When I first looked at personal trainer certificates, I wanted to A) save money and B) get the one everyone would respect. Like all good things in life, I realized pretty early on that saving money is a nice goal, in theory, but I needed to change my perspective from “spending” to “investing” in my future (and then I remembered tax write-offs, too).
As for the second part, I realized there were a lot of certs out there, and it was like a venn diagram: some were respected by clients but not really by gyms. Others were respected by industry peers and gyms but were names no beginner clients had heard of.
So if you are a prospective trainer and you want to be sure you’re getting a widely respected cert, here are my top choices:
- ISSA: Most respected for beginners, general population, and with franchised gyms
- NASM: Most respected among pro athletes
- NSCA: Most respected for strength and corrective exercises among pro athletes and bodybuilders
- ACE: Most respected for health coaching in group settings
For each of these I’m going to review how well respected they are by clients, gyms, and industry peers alike, and in particular, what each offers so you know which certificate is most suitable to your personal career goals.
Topic Contents
ISSA
ISSA is the most respected by franchised gyms, like LA Fitness, Anytime Fitness, and Equinox.
It is my recommendation for anyone who wants to work with beginners or the general population.
There are over 20 certifications and certified specialties you can obtain with ISSA that can help you build a robust portfolio and empower you to offer dozens of different classes or services at a local gym.
They are partnered with tens of thousands of gyms across the United States with a career support option that connects you to job opportunities; before you even complete your personal trainer certification, you can start hunting for jobs in your area or in any other area to which you might want to move. A lot of these gyms will provide unofficial offers contingent upon your graduation, meaning you can start working as soon as you pass your final exam. That’s some spot-on accessibility right there.
Gyms:
I was really surprised to learn that there were tens of thousands of gyms across the country, including major franchises, that partner with ISSA. During one podcast, it was revealed that they really needed students to complete their certifications because gym owners were coming to ISSA asking if they had more people they could refer. Gyms were desperate for trainers, and ones with highly regarded qualifications.
I’m pretty sure that every person who’s considering becoming a personal trainer has had a membership to at least one of those 10,000 partner gyms across the U.S.
Clients:
The type of clientele you choose will also veer you along the path of the most respected personal trainer cert. For me, I wanted to work with beginners, men and women who might be out of shape and looking to improve their health. Mostly, I wanted to make the gym an accessible place for everyone, because we have so many older people across the U.S. who never grew up with the concept of actively working out or going to a gym, so they just don’t exercise at the detriment of their health (looking at you, FIL, MIL, pop-pop, memaw).
I found that people who are just beginning only know a couple of names, and surprisingly, ISSA was one of them. They had heard about the certification and it felt very accessible to them, so they were comfortable working with me.
Importantly, this was juxtaposed by the same people who immediately said, “Oh, I don’t want to do anything crazy like those big bodybuilders or CrossFit people.” I assured them we would start at their pace; no need for big bars (a barbell strikes fear in a surprisingly high number of people), and they certainly wouldn’t be prancing around on stage in their underwear.
Industry Peers:
I had a lot of friends who became trainers, but specifically for things like CrossFit, so when I told them I had completed my ISSA certification, they had no idea what it was. I told another friend of mine who was a competitive bodybuilder, and they gave me the head nod of approval.
So it seems a bit hit or miss to me whether it is well-respected by all industry peers. People who are in a niche area like yoga instructors and Crossfit trainers might not recognize the name or the weight that it holds, but bodybuilders and other athletes will.
ACE
ACE focuses on behavior change and wellness, so it is viewed as a good, simple cert for those who are just starting out. In my opinion, because so much of their curriculum and their exams focus on the psychology of motivation and how to motivate your clients to change, it’s really best suited for any trainer who wants to work with the general population. These are usually people who are brand new and need a lot of help figuring out their own motivation for healthy behavior and exercise.
Gyms:
ACE’s Personal trainer certification is highly respected at gyms around the world. It is consistently ranked among some of the best credentials available to coaches.
This is considered best suited for group fitness, and is basically the top certification you can get if you want to become a group fitness instructor. As such, it is ideal for anyone who wants to start their career working at gyms in a group setting, specifically offering group training programs rather than personal training one-on-one.
