H (Personal Training Cert)

It depends on who you want to work with. For allied health the ACSM is the way to go. The NSCA CPT is also widely known and recognized. I have the SPN and CFT through the ISSA and am very pleased with the certifications and the on going support provided by the ISSA. It all depends on where your located and who your marketed clientel are going to be as to which cert you should persue.

I would agree with Renegede Chef on this one. Although to get reconized as a strengh coach I would add one more which is the CSCS which is also given by NSCA. You got look at what you are going to do. If you are looking to work in Corporate Fitness or at a hospital they prefer the ACSM. If you are look at a health club any cert will do provide you know what you are talking about. And you plan on coaching athletes well the CSCS is the way to go.

Be careful about assuming that he has a degree in Exercise Science or a related field (a requirement for all CSCS candidates).

Yes I do know that. CSCS you need a 4 year degree in order to sit in for the test. Eric if I am correct all you need is a 4 year college to degree. It might not be in Exercise Science or related field.

Although, the NSCA says the degree is supposed to be an exercise related degree, pretty much any degree will work. I know several coaches with the CSCS that have degrees that have absolutely nothing to do with exercise science. On a side note for strength coaches I prefer the SCCC from the CSCCa. Anyone have any opinions on the SCCC?

never heard of SCCC do you hve there web page? I would like to take a look in it.

Renegade Chef-Thanks for the info; I had never thought that anyone would have tested the waters in terms of applying to sit for the exam without an EHP/EXS degree.

www.cscca.org/ This cert is very respectable because it requires a B.Sc degree, a 9month internship under the guidance of an MSCC, oral, written and practical exam stations. Most of the coaches at the university I volunteer for have this cert and the top coaches are MSCC certified.

Eric most of the strength coaches I know feel that the CSCS has lost its respectability for various reasons. At least at the collegiate level it seems to be a shift towards the CSCCa’s SCCC or MSCC and not so much the CSCS. I talked to several people who took the exam in August and they were dissapointed with the relative ease of the CSCS exam. Especially when its currently the standard strength coach certification. But as we all know its more of your ability to apply your knowledge not the certs you have that make you valuable.

Was the reason that the cscc organization was created. Because coahes that NSCA was getting to comercialized and when it add CPT that hit the fan with a lot of coaches. And figure that the NSCA was out to capitlize on the money and not its prestigeous cert?

Fitone here is the link that explains why they started it Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. Other than that I cant comment becasue I don’t know the factors involved as to why they started the CSCCa and broke away from the NSCA.