Fitness clients could pay high price for underqualified personal trainers

You wouldn’t go to a doctor who isn’t licensed.  So why would you hire a personal trainer who isn’t certified?

Just because a personal trainer wears a shirt emblazoned with the word “trainer” or their biceps are the size of your thigh doesn’t mean they are qualified to train you.  It takes more than brawn and an official-looking t-shirt to be a personal trainer.

The general public may not be aware that anyone can call themselves a personal trainer, often with no degree required.  And not all certification organizations are the same-or even legitimate.

Personal trainers abound in the U.S.  The Department of Labor reports the number of fitness workers nationwide is expected to grow more than 25 percent to nearly 300,000 by 2016.  Yet, it is essentially an unregulated industry.

Personal trainers aren’t required to be board certified like a doctor or licensed like an electrical technician, and certifications are not always required to begin working with the public.

A certified personal trainer, Jonna Ennis started her career five years ago at an unnamed commercial gym in East San Diego County.  She had a large client base and she was soon generating $70,000 in annual revenue for the gym. But Ennis became disgruntled when the gym came under new management and, among other issues, the quality of personal trainers quickly diminished.

“The personal training staff became dominated by muscle men with no education,” said Ennis, who was replaced by a 22-year-old who had the minimum of a certification and no practical experience.  ”Many of these trainers are uneducated and inexperienced, and simply train their clients like they would train themselves … a potentially dangerous situation for those who aren’t as fit as their trainer,” she explained.

Ennis has since founded her own home-based personal training business, J2 Fitness, in San Carlos.  She has seven fitness certifications that qualify her to train a variety of clients from the able-bodied to the older-bodied.

Bobby Cox is a personal trainer at Frog’s Fitness in San Diego with three prestigious certifications under his belt.  Cox trains an average of six to 10 clients a day and says even his own clients could have asked more questions before hiring him.

“Less than 25 percent of my clients ask about my certification or education,” said Cox, who is also a corrective exercise specialist helping train people with muscle imbalances or recovering from an injury.  ”They could have been more proactive and asked about my specialties. For example, if they have injuries, they’re going to want a trainer with a corrective specialty or physical therapy background.”

ACE, NASM, NSCA and ACSM - acronyms consumers should know

Some personal trainer certifications simply require passage of an online test, often completed within a matter of days, whereas other certifications can only be earned with up to a year of studying followed by a professionally proctored exam.

The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is a nationally recognized non-governmental accrediting body for fitness certification programs.  Today, only 12 of the more than 80 fitness certification organizations worldwide have achieved accreditation from the NCCA.  A list of accredited organizations can be found here.

The top NCCA accredited certification organizations are the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

ACE, which also provides fitness education and research, advocates that a qualified personal trainer should have the following credentials in order to train you: a current national certification issued by an accredited organization, a college degree in the field of exercise science or nutrition (preferable but not required), practical experience, as well as a valid CPR and First Aid certification.

Certification is important. So is a trainer’s commitment to you.

Todd Durkin is the owner of Fitness Quest 10 in Scripps Ranch and a certified personal trainer who works with professional athletes, including the Chargers’ LaDainian Thomlinson and New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees.  Durkin is very selective when it comes to hiring his personal training staff.

“When I’m hiring a great personal trainer, 50 percent is their credentials, education and certification,” says Durkin, whose private gym has trained thousands of San Diegans. “The other 50 percent is their commitment to continuing education, their people skills and whether or not they are ‘life transformers’ for our clients.”

Five key questions to ask before hiring a personal trainer

An unqualified personal trainer may not know that those five extra shoulder presses you are grimacing to complete are actually tearing at a previous shoulder injury that may put you at risk of re-injury. Or they may not know that a minor heart-related issue could be life-threatening with certain physical activities.

Avoid serious problems by taking the time to interview your trainer before spending your hard-earned money on personal training sessions.  Durkin suggests gym-goers ask themselves the following questions to determine if they are in the safest, most effective workout environment:

1. Has your personal trainer asked about your health history or previous injuries?
2. Are they paying 100 percent attention to you at all times during your workout?
3. Are you doing the same cookie cutter program every session, or is your trainer diversifying your routine to keep you mentally and physically stimulated?
4. Are they manually stretching you and focusing on recovery and not just pushing you with challenging workouts?
5. Are they making you feel like a million bucks even if you signed up for limited sessions?

A number of local gyms do their diligence to hire personal trainers that have nationally recognized certifications and/or degrees in the field. Fit Athletic Club and Pure Fitness in downtown San Diego require their personal trainers to hold current accredited certifications. Pure Fitness also requires its trainers have at least one year experience working in a gym environment. Gold’s Gym in Point Loma requires its trainers have an accredited certification or a degree in kinesiology, applied exercise science or a related field. L.A. Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness could not be reached for comment before publication.

In addition, the California Senate is currently reviewing a bill aimed at regulating the personal training profession. The bill would call for personal trainers to have a degree in exercise science, kinesiology, fitness science or another closely related field and a certification from a national accredited organization. The bill would also require personal trainers to maintain their certification or be faced with fines of $500 to $1,000.

Until the government steps in, Durkin suggests the public become more accountable for their health and safety by doing their research.

“A certification alone doesn’t make a personal trainer great,” said Durkin. “It’s important that the public look for someone with a proven track record of success to ensure they’re investing in a great trainer.”

Tags: ACE, ACSM, Bobby Cox, department of labor, Drew Brees, Fit Athletic Club, fitness, Fitness Quest 10, Frog's Fitness, J2 Fitness, Jonna Ennis, LaDainian Thomlinson, NASM, NCCA, NSCA, personal trainers, Pure Fitness, SDNN, Todd Durkin

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 2:34 pm and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.