting to fix any issues that their customers may have.

Advice form an experienced Pro
by: Greg (Milford, MA)

I have been in the fitness industry for a long time(35 plus yrs). As a former trainer,club owner, fitness competitor and fitness entrepreneur there is just not much that I have not witnessed and or done. I believe that this company is on the right road to making a huge impact on the fitness industry. Over the past decade or so individuals seeking certification have had very few choices to pick from when it came to legitimate certification companies. Even the big boys out their have opted for the easy way out and have eliminated and or made it so that any hands on testing incorporated to the examination process counts for nothing. The approach for many companies has turned into just administering an open book exam with no real intent on producing qualified trainers and fitness professionals. This is were I believe they are is different. Here is an example of a company that is welling to put some weight behind there certificates. They clearly seem dedicated to preserving the quality of their fitness professionals. Go no further than this company for a real hands on practical approach to your certification needs.

Very Unprofessional, suspicious
by: Anonymous

As a CE provider myself, I can tell you that this company is seriously unprofessional.

I registered for a course online but when I tried to contact them (DURING BUSINESS HOURS) there was either no response or the number did not work.

I did receive one e-mail from them telling me that they had no record of me registering online (we'll have to see whether my credit card has been charged), and I have not yet heard back from them when I repeated my request to register for a class.

My suggestion to all those who have had negative experiences with this company not only contact the BBB but ALSO CE broker and the state agency you are licensed through. People like this have no business teaching if they cannot conduct business in a professional and competent way.

Professional companies will ALWAYS have a working phone number and will ALWAYS return emails. If they do not (and it really doesn't matter whether their instructors are awesome or not), then suspect that they are not a legitimate company and that you will have problems doing business with them.

scam scam scamers
by: shaneh

they charged my card in feb its april still have not delivered my ce packet..the office manager just screamed at me..no customer relation skills what so ever..then when asked to speak to her superior i was denied a number or name..they have over 400.00 dollars of mine and i have nothing...plus they are not nationally accreditated..waste of time and money and stress..DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM ANYTHING.....

Never waste your money!!
by: K Luddy

In 12 years of practice , this is hands down the worst continuing education class I've ever taken! The Trainer literally came in and read from a book (that had been previously provided & I'd read prior to class) for the first 2 hours. When we as a class asked if he planned on doing that for the full 8 hours he stated most people only came for the ce hours and didn't care about any actual interaction, so yes. Seriously? Unfortunately this is the class ISFTA had provided. When we attempted to contact the ISFTA owner in Lake Wales Florida, Nicole Almedia was impossible to reach. I've contacted both Florida and the National Massage boards and am lodging formal complaints with both! This class was represented as an interactive class and instead we sat at a desk and listened to the book being read to us. Do not waste your money or time. I'm so disappointed!

RUN FAR FAR AWAY!!!!
by: Noel eve

I was in the same class with the person who posted the above comment. The class was a joke. I feel like a fool for spending $400 on a bullsh*t certification that no one will recognize. I also have my doubts that my ceus will even be processed. As of 2:45 pm today when I went to the isfta website all I got was 404 errors. Hmmmmmmmm.

Isfta rehab fitness specialist training
by: Anonymous

I called FSMTA and they told me the proper way to address the lack of education, missing coursework, unanswered calls and other unethical behaviors is to call CE broker and they will provide you with the proper contact for your individual board so that they can investigate and hopefully correct these issues. The BBB is also a good avenue to help resolve these issues. If the money has been received and the coursework was never sent it probably will be referred to the police to investigate. CE broker 1-877-434-6323 is a good resource for all board contacts since this company provides CEU for PT,PTA ,OT,OTA,DC,CA,LMT and ATC. I hope that this is helpful to all who have been scammed.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY
by: Anonymous

THEY ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE THE EDUCATION THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNERS PROVIDED. THEIR CONDUCT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO VARIOUS BOARDS, BBB AND CE BROKER HAS A LIST OF CONTACT NUMBERS IF YOU HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO ALREADY PAYING AND DID NOT GET THE TRAINING THAT WAS TO BE PROVIDED. IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT THE "CERTIFICATION" WILL BE OF ANY USE. AT THIS TIME IT IS NOT CERTAIN THAT THE RECENT GRADS WILL BE RECEIVING THEIR CEU'S DUE TO MULTIPLE DIFFICULTIES WITH THE PROGRAM.

