Online Personal Training Certifications
Online personal training certifications are growing rapidly in popularity. The
Internet has made distance education practical and even efficient. If you live
in a remote area or don't have time to attend workshops, online personal
training certifications are an attractive alternative.
Just look at the costs
You can save hundreds of dollars by choosing one of the online personal
training certifications available today. In addition to the actual workshop
costs, you will save on the travel to and overnight accommodation costs.
For a three day workshop you can easily spend $750 before you pay for
your flights.
The cost savings can be very significant. The Penn Foster online personal
trainer certification program costs a little more than $500 including all your
books and exams. Pinnacle also offers an exceptional value. While neither
one of these is a premium certification, they get you up to speed quickly.
You just need to be sure to devote ongoing study time to improve your
knowledge.
School: |
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Program: |
Sport Management: Fitness and Wellness |
Locations: |
Online Course |
Description: |
California University offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Sports Management: Fitness and Wellness. These advanced degrees can be earned by attending courses online and working with your professors on a flexible schedule. This is a great choice for somebody who wants to have the extra knowledge that comes with a degree while maintaining the flexibility of an online course.
(Get Free Info Pack) |
School: |
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Program: |
Personal Trainer Certification |
Locations: |
Online Course |
Description: |
This popular Online Certification program covers all the critical topics to prepare you for a personal training career. The online course features community forums, e-mail, live chat, and direct instructor interaction, which are all available 24 hours a day making this a convenient choice for people who have work or family commitments. (Receive More Information) |
School: |
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Program: |
Personal Trainer Diploma |
Locations: |
Online Course |
Description: |
Another online personal training course that allows you to self study at your own pace. All exams are taken online and the curriculum uses a mixture of audio and video programs to compliment the textbook. The overall program including materials and exams is available for around $500 making it an economical choice and a quick way to get started in the industry. (Receive More Information) |
Make sure its right for you
The hard reality is that there is very little "online" in the major certs online
offerings. They like to claim that you can do their programs online, but
that really just means self study their textbook. No online classes, no
online tests.
If you like to learn by seeing and doing, then online personal training
certifications may not be for you. You are much better suited to a workshop
environment where you work hands on with trainers. But if you have a good
Internet connection, book learning doesn't scare you, and you have the time
to study on your own and figure things out, then you might be a good
candidate for one of the online personal training certifications.
This page contains a summary of the online options offered by the major
certification organizations. You can view our full certification table which
includes information about workshop and training programs for each certification.
Each of the links in our online personal training certifications database will take
you to our information page for each program. If you find this site useful,
please consider supporting our site.
| Personal Training Certification School |
ACE |
NASM |
ACSM |
NSCA |
NCSF |
NFPT |
NESTA |
IFPA |
ISSA |
AFAA |
| Certification |
Personal Trainer |
Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) |
Certified Personal Trainer (cPT) |
NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) |
Certified Personal Trainer (cPT)
|
CPT - Certified Personal Trainer |
Personal Fitness Trainer (PFT) |
CPT - Certified Personal Trainer |
Certified Fitness Trainer (CFT) |
Personal Trainer |
| Established |
1985 |
1987 |
1954 |
1993 |
|
1988 |
|
1994 |
1988 |
1983 |
 |
| Program Cost |
$399 |
$599-$799 |
$129 or $375 |
N/A |
$309 |
$425 |
$489 or $389 without Polar watch |
$399-$459 |
$595 |
$469 |
| Materials cost |
Included |
Included |
$125 |
up to $468 |
Included |
Included |
Included |
Included |
Included |
$59 |
| Industry recognition |
High |
High |
High |
High |
High |
Med - High |
Med |
Med - High |
Med-High |
Med |
| Accreditations |
NCCA |
NCCA |
NCCA |
NCCA |
NCCA |
NCCA |
NCCA |
NCCA, ACET |
DETC |
NBFE, NOCA, CHEA |
| Prerequisites |
18 years old, Adult CPR/AED Certificate |
18 years old, Adult CPR/AED Certificate |
High School Diploma, Adult CPR Certificate |
18 years old, Adult CPR and AED Certificate, high school diploma or equivalent |
None |
High School Diploma, 18 years old, 2+ years fitness experience |
18 years old, high school diploma or equivalent |
High School Diploma, 18 years old, CPR |
High School Diploma, 18 years old, Adult CPR/AED Certificate |
Unavailable |
|
| Exam Questions |
150 |
120 |
125-150 |
140 |
150 |
120 |
100 |
100 |
168 |
|
| Exam Time |
3 hours |
2 hours |
2.5 hours |
3 hours |
3 hours |
2 hours |
2 hours |
2.5 hours |
|
|
| Exam Cost |
$219 (pencil/paper), $249 (computer) |
Included |
$279 |
$235-270 (members)/ $355-390(non-members) (Pencil/paper exam) $285(members)/$405(non-members) (Computer-based exam) |
$199 |
$44 |
$199 |
included |
Included |
Included or $199 (without program) |
| Retest Cost |
$135 (pencil/paper) $184 (computer) |
$99 |
$150 |
$185-220(members)/$305-340(non-members) (Pencil/paper exam) $235(members)/$355(non-members) (Computer-based exam) |
$135 |
$60 |
$95 |
$79 |
one free online, $149 at seminar, ($50 charge for each additional attempt) |
|
| Exam deadline |
|
120 days |
|
1 year |
|
1 year |
90 days |
6 months |
2 years |
|
| Exam locations |
Major cities worldwide |
Major U.S. Cities |
Major cities worldwide |
Major cities worldwide (pencil/paper) United States only (computer-based) |
400 testing locations in North America |
300 testing centers worldwide |
Major US Cities |
Major Cities worldwide |
Online plus Major U.S. cities |
| Time to Complete (Approx.) |
3-6 months |
|
4-9 months |
4-9 months |
4-6 months |
2 to 6 months |
4-6 weeks |
2 to 6 months |
13-16 weeks |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Recertification |
every 2 years |
every 2 years |
every 3 years |
every 3 years |
every 2 years |
every year |
every 4 years |
every 2 years |
every 2 years |
yes |
| Recertification Cost including CEU (Approx.) |
$400 |
$700 |
$800 |
$500 |
$400-800 |
$85 |
$600 |
$20 + $319 CEU costs |
$600 (20 CEU and $75 fee) |
$600 |
While I have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this online personal training certifications comparison table, please let me know if you think there are any mistakes. Organizations offer many similar programs and options. All of my information and cost estimates are based upon the base personal trainer certifications.
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