Re: My Thoughts on Continuing Education

[Guest guest]

Hello Pete,

I generally agree with your statements, and I'm sure that many people would.

As someone who has been on the Board of Directors of different associations,

there are a couple of things, though, that I think are worth adding to your

post. Just to qualify my message below, I am the current VP Technical for

the Ontario Weightlifting Association, as well as a past Board member of the

Ontario Kinesiology Association (President in 2002). I've been involved

with sport associations since 1999, particularly in their delivery of

educational resources to members.

Pete Arroyo wrote:

> I'd rather put most of my time into coaching my athletes

> (practical), training for PL competition (practical

> experimentation), and analyzing the effects of my

> training on my guys and myself; rather than sticking

> my nose in some lame guide book reading about legal

> issues and watered down training programs. Not to

> mention attend conferences where the purpose of some

> of the presenters is to prey on naive newcomers in

> order to sell their psuedoscientific ideas which have

> little or no validity in the " real world " .

It seems to me that you are recognizing the great divide between " coaching "

and " personal training " . Personal training certifications don't really show

you how to achive high levels of performance (e.g., national qualifying

standards), etc. They are largely designed to show people safe approaches

to exercise that improve health and fitness (and yes, they also explain how

NOT to get sued). However, as I'm sure you are aware, high performance is

definitely not associated with improved health.

Of course, continuing education programs are used to help keep members'

knowledge current in their area of interest. Depending on what

certification you held, your choices may be limited in scope.. but more

likely it could be wide open. Unless you were certified by a

privately-owned diploma mill (there are many), you likely could submit any

Powerlifting workshop or seminar, such as the Westside seminar you had

attended.

Legitimate organizations should be sensitive to the financial restrictions

that many people face and so also could have good suggestions for ways to

get CEC points without costing hundreds of dollars. This might include

giving a presentation to a local group, or writing an article or two for a

magazine or newletter. My favorite is to participate in a monthly 1-2 hr

professional " inservice " (attended by coaches/trainers in your club or area)

and have each person present in revolving order. That way you can claim

points for both presenting and attending. This could add up to 24 hours per

year, or the equivalent of 4 one-day courses. Just make sure you know in

advance what criteria your association requires to be able to consider

whether or not the content is appropriate (e.g., any handout materials, an

outline, and/or a written letter from the club verifying that the inservice

is legitimate.) Most importantly, you can tailor the content to reflect

your (and the group's) primary interests.

In contrast to personal training certifications, coaching certifications are

usually based (at least in part) on performance criteria. Up here, we have

the Coaching Association of Canada that handles the educational programs for

coaches. Although there are academic components at each level (which are

strictly controlled by the Provincial Sport Organization), one is not able

to progress to higher levels of coaching certification without developing

athletes to different heights, and bringing a given number of athletes to

competitions. For example, you cannot achieve the highest level (Level 5)

without developing an international caliber athlete and coached at

competitons for at least 4-5 years.

However, since the personal training certifications are aimed at the people

working with the general public, I doubt that we'll ever see this. But

since you mentioned your main emphasis was on coaching and competing, then

you have to ask yourself this: how useful a personal training certification

to YOUR needs? Maybe a better solution for you is to get professional

liability (a.k.a., CYA) insurance independently or through your sport

organization.

Based on your message, I doubt that you will lose business by not holding a

given fitness certification. Your clients probably came to you because they

trusted the opinion of someone who had a positive experience with you in the

first place.

This reminds me of a Santana saying. He said (I'm paraphrasing

here) that everyone is looking for the magic bullet. Your education, letters

after your name, etc., may be the bullet, but only you bring the magic.

Best regards,

Gray

*************************************************

R. Gray, M.Sc., C.S.C.S., C.K.

Ph.D. Candidate in Spine Biomechanics

Department of Kinesiology

University of Waterloo

200 University Avenue West

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1

jrgray@...

*************************************************

[Guest guest]

I got certified by ACE to get " legal " after over ten years of

personal training experience. The problem came up when I had to

renew. They weren't going to accept the CEUs from attending an NSCA

conference. Political BS if I ever saw it. Yet they accept CEUs

from reading worthless articles in their publication. I let the

damned certification lapse and saved my $80.

Certification is only a legal leg to stand on, not an affermation of

competency or knowledge. I've seen too many trainers that read the

books and passed the tests, but still are clueless in the real world.

In studying for the ACE, I had to memorize too much crap that was

geared to liability issues more than client success. And to

summarize the chapter on stretching: We don't know enough about it

to draw conclusions about methods, but you should definitely do it.

There are great seminars and books out there that stimulate years of

continued practical improvement. I still build upon a seminar on

abdominal training I went to 10 years ago. But it's a shame that

these Certificate Associations get so stupid about what constitutes

actual professional growth for their associates. And experience in

the trenches is far more important than reading some book.

Knowledge means nothing if you can't implement it.

Because there is no standard of competency, and the fact that anyone

can get certified in one way or another, I still regard the whole

certification issue with disdain. A written test without a

practical evaluation is indeed meaningless.

