Personal trainer qualifications are not universally recognized. Every gym and almost every personal trainer will have a specific qualification they say you “MUST” have. The fact is, there are no degree programs in the United States for personal training, and there are no licenses, only certification.
To get a “qualifying” degree for personal training you will need to go to a college or university and take coursework for 2-4 years to get your BS (Bachelor of Science) or BA (Bachelor of Arts), every school has a potentially different designation for the same area of study, in the area of either kinesiology, exercise science, or physical education. Many gyms or fitness chains may STILL require you to get a certification, on top of your degree, to get the vocational background that they expect the certification will provide. Most universities and colleges are not specific to personal training (they mostly focus on preparing schoolteachers, athletic coaches, and clinical researchers) in their curriculum which leaves a gap in education/preparation that a strong personal trainer certification program can and should provide. Many universities partner with a specific certification to help provide you with both a degree and certification, if you choose to pursue a career as a personal trainer.
A license is granted by the state (not federal) government. Although physical therapists, registered dietitians, and massage therapists, among other health and fitness professionals, must get a license, there is no licensure at this time for personal training. Most licenses require hundreds of hours of work or internship time, plus the passing of a licensure exam.
A certification is a designation granted by a private institution (in our case, at Training Made Fun, by NESTA, the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association) for purposes of vocational expertise in a given field. Most gyms (although it should be ALL) in the United States require a recognizable certifying body to provide education and examination for incoming personal trainers. Strong certification programs can and should seek accreditation by an external accrediting body (such as the National Committee for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) or they can also seek recognition by the U.S. Department of Education). Certification exams can be taken without previous education, but this is obviously not recommended.
Exercising for many years, being a current or former athlete, reading fitness magazines or many books over many years, does not qualify anyone to personal train, nor should they be on the skill level of a quality personal trainer with a certification, let alone a degree. You wouldn’t want someone who read a few law books, or picked up a few medical journals, to represent you in a court of law or perform surgery on you. Neither would you expect a worthy personal trainer to do anything less than be constantly educated through continuing education programs (after certification) and perhaps further higher education programs.
Regardless of whether you choose a degree plus certification, or just certification, professionally qualified personal trainers do not stop at passing an exam or two, or just put in some time to study in the very beginning. There is no such thing as “enough” in the field of personal training for the training itself, or for the education and improvement of personal trainers. For the betterment of the field of personal training as a whole, and for purposes of being able to truly help people, and not make unqualified or unjustified decisions on behalf of clients, the minimum qualification is certification for personal training.
The expectation is much more.