Clients:
I’ve rarely had an encounter where I’ve mentioned ACE and not received some form of recognition. The organization and their credentials are very well respected, but because their bread and butter lies with the group fitness instructor certifications that you can get in addition to your personal training cert, you’re going to have your best job opportunities working with large groups.
Industry Peers:
ACE has a large International presence, with over 90,000 certified professionals around the world. They are certainly a reliable cert for any trainer that wants to start their career working with the general public, and because they have such a renowned international presence, it’s pretty easy to work in different countries as well.
NASM
NASM has a pretty big following among pro athletes; NASMCertified trainers work with the MLB, NBA, and NFL. Their program is robust and focuses on general fitness and corrective exercise.
The professional trainer certs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which helps too. They don’t have a whole lot of specializations, but they have some pretty popular ones including performance enhancement and corrective exercise.
Gyms:
NASM works heavily on corrective exercises, and they have the same respect among gyms as ISSA, if not more; they partner with over 14,000 gyms and health clubs with a similar career set up where you are likely to get your foot in the door with private studios and gym chains as soon as you pass your final exam. Retro Fitness, for example, explicitly lists the NASM personal trainer cert as a required or preferred cert for their gyms.
Clients:
NASM has a pretty popular logo, especially among professional organizations. However, NASM is basically the gold standard for professional sports leagues, so you’ll certainly garner the respect of clients who know they need help with injury recovery or posture, and with clients who have affiliation with professional sports.
Still, I haven’t found my NASM certs to be particularly identifiable or respected within the general population. When I talked about them to my hillbilly cousin who can’t remember his wife’s birthday but can tell you pet’s names, key statistics, and favorite foods for every member of the NFL, he nearly dropped his Bud Light. Yet a 50-year-old woman at church who wanted to feel more comfortable in the gym and get her numbers down so she was no longer pre-diabetic was more impressed with ISSA as a name brand than she was with NASM.
Industry Peers:
NASM uses the proprietary Optimum Performance Training (OPT) model. This has earned it a pretty positive reputation among industry professionals specifically as it relates to working with the general population and addressing things like corrective exercise.
I also recently learned that NASM-credentialed professionals are on staff for 100% of NFL and MLB teams, so it has a pretty strong reputation especially among professional sports teams.
NSCA
NSCA focuses on biomechanics and athletic performance. This puts them in the top four category among most respected personal trainer certs, but specifically for corrective exercises and strength training.
The organization behind this cert focuses a lot on scientific research. It is a non-profit organization and arguably has some of the most difficult exams to pass, which means that it provides a level of credentials that often signal a higher dedication to professionalism and corrective exercise.
Gyms:
There are a lot of career opportunities with the NSCA personal trainer cert, but it is most valuable among fields like military and first responders, where you coach in a high-performance facility or focus on tactical strength and conditioning.
This means that it is certainly well respected by gyms, but the scientific approach and reputation makes anyone obtaining this cert more qualified to work with specialty and niche organizations.
Clients:
Tangentially, your access to clients will be more specialized, too. The NSCA personal trainer cert is going to help you become a technical expert with corrective exercise abilities, but it isn’t the best suited for a simplified, general population career path.
Still, assuming your goal is things like building strength among firefighters and you are able to find a job where you teach corrective exercises based on form and conditioning, your opportunity for salary can be higher too.
Industry Peers:
NSCA has a deep focus on athletic performance and strength training. This means it is highly respected by industry peers as an NCCA-accredited cert, with a more prestigious reputation. In fact, it is often viewed as one of the top certs for professional coaching specific to strength and conditioning training if your goal is to be recognized within your field as a technical expert.
What Personal Trainer Certificate is Most Respected?
If you are a prospective trainer and you want to make sure you’re getting a widely respected cert, consider which audience you are aiming to work with, and where you want your career to be, such as in a gym, in an office setting, or at home.
There are a lot of great options out there, and it really depends on the audience from whom you want to gain respect. If you specifically want the respect of your clients – particularly the general population who are brand new to fitness – ACE might be a good certification. If you are looking for something that’s well respected among powerlifting gyms, then NSCA is best. But if you want something that works across all three audiences, go with ISSA.
