Personal trainers are a critical part of your fitness business staff. One way to ensure that your personal trainers are on top of their game? Committing to continuing education. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently launched a new certification program, the ACE Personal Study Program. Here’s a closer look at this all-new, “gold standard” accreditation for health and fitness professionals, along with why continuing education matters for personal trainers and the gyms they represent.

About the ACE Personal Trainer Study Program

There are many classes and programs for personal trainers on the market. What makes the ACE Personal Trainer Study Program a standout? To start, it’s a product of the American Council on Exercise, a renowned nonprofit professional and health coach certification organization. Founded more than 35 years ago, ACE is not only “America’s authority on fitness,” but also a global leader in the health and fitness space. 

The Ace Personal Trainer Program is an “advanced learning experience” delivered via a multimodal learning platform designed to meet each individual’s learning style and pace. It includes interactive digital content comprising evidence-based exercise science fundamentals, principles of behavior change, and client-centered methodologies. It also includes an updated textbook and on-demand support, ensuring that participants not only master the material but are prepared to apply it in real-world settings. 

Says ACE of its guiding ethos, “Today, exercise science and behavior change are fields of rich, robust scientific inquiry, where the body of evidence is growing on effective techniques that support diverse populations who need help to get and stay moving.”

In short, the Ace Personal Trainer Study Program is the most current and high-quality education available today, and accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) offers critical quality assurance in a crowded field. There’s a reason more than 90,000 health and fitness professionals have sought out ACE certifications to advance in their careers. 

One additional benefit of the ACE Personal Trainer Study Program that’s especially useful in the post-COVID world? Participants have the option to get certified from home through a Live Remote Proctor. This means that fitness professionals can continue to learn and grow -- even when stay-home orders and social distancing mandates are keeping them out of classrooms and facilities. 

Why Continuing Education Matters for Fitness Professionals

Now that we’ve covered what the ACE Personal Trainer Study Program is, it begs the question: why does continuing education matter so much for personal trainers? The answer is manifold. 

The health, wellness, and fitness space is continually evolving. Continuing education coursework ensures that personal trainers stay abreast of the latest knowledge and trends. This ensures that they’re providing clients with the best possible training, thereby better supporting their fitness goals and safety. 

In addition to helping personal trainers provide better training experience, continuing education also helps them deliver more individualized -- and therefore more effective -- training sessions for their clients. Many clients have specific conditions that require specific health approaches. For personal trainers looking to specialize in a niche, such as senior training, continuing education can offer a better understanding of these conditions along with which exercises will be most appropriate. 

In keeping up with the latest fitness news and trends, personal trainers are constantly exposed to new training methods, tools, and equipment. Introducing these to client workouts can prevent boredom and burnout. This means clients will keep coming back for more. 

Last but not least is the marketability factor. In today’s competitive fitness industry, gyms and other fitness businesses need a unique value proposition that differentiates them from the gym up the street. Having the best-trained personal trainers is not just boon for member retention, it’s also one for member recruitment. 

“The education and tools within the new ACE Personal Trainer Study Program equip exercise professionals to apply quality science, so they are ready to work and be successful with clients,” ACE president and chief science officer Cedric X. Bryant told Club Industry. The takeaway? For fitness industries looking to gain the inside edge, prioritizing continuing education among their staff can be an invaluable strategy. 

Another way to make sure your personal trainers are offering clients the most productive training sessions? Fitness monitoring technology.  Download the catalog today to learn how the AccuroFit System can support personal trainers and clients.