I am stuck in the bulkans for a while and would like to grab a certification in fitness or nutrition. ISSA seems like the best one with people like Hatfield, Perl, and Platz on staff. I do not want to get stuck with a sissy company that says doing pushups and eating rice all day is the way to go! Is there any advice on a good grogram worth the money?
I have my ISSA cert. Very good company. Good people too. GO for it!
I have my certification through them too. Their philosophy on nutrition is a little bit conservative but their philosophy on training is similar to T-Mag. BTW, Charles Staley, who has written for T-Mag, is a large part of the ISSA.
Of all the programs out there, I’d recommend ISSA. Least recommended- ACE.
For more info you may want to read T-mag’s articles called “So you want to be a personal trainer…” and “The Spy Who Fragged Me.”
You’re in the “bulkans”? Does that mean you are trying to gain weight on Eagle Base, eating all that damn chow?
I would recommend the NSCA, but that’s a longer path to take.
So you have been to the Bulkans, Dave? 
This is the perfect place to lift like an animal and eat like a king!
A friend of mine who was certified through the ISSA told me that they ‘sell’ the test. I.E. If you take the test and fail, they send you a takehome test and you just pay to have the take-home rescored. You fail that, they send you another one. etc. I have not looked at the material for the ISSA but the prevailing notion around the strength coaches at this university is that the CSCS is a harder certification to achieve.