How to Study and Prepare for a Personal Training Certification
As many know, I conduct certification classes for the fitness organization, AAAI/ISMA. This brings me in contact with literally thousands of people every year. Because of this privilege, I have a pretty good idea of the study habits of those who pass certification exams and those who do not pass. I also have some other useful ideas that can help also.
Even though I teach for the AAAI/ISMA fitness organization, what I'm about to say will work for most other fitness certifications as well
Use earplugs. It doesn't matter what fitness certification you are trying to obtain, if you are in a room with a bunch of other people, you may be easily distracted during the test by all the little noises that others make. I know I was when I was in college. I always had earplugs with me when I took tests.
Bring something to write with. I have seen many people who walk into class with nothing to take notes with. Big mistake. After about five minutes they start asking others for pen and paper. The people who usually do this are those who are novices, who do not know what to expect and unfortunately listen to the bad advice of friends. When I was in college I would take notes and also tape record lectures. Later, I would copy all the information into a “good” notebook so I had complete record of what was discussed in class.
Sit in the front of the class. Not all fitness certification classes use a teacher like me. For example, some certification exams are taken in large classrooms without prior teaching (e.g. NSCA) and some are taken using a computer (e.g. ACE). Some you take at home on your personal computer (e.g. Expert Rating) and some are take-home tests where you mail the test to the organization for grading (e.g. ISSA). If that’s the case with the certification you’re trying to attain, it obviously doesn't matter where you sit.
However, if there is somebody teaching you stuff prior to the certification test, it’s in your best interest to sit at the front of the class. This makes it easier for you to ask questions, hear what the teacher is saying and see any illustrations that the teacher is trying to show you. I use PowerPoint when I teach but not everybody does this.
Another thing to remember is to NOT ASSUME that the teacher is going to teach you everything you need to know for the test. That is called “teaching to the test” and nobody does this. During the lecture portion of the class you will learn things that may be on the test and information that you will not be tested on. Some items that you will have to know will not be covered in class.
Study before the test. Never assume that you are going to be taught everything on a certification test on the day the test is given. This is one of the biggest mistakes people make and it almost certainly dooms you to failure.
There is no way in the world that anybody will be successful as a personal trainer if they do not study before attempting the test. People must study before walking in the door on the day of the exam. I usually recommend at least 1-3 months of studying (depending on your starting point) before taking a fitness exam. No matter what fitness certification you are preparing for, the organization has books to help you study. I have my own book too. It’s called Personal Fitness Training: Beyond the Basics. I wrote my book to address the real-life needs of fitness trainers.
What makes my book different?
1. I used my own career as a personal trainer as a guide. If I had to know about something, you will too so I included it. If I didn’t have to know something in the real world, I didn’t bother telling you about it. That way you focus on the important stuff! That’s drastically different than most other personal training books where you are forced to memorize useless information that nobody will ever ask you and will do very little to help you make money.
2. My book shows you how to perform 50 gym-quality exercises. That’s more than NSCA, ACSM, ACE and most other books. I show you the muscles used, how to do the exercise, how to spot the exercise and even tricks of the trade that most personal trainers don’t know.
3. My book is easy to understand. No Albert Einstein language here! I write just like I talk. That way you know exactly what I'm saying.
4. My book is user friendly. I tell you about real life stuff that personal trainers need to know right now. I also show you how to avoid mistakes fitness trainers often make. In addition, you learn how outshine and outperform other personal trainers. No other personal trainer manual (including ACE, ACSM, AFAA, ISSA, NASM, NSCA) does this. Even college text books don’t discuss some of the issues I do.
My book can be used to help you prep for ANY personal training cert because it’s basically a user-friendly college degree in personal training.
No matter what book you use, always review the entire chapter of what you’re studying first; look at the main sections of the chapter and any side boxes for additional information etc. This will give you a good idea of how the chapter is put together and how the material is presented. This, in turn, can help you absorb the information better. Also, remember to highlight sections and ideas that you think are important.
In addition, I always ask myself these questions when I'm learning:
1. How can I use this in the real world?
2. How might this topic come up with clients in the real world?
2. How might this topic come up with clients in the real world?
If I can think of real life situations where I would have to use the information, there is a better chance that I’ll remember it.
That’s about it. I hope some of these tips have helped you. Remember, I want you to succeed so if you are studying for a fitness cert, feel free to email me if you want some advice and I’ll try to point you in the right direction. I also do a free monthly fitness and personal training newsletter that can help too. Let me know if you want it.
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