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What is the best university for personal trainer?

I want to go to a good university and with a good benefit for personal training. #personal-training #personal

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James’s Answer

There are many universities that will prepare you for the field of Personal Training. First off, you do not need a 4 year University degree to practice personal training, you only need a certification. With that being said, pursuing a 4 year degree will make you much much more competitive in a saturated job market and will lead to higher pay and more clients. Many clients will prefer to work with someone who has a degree (this is because many clients have worked with bad personal trainers in the past and also because many people seeking training have injuries or comorbidities).

I would suggest researching different universities' Kinesiology/Exercise Science programs. I attended the University of Mississippi and we had a great department that dived deep into the research and actually produced a large chunk of the research out there in our field. We got to work with NASA on things such as blood flow restriction and eccentric training tempo in order for them to prepare for their Mars mission.

A degree in Kinesiology or Exercise Science/Physiology will allow you to practice as a personal trainer. It is still worthwhile to get your certification though because that trains you on specific aspects of the industry (side note: there probably will be at least 1 class specifically on personal training offered in your department at university). For this certification, NASM is universally accepted as well as ACSM, NSCA, and ISSA. I do not recommend ACE as it is not accepted everywhere. NASM is great for being flashy. If you have ACSM or NSCA, employers know that you are very intelligent and know your stuff!

I would also recommend at least obtaining 1 specialization. The one you choose would depend on your interests and also the market that you want to train in. I chose corrective exercise after I started training because it would be helpful with most of my clients and was the majority of training I was concurrently receiving from my university.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions! I would be happy to help.

James recommends the following next steps:

Research Exercise Science/Kinesiology departments at universities you are interested in
Find out what path most of the graduates are taking post-grad (research, physical therapy, personal training, nursing, med school)
Obtain your Personal Training Certification through an accredited organization
Obtain an internship through a gym or health club
Thrive in a career where you can help people live healthier lives and live their dreams all while easily making 6 figures (if you are in the right market)
Thank you comment icon Such great insights! Colette Malherbe
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JP’s Answer

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Michael’s Answer

You'll want to study Kinesiology or Exercise Science. Look at the schools that publish the most research studies and are the leaders in top national organizations like the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) and ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). Top schools on the east are Springfield University in Springfield, MA (the origin of Kinesiology) and Penn State. On the west coast, look at Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State.

Hope this helps. Good luck and best wishes!
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