Special Report: Certification and Licensing
As the fitness industry matures, it is facing issues related to certification and licensing of personal trainers that many other industries have already faced. Movements are under way in various state legislatures to not only certify personal trainers but also to require them to be licensed. Many people in the industry are fighting the licensing bills, but some do welcome them.
As the industry considers what role government should play when it comes to trainers, a group is creating standards that would lead to an industry certification of fitness facilities themselves.
This special report looks at both the facility certification movement and the movement to certify and license personal trainers and group exercise instructors.
Trainer Certification and Licensing
IHRSA Keeping Close Tabs on Licensing Bills
OVERLAND PARK, KS -- More bills on personal trainer licensure popped up last month in state legislatures across the country....
Certifying Agencies Not Threatened by Proposed Bills
OVERLAND PARK, KS -- Despite ongoing state legislative activity related to personal trainer bills, several companies that offer personal trainer certifications...
State Legislatures Take on Licensing Again
OVERLAND PARK, KS -- New and revised licensing and certification bills for personal trainers are making their way into legislative committees in several states this year while other bills are now dead....
New Jersey Bill Would Certify, Not License, Trainers and Instructors
TRENTON, NJ -- The New Jersey bill that would certify personal trainers and group exercise instructors in that state is currently in committee....
IHRSA, Clubs Testify Against Massachusetts PT Licensing Bill
BOSTON -- Last month, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health held a legislative hearing in Boston on Senate Bill 870, which would require the licensing of personal trainers. ...
Personal Trainer Licensing Bills Considered
From coast to coast, state legislatures are introducing bills that are once again putting the qualifications of personal trainers under a microscope....
Is It Time for Licensing of Personal Trainers?
Taped to the file cabinet in my office is a cartoon by Randy Glasbergen. It shows a doctor, clipboard in hand, saying to his overweight patient, What...
Is It Time to Funnel Out Some Certifying Agencies?
Acronyms are just letters arranged in an order. The validity of those acronyms vary depending on who is judging them. The list of acronyms that make up...
Accreditation Changes Leave Some Cold
BOSTON It may be May, but some certification agencies are feeling like they've been left in the cold despite a deadline extension from the International...
Raising the Bar for Personal Trainers
The issue of raising and setting standards for personal trainers is coming to the front and center again after several recent actions. Certification agencies...
Fitness Facility Certification
NSF Joint Committee Passes Standard for Fitness Facility Certification
The NSF International joint committee on health and fitness facilities has passed the ballot for a standard for fitness facility certification, and it does not include a provision for unstaffed, 24-hour key-card clubs....
Certification Standards Are Being Established for Health Clubs
The health club industry is creating a facility certification standard that could affect the future of the industry....
IHRSA Joins NSF International's Club Certification Effort
The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association is participating in the effort by NSF International to create a voluntary certification process for owners of fitness facilities....
Speak Up Now or Hold Your Peace on Fitness Facility Certification
Last March, I sat in on a seminar at the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) conference that detailed the beginning stages...
Medical Fitness Industry Grows, Certification Introduced
Richmond, Va The Medical Fitness Association (MFA) has introduced a facility certification program for medical fitness and wellness centers as the number...
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Delivering Results Shouldn’t Be PuzzlingWhen it comes to building a top-notch fitness facility that delivers results to members, a standard philosophy for personal training is often the missing piece of the puzzle.... 
Hire and Maintain the Best with NASMIn a time when seven out of 10 Americans participate in little to no physical activity and consequently suffer from poor posture, muscular imbalances, excess weight and chronic pain, plus, the physical demands and skill levels of athletes continue to become more demanding, the requirements needed by certified personal trainers and sports performance coaches to meet the unique needs of all individuals continue to evolve.... 
A Proactive Legislative Approach for Our IndustryThe World Instructor Training Schools (W.I.T.S.) was invited to testify before the Health and Government Operations Committee of the Maryland General Assembly on Feb. 24, 2010, in support of the Personal Trainer Act HB 747. ... |
Licensing: For or Against?
We Need to Set the Standard for Licensing LegislationOur industry organizations should work with legislators to formulate legislation providing that certifications from agencies recommended by them would become the criteria for obtaining a license. States don’t know how to measure competency in the fitness field. They need industry groups to provide them with standards.... 
Licensure Could Reduce Profits and Increase RegulationIt may surprise many that I am against the licensing of personal trainers. I hold a Ph.D. in exercise physiology, have taught at the university level and believe that one of the primary reasons more clubs don’t succeed with medical referral programs is because many trainer certifications aren’t seen as credible by medical professionals.... |
