With so many fitness certifications available, how do you choose? Let’s dive into the factors that can clarify your next steps.
#1 Define your why in 1-2 sentences.
The answer might sound like “I’m very passionate about fitness, and I really need more in-depth knowledge so I can move into helping clients see more predictable weight loss achievements.“
Now, let’s build your “why.”
Why are you interested in a fitness certification?
While the “why” question is simplistic on the surface, it can be so overwhelming to answer. We want to get to your real emotional driver. What is really driving you to the point that you know you have to pursue one or more fitness industry certifications?
Here are some examples that my Fitness Comeback Coaching Certification students have shared:
You have hit the ceiling of corporate career burnout. You are struggling to find your energy for work, life, and really everything. Your journey has brought you to realize that fitness and a healthy lifestyle are restoring your energy. Now you want to help others. You realize the complexities of the human body, successful coaching, program design, and nutrition. You know that you need help developing the systems to progress clients beyond superficial workouts to achieving their own success.
Maybe you haven’t been in the corporate world; perhaps this is your first career instead. You have an unquenchable passion for everything health and fitness. Friends and family keep asking you for nutrition and fitness advice. You share what you do, but you are curious on how to help a more diverse population or help your friends and family overcome more of their struggles in their fitness journeys. You don’t really want to go back to school for a 2-4 year degree though.
Maybe you already have a degree in Exercise Science, but struggle with practical application. You find yourself trying to find exercises and nutrition plans on social media, but you are just copying. You are frustrated that your plans aren’t delivering client results beyond the first few weeks, and you are wasting hours every day trying to cut and paste superficial solutions together.
Fitness certifications are not only for new fitness professionals. As a seasoned fitness professional, you are starting to notice gaps in your services. You keep hitting roadblocks in particular areas, and you know you could be a better trainer, coach, or motivator. You can start naming the gaps.
Gaps sound like:
“My clients lose weight, but they always hit a plateau at the last 10 lbs. What are other trainers doing differently?”
“My clients always sign up for the 30 day trial, but never convert to the full coaching program. Why?”
“Why do I feel amazing when I go to Jane’s fitness class, but yet I can’t seem to deliver the same kind of energizing experience?”
#2 What type of learner are you today?
Realize you may be a very different learner today than you were in high school or with a previous degree. Even if you prefer hands on learning, your other life responsibilities might require more alternative on-demand flexible solutions today.
If you can pace yourself in a week-by-week curriculum that offers videos, asynchronous discussions, and assignment feedback, online learning may offer you a solution. This is often the best value option.
If you have industry experience, are looking to fill a specific gap, and you learn mostly by reading, buying a certification textbook then taking the exam can be a very cost-effective option.
If you know you only learn by hands on performance, but not video and interactive written discussion, then a more traditional environment might be appropriate. Since there is live instructor interaction, this is often requires the highest monetary investment.
The learning style may be more of a driving factor than your “why,” as you must pick a style in which you are capable of learning what you set out to learn.
#3 If you are pursuing an online certification, how does the program help you build a greater network?
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and having a personal learning network in today’s rapidly changing environment has become paramount.
Ask about the instructors, their field work, and how long they’ve been been teaching and in the industry. They are your first points of networking contact.
If their background is the level of robustness you are hoping for, find out how much contact you get with the instructors. Some courses are completely hands off — you never interact with the instructor at all! Other courses may offer instructor contact or interaction for additional premium fees. Sometimes those fees cover support for a limited period of time, and others offer lifelong support — even after you’ve completed the certification.
If you are new to your community, ask the instructor if they can help you engage with service learning, job shadowing, informational interviewing, or hands on internships in your own community. A student status and guided instructor check ins can really help you break into your community with purpose, often accelerating your learning and business by several years.
#4 Ask about the instructor and course style
Ever sit through a boring lecture to come away having learned nothing? Ever read a textbook that is full of theory but no application?
Health and fitness are interactional dynamic fields. While you need the science to succeed in delivering predictable results for clients, success relies on your ability to coach. You need to translate the science into short meaningful, step-by-step actions that your clients perform.
Ask how the course is structured. Ask to see a sample of the text, lectures, worksheets, or other elements. As you review the sample, do you discover “aha” moments that you could use for your self development or apply for your clients immediately?
#5 Ask about continuing education credits
If you already have one or more fitness certifications, you need continuing education credits to renew those certifications. Ask if the course offers any credits that you can use to help renew your other certifications. Courses that offer continuing education credits can be a huge money saver, as you can learn new skills while also maintaining your certifications with a single investment.
Now it is your turn! Follow these steps to decide which certification is right for you:
- What is your “why,” or what knowledge gap do you need to fill right now?
- How would you like to learn?
- How will the certification help you build your personal learning network?
- Does the instructor and/or course style bring you to new discoveries and practical applications immediately?
If you are seeking a certification that:
- Levels up your movement, lifestyle, nutrition coaching, and program design
- Is online self-paced with instructor support to answer you questions each week
- Includes a life-long instructor and peer learning support network
- Includes ultra-practical video, worksheets, exercises, and a visual-learning based course text
- Includes 16 continuing education credits (16 contact hours)
Then, the Fitness Comeback Coaching Certification is for you! Learn more and enroll now.