Unprofessional and a rip off!
by: Anonymous

I have had the same problems as the complaints above. I also know the owners recently opened a Dance/Fitness Studio called Studio 6 Dance Academy in Lake Wales, FL. Maybe this is a way to get a hold of them.

Not registered with the BBB
by: Anonymous

Unfortunately they are not registered with the BBB. They really are the most unprofessional company you will ever deal with. There are only 2 of them running it and neither one ever answers the phone and the mailbox is always full. They run it out of a small dance studio in a small town and call that their corporate offices. I've been told by several of the instructors that they haven't been paid for the classes that they have taught. I would stay as far away from this company as possible.

Owner Arrested
by: Anonymous

The owner of this company was just arrested for shop lifting!

http://www.polksheriff.org/inq/pages/inmate.aspx?BookingNumber=2013-025906

Don't do it
by: Tanner Houle

I paid in Feb 2104 for a class in June. In the meantime I changed my major and no longer needed the class. I followed all the procedures for getting my refund and to this date Nov 4 2104 have received no refund or communications of any kind. I have called, emailed and wrote a letter. The only thing they seem to be good at is taking money. Beware....stay away.

WASTED MONEY
by: Anonymous

A doctor I worked for sent me here for training. Once I became a CPT, I opened my own business and am having a hard time finding insurance let alone when I just took a TRX training course, the CEC's do not get credited to ISFTA! I am NOW looking in to spending money to go ACE, NASM, or ACSM. So upset and disappointed! Many clubs/fitness centers also do not recognize ISFTA!

Agree with negative comments on this site re ISFTA
by: Anonymous

I also feel that this company is poorly managed, unprofessional, and possibly a waste of money and time as far as legitimate certification is concerned. I too had the experience of repeatedly calling DURING BUSINESS HOURS and getting no answer. When I complained about this to the man I finally reached, he offered no explanation or apology. I recently took a CE course and also sat for the Rehab Fitness Specialist exam. The instructor, though highly knowledgeable, was poorly prepared, and obviously without formal teaching experience. This was the least professional CE course I've ever taken, and I don't feel the class was at all prepared for a career in personal training. Personally, I would not hire someone with the ISFTA credential alone.

Stay Away!!!
by: Gina Physical Therapist

I took this course to enhance my career with a personal training certificate. I enjoyed the instructor but found it odd that there wasn't anyone assisting him with check ins and there were no and I mean no snacks at all. I have been a therapist for 20 years and have never been to any course big or small that didn't have those 2 basic things. None the less I continued. I didn't realize that I was missing the foam rolling book until the it was time for the course. I have been trying to call the corporate office and have emailed my instructor to get the book sent to me. I did pay several hundreds of dollars, it belongs to me. It's been 3 weeks since the course (June 2015) and I still do not have the book and there is no one at the corporate office that answers a phone or calls back. Calling the BBB today to see if I can get any help. I feel like their certification is as worthless as the paper it's written on. I recommend you STAY FAR AWAY!!

Worst in industry
by: Anonymous

As a former instructor for this organization, I can tell you that a positive review of ANY kind is definitely fake. Seriously, made up or even written by the owners. (you can look up her mugshot from being arrested in Florida) They have no curriculum. Literally, they tell the instructor to just teach the course. I was able to be an instructor without even meeting the owners, filling out an application, or submitting my resume. The company will not answer a phone call, EVER. The certification will not be accepted at any reputable business and chances are you won't receive your textbook, certification, or both. Do not waste your time or money.

Phone ro Email responses?
by: Anonymous

i haven't been able to get a person on the phone or a reply to an email in months! What's the secret? The following contacts have been used:

CALL: 1-877-99-ISFTA (47382)
info@isfta.com

Customer Support: support@isfta.com
Customer Service: service@isfta.com
Accounting: accounting@isfta.com
Instructor/Staff Recruiting & Training: recruiting@isfta.com

Thank you for your help!

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