Becoming a certified personal trainer in New York City

May 9, 2010
Evelyn Trimborn

Being a personal trainer is a great career - c E Trimborn

Becoming a personal trainer can be a great new career for people who love sports and helping people, and New York City offers a wide variety of clients.

Becoming a personal trainer is a goal for many sports professionals. There are several components to the certification, which includes knowledge of nutrition, how to prevent injury, how to manage stress, and exercises and healthy living strategies for clients of all ages and with different health concerns. There are a number of ways of gaining certification as a personal trainer in New York City, which is an advantageous location to practice in because of the large population and therefore large potential pool of clients.

The first step is to research training courses, and the second is to study for the certification and complete the examinations and training course.

Researching Training Courses

Log on to the Internet and review the requirements for being licensed as an athletic trainer in New York state. Candidates must be at least 21 years of age. If they already have a bachelor's degree, they would be permitted to attend a master's program. If they do not yet have a BA, they should consult the list of approved Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) programs. If they already live in New York City, the candidate will want to choose from the accredited programs nearest where they live.

Research the details of each course, and note the options. Pay particular attention to requirements, cost, duration of course and anything else that would differentiate the course from the other courses available. Create a comparison chart of the details. Narrow the options down to three or four courses.

Make notes on the admissions requirements for each course, such as high school and college transcripts, application dates for upcoming semesters, proof of citizenship, cost of tuition, and so on. Also calculate the distance to travel, times of classes (day versus evening), whether the study is full or part time, and whether or not accommodation will be required. Decide on the institution to attend, and gather all the personal paperwork needed, plus the application form and application fee. Fill out the application fully. Determine if any financial aid is available.

If accepted to the course, pay the deposit and tuition. Get the reading list and start date for the course.

Studying for Certification

If there is an online course component, log in right away to become familiar with the interface. Contact the help desk if assistance is required. Some special software may be needed to attend webinars or other presentations.

Attend all lessons, do all reading and hand in all assignments on time. Also be sure to be familiar with all of the New York State license certification requirements.

If it is an online course, keep up with the seminars and lessons and do all reading. Hand in all assignments on time. Be sure to attend any in-person events required. Get help promptly for any aspects of the course which might prove difficult, to avoid falling behind. Conduct a progress check each semester against the list of New York certification requirements to be sure that of accumulating the correct number of hours of study and personal supervision by an approved trainer.

Be sure to keep track of all the courses and assignments required for certification, plus the required hours of study and time in the gym. Provide supporting documentation of gym attendance as needed. For self-study courses, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) has specific report forms which must be filled out.

The Board of Certification of the Athletic Trainer administers the examinations. Visit its site for online practice examinations and a calendar of registration dates and examination dates. Sit the exam.

Once the course and final examinations have been completed, the New York training license application form should be filled out. Mail in the completed application form, and also have copies sent of all mandatory supporting documentation related to the approved course of study. Request that the certification verification from the the Board of Certification of the Athletic Trainer be sent directly to the licensing office. Pay the licensing fee. Once the license is awarded, a certificate will be issued and the trainer will be listed as certified in personal trainer register.

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