What is the Best Personal Trainer Certification? Part 2

Personal Training Degrees: The Next Step in the Fitness Industry’s Evolution

I just learned that 2 of my favorite certifications now count as credits to earning a degree at a major university! 

How cool is that J If you read Part. 1 of this series, you know that there are many good certifications out there, and there is no one best certification for everyone. You have to take a look at your goals, who your target market is, what you need to learn to best serve them, and where you are in your career path before figuring out what the best certification is for you. However, there are a few things you should consider, especially if you plan on making a career in the fitness industry;

• Education is a constant process. (but you knew that already!)


• The more perspectives you can utilize to create real world solutions for your clients, the better.


• Stick to learning things you are passionate about.  If you are not passionate about nutrition, just find a good nutritionist to refer to, etc.


• General certifications are ok to start with, but you will get more value from specialty certifications as you get more educated.

Evolution is Good!

It’s pretty cool that some of your certifications can count towards a degree.  Don’t get me wrong, having a degree in a specific field is NOT AS IMPORTANT as actually having practical knowledge that you can apply to your fitness business.  I have met trainers with Exercise Physiology degrees that are straight up clueless when it comes to basic biomechanics.  Degrees aren’t everything; I just think it’s cool that some of my hard earned money that I invested in personal training education is now recognized by a university. Globe University has both a Bachelor’s Degree (4 year) and Associate Degree (2 year) in Health and Fitness.  If you have taken the RTS certification or MAT certification, you already have earned credits towards your degree! Globe University Health & Fitness Bachelor's Degree RTS and MAT are 2 of my favorite certifications because they provide you with real working knowledge that you can use, and provide 2 different invaluable perspectives for assessing the body.  They really pick one topic that is critical to being a personal trainer, and then they take it apart and teach it better than anyone else. For RTS, they dig deep into biomechanics/exercise mechanics; no program design, no nutrition,  no physiology, just biomechanics, and they teach it way better than anyone else.  Tom Purvis teaches the basics of biomechanics better than anyone on the planet, hands down.  And with those basics, he can (and does) literally takes apart other books on biomechanics (including text taught by other certifications and textbooks from major universities).  His information is truly eye opening; no wonder he is being accepted at the university level. With MAT (created by Greg Roskopf), the perspective is physiological and they provide a unique method for testing muscle imbalances in the body, and a modality for addressing those imbalances.  Forget about stretching for increasing RANGE OF MOTION (which a lot of outdated certifications still teach), lack of range is caused by muscle weakness; MAT provides a tool for finding those weaknesses and strengthening them precisely. While certain aspects of Globe University’s degree certainly may not be ideal (you can earn your degree online!), it is great to watch our industry evolve, being pushed forward by our leaders. What is your favorite certification? Why?  What information helped you pick a certification?  Is there any topic you want to learn about in particular?  Would you want to get a Fitness Degree? Leave me some questions in the comments and I will get right back to you. SHOW ME YOU ARE ALIVE! Until next time, keep your business fit. Johnny Fitness