Having a personal trainers certification is the best way to prove yourself as an expert in fitness. It can be rather difficult to get certified, but once you do it will open a lot of doors for your fitness career. If you get employed by a fitness center or gym you would be looking at a base salary of $50,000 a year. However if you have more experience you will receive a higher pay. If you become your own contractor you will be looking at a salary close to $60,000 to start. Just like before, the more experience you have the more you will earn. You can also get multiple certificates and get an even higher payout. While the certificate may be the corner stone to your fitness career it still matters how much experience you have in the fitness industry. Even if you are very experienced you will still need a certificate to prove yourself to employers and customers. Most people will want to know you have a personal training certificate before hiring you.
How do you get your personal trainers certification? There are a few companies that offer fitness trainers certification, but the most widely used and accepted certificate is from the NSCA. Most gyms and fitness centers will want you to be certified by the NSCA. It is important to be certified by the NSCA because it is the most widely accepted. If you are going to be an independent fitness instructor you could go with a different certification, but the NSCA holds the standard in fitness certification. Once you are NSCA certified you can then get certified in other areas of fitness. This will increase your knowledge greatly and allow you to earn more money if you are working for a gym or fitness center. It’s also helpful to get certified in health related courses. This will also help you to earn more as a personal trainer.
How much does the personal trainers certification cost? This price will vary depending on your skill level. The NSCA certification test itself is around $400. If you need to retake the test it will cost you around $300. It’s highly recommended that you buy the practice before taking the real exam. The practice test will cost you about $40, but it is well worth the price. You should use the practice test as a guide. Once you take it and see how you score, you should get an idea of what knowledge you have before going further. You want to use the practice test to identify your weak areas. If you fail the practice test the first time you will want to take it again after you have found your weak areas and studied up. Once you can pass the practice test you should be able to pass the real exam. Just keep in mind that a lot of people do fail the first time and do need to retake it again. It is recommended that you study up to 9 months for the exam. In the end you will be glad to have your personal trainers certification.