How Does Continuing Education Work For Personal Trainers?

As NASM or AFAA certified personal trainers, we are required to continue our education by accumulating a certain number of hours in order to get re-certified. These hours are represented by credits called CEUs and I remember a distinct lack of clarity about it when researching it myself, so I’m going to break it down for any personal trainers or fitness professionals looking to re-certify.

NASM:

NASM requires 2.0 continuing education credits, called CEUs. This translates to 20 hours of education over a 2 year period.Courses are available that cover anywhere from 0.1 to 1.9 CEUs and in a variety of formats from seminars to online courses, we’ll have a quick look at some of the costs in a moment.You’ll also notice that none of the courses offer a full 2.0 credits for completion, this is because NASM requires 0.1 CEUs to be obtained from CPR/AED training.

AFAA:

AFAA requires fifteen hours of continuing education to recertify, this is broken into 15 CEUs, each accounting for an hour of course time.AFAA also requires CPR/AED credits for re-certification, but it’s 2 hours of training instead of 1 and counts for 2 out of your 15 credits.

The two programs differ in their requirements slightly as well as their CEU systems, but fortunately the differences end there and many of the available courses provide credits toward both re-certifications.

Courses:

Let’s take a look at the prices for these courses. I’m going to look at the NASM approved list because the courses are generally approved for both.

Here’s a link to the list.

And here’s a photo of the first page:

That list goes on for another 27 pages. So, you’ve got some options. Everything from aquatic cardio programs to applied anatomy of the neck to kickboxing.

This wide variety of approved courses makes what I originally thought was a cash grab look more like a genuine interest in making sure trainers keep improving. The variety and specific nature of the courses make them seem less like a chore and more like an opportunity to learn something that could improve the service you provide, albeit an opportunity you have to say yes to.

You can potentially spend as little as $250 - $400 on re-certification credits every two years (around $16 per month). These costs can go as high as $650+ depending on course choice though, which I don’t see as too unreasonable. I also noticed equinox has their training programs registered, so if you’re working at a big box gym, see if they have applicable training programs.

My personal recommendation would be to get yourself a nutrition certification, there are several approved providers on that list that offer nutrition courses. This kills two birds with one stone, as you can get your CEUs as well as a certification that can expand the scope of your business. Nutrition is essential to everything about fitness, so if you can offer nutrition coaching/planning then you can make more money per client and it can open doors to a chunk of new business.

Nutrition and meal plans constitute a different form of work that you can add to your schedule, you can continue to earn at times that a slow like later in the evening. You can even take clients online and offer custom meal plans, or meal + training plan bundles. I’ve written another post specifically about getting nutrition certified and the doors it opens here.

I've also written a post about writing meal plans and similar forms of business you can do as a personal trainer/nutrition professional here.

These courses can be completed in home study, conference, or workshop format, and vary greatly in cost as well as the number of credits received for completion. While it may look appealing to knock out 95% of your requirements in one course, I’d recommend breaking it down. A variety means you put a range of certifications on your resume, learn more, and possibly even save money.

For example,

Here’s a breakdown of some of the courses on the first page by price per 0.1 CEUs:

4A Health - genMAX: $26.54 - $34.23 per hour. ($345-$445 per 1.3 CEUs)

(2 day seminar)

Stretching USA - Active Isolated Stretching: $34.21 per 0.1 CEUs ($650 per 1.9 CEUs)

(Seminar - 32 hours in length)

ACM - Certified Exercise Therapy Specialist: $33.08 per 0.1 CEUs ($397 per 1.2 CEUs)

(Home study)

FitnessCEUs.com - they are the top 5 home study courses on the approved list and offer an opportunity to knock out 25% of your CEU requirement for almost half the price of some alternatives, at $19.99 per her ($19.99 per 0.1 CEUs)

You’d also have the following certifications to add to our resume:

Postural Movement Assessment certification

Balance Training Concepts Certification

Flexibility Training Concepts Certification

Core Connection Certification

Cardiorespiratory Training Concepts Certification

The cheapest option is the Academy of Holistic Fitness ranging from $12 to $15 per 0.1 CEUs.

Here’s the course description…

It seems questionable at best. I’m not sure why this is approved by NASM as it goes very heavily against the evidence based systems they pride themselves on and unfortunately the price tag could encourage people to choose this provider to earn their credits, in place of a legitimately educating company that could improve their personal training ability and practice.

CEU Confirmation:

NASM needs to confirm your completion of accredited CEUs so when you finish a course you’ll receive a digital certificate. When it comes time to re-certify, you’ll select your course provider under the “My CEUs tab and upload the proof of completion documentation, your certificate.

And that’s the end of CEUs in your re-certification. You’ll also need your CPR/AED certification and documentation, then you’re good to go.

Recognized CPR providers include The American Heart Association, American Red Cross, American Safety and Health Institute, St. John Ambulance, Emergency Care & Safety Institute and Emergency Medical Technician.They don’t currently accept online training programs unless there’s a hands-on component involved.

So, it’s as simple as completing enough courses from the NASM approved list, and staying up-to-date with your CPR certification. (My advice is to divide the cost of each course into its cost per 0.1 CEUs so you can compare accurately)

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