The American College of Sports Medicine offers fitness certifications for fitness industry professionals who want to take their careers to the next level. Learn about certification benefits and program requirements for becoming an ASCM Certified Personal Trainer, ASCM Certified Group Exercise Instructor, or an ASCM Certified Health Fitness Specialists.

1. Get Certified:
Health Fitness Certifications
from ACSM

2. Fitness Certifications for Industry Professionals
If you’re ready to take your fitness career to the next level the American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) can help. ASCM offers a variety of
fitness certifications for industry professionals, including certifications
for personal trainers, group fitness instructors and health fitness
specialists, among others.
This presentation explores the basic fitness certifications available to
fitness professionals, as well as ways to advance your career beyond
certification.
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3. ASCM Certified Personal Trainer
An ASCM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) accreditation will enable you to
help healthy individuals achieve their fitness goals in a health club or
one-on-one.
Program textbooks include:
ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer, 4th edition
ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing & Prescription, 9th edition
ACSM's Certification Review, 4th edition
ACSM CPT Study Kit: Order all three books together
In addition, there are CPT Workshops and Webinars to help you on your
way to becoming a Certified Personal Trainer.
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4. ASCM Certified Group Exercise Instructor
An ASCM Certified Group Exercise Instructor (GEI) accreditation will
provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to design and lead
group fitness classes in a health club facility or privately. Certified
fitness group instructors effectively apply a variety of leadership
techniques to encourage group camaraderie and motivation while
designing classes that enhance strength, endurance and flexibility.
Program textbooks include:
ASCM’s Resources for the Group Exercise Instructor
ASCM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription
In addition, there are GEI Workshops and Webinars available to help you
along the way.
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5. ASCM Certified Health Fitness Specialist
ASCM Certified Health Fitness Specialists (HFS) work with individuals with
medically-stable conditions to improve their lives through fitness. As
part of a career as a HFS, individuals perform health risk assessments
and develop exercise prescriptions specific to a patient’s needs.
While students work at their own pace, there are HFS Workshops and
Webinars available for those who desire instruction.
Program textbooks include:
ACSM’s Resources for the Health Fitness Specialist
ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Preparation
ASCM’s Certification Review
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6. Considerations
As in most certification programs, individuals have the ability work at their
own pace, studying and taking the certification exams when they’re
ready. To help, there are a variety of workshops, webinars and study
materials available.
In order to become CPT and GEI certified, individuals must first:
Be 18 years of age or older
Have a high school diploma or GED
Have a current adult CPR/AED certificate
In addition, the HFS certification requires a bachelor’s degree in a related
field. For more information about HFS requirements visit the ACSM
website.
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7. Beyond Certification
NCCA-certified health fitness professionals can build upon their basic
accreditation sports accreditations by studying for the following
credentials:
Exercise Is Medicine® Credential
— Develop the skills necessary to work in the health care field, helping
individuals with health conditions achieve better health through exercise.
ACSM/ACS Certified Cancer Exercise Trainer
— Gain the knowledge necessary to develop individually-tailored exercise
programs for cancer patients.
ACSM/NCHPAD Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer
— Learn to develop exercise programs for the physically challenged in
association with The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and
Disability.
ACSM/NPAS Certified Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist
— Develop the knowledge necessary to design and coordinate public health
programs. (Requires a bachelor’s degree.)
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8. About Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is a leading international publisher
of trusted content delivered in innovative ways to practitioners,
professionals and students to learn new skills, stay current on their
practice, and make important decisions to improve patient care and
clinical outcomes. LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading
global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care
solutions for the healthcare industry. Wolters Kluwer Health is part
of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services
company with 2011 annual revenues of €3.4 billion ($4.7 billion).
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