While enrolled in a Community College, I almost qualified for their

Personal Training certificate. I moved out of state, and couldn't

take the last class required for the certificate. That class was a

Sports training class that taught the assesment and treatment of

sports injuries, knowledge that I would be forbidden to practice as

a personal trainer because of liability. Go figure.

I call on the whole industry to implement a standard of knowledge

and a practical evaluation to get real credibility.

Thus endeth the rant,

Wayne Montierth, former CPT

Sandy, Utah

>

> TO: certification companies/ programs/ CPTs/ CSCSs,

>

> Just a thought, but since my certification renewal

> is up I might as well share this. I think it is a good

> thing that certain trainer/ coach certifications

> require CEUs(continuing education credits) and

> diplomas and such; but what about guys like me who

> couldn't afford to finish school or rarely have the

> time to go to the so-called conferences? I'm not

> making excuses for myself but I'd rather put most of

> my time into coaching my athletes (practical),

> training for PL competition (practical

> experimentation), and analyzing the effects of my

> training on my guys and myself; rather than sticking

> my nose in some lame guide book reading about legal

> issues and watered down training programs. Not to

> mention attend conferences where the purpose of some

> of the presenters is to prey on naive newcomers in

> order to sell their psuedoscientific ideas which have

> little or no validity in the " real world " .

>

> The only seminar I have attended was a force training

> seminar featuring Dave Tate and Jim Wendler. To this

> day I am still learning new things and asking more

> questions about what was presented. What Dave and Jim

> had to say was worth more than any CEU, CEC, or

> conference will ever be worth, not to mention all that

> I have ever put into practice. I am not only a better

> coach/ teacher from this but a better lifter as well.

> Thank you Dave and Jim.

>

> I am currently looking forward to a seminar featuring

> Dr. Yessis and Dr. Yuri Verkoshansky at the

> gym I train/ work out of. I am sure the information I

> will gain from this will be worth a lifetime of

> critical thought, discovery, and success for both me

> and my athletes. In fact is that not what every

> athlete / coach should strive for? Instead of some

> overly expensive conference or course which leaves you

> with nothing more than a few trivial letters that you

> can put after your name on a resume? Maybe to balance

> things out these certifications should give CEU/ CECs

> to coach's who actually still participate in a sport,

> especially those at a high level. This would make

> things comparable to the Soviet system. IE-master of

> sport, etc. I feel this can and will give real

> credibility to one's practical skills which is what

> this field desperately needs.

>

> Pete Arroyo

> ESP Athletics

> Naperville, Il

[Guest guest]

Hi All.

I'm a visually impaired weight trainer. I started out back in 1975, with

my first iron weights, out on my lawn.

A few years ago, I thought about becoming a personal trainer. I purchased

the ACE book and struggled through reading it with my CCTV. The bulk of the

book was about not getting sued. I was astonished. I had trained people in

the eighties, in my basement and had hoped to become a bit more enlightened

on the subject.

I decided, I didn't want to make something I loveed a job, especially

when the risk of being sued seems to be so high.

Carson Wood

Maine, USA Re: My Thoughts on Continuing Education

>

>

> I got certified by ACE to get " legal " after over ten years of

> personal training experience. The problem came up when I had to

> renew. They weren't going to accept the CEUs from attending an NSCA

> conference. Political BS if I ever saw it. Yet they accept CEUs

> from reading worthless articles in their publication. I let the

> damned certification lapse and saved my $80.

>

> Certification is only a legal leg to stand on, not an affermation of

> competency or knowledge. I've seen too many trainers that read the

> books and passed the tests, but still are clueless in the real world.

>

> In studying for the ACE, I had to memorize too much crap that was

> geared to liability issues more than client success. And to

> summarize the chapter on stretching: We don't know enough about it

> to draw conclusions about methods, but you should definitely do it.

>

> There are great seminars and books out there that stimulate years of

> continued practical improvement. I still build upon a seminar on

> abdominal training I went to 10 years ago. But it's a shame that

> these Certificate Associations get so stupid about what constitutes

> actual professional growth for their associates. And experience in

> the trenches is far more important than reading some book.

> Knowledge means nothing if you can't implement it.

>

> Because there is no standard of competency, and the fact that anyone

> can get certified in one way or another, I still regard the whole

> certification issue with disdain. A written test without a

> practical evaluation is indeed meaningless.

>

> While enrolled in a Community College, I almost qualified for their

> Personal Training certificate. I moved out of state, and couldn't

> take the last class required for the certificate. That class was a

> Sports training class that taught the assesment and treatment of

> sports injuries, knowledge that I would be forbidden to practice as

> a personal trainer because of liability. Go figure.

>

> I call on the whole industry to implement a standard of knowledge

> and a practical evaluation to get real credibility.

>

> Thus endeth the rant,

>

> Wayne Montierth, former CPT

> Sandy, Utah

>

>

>>

>> TO: certification companies/ programs/ CPTs/ CSCSs,

>>

>> Just a thought, but since my certification renewal

>> is up I might as well share this. I think it is a good

>> thing that certain trainer/ coach certifications

>> require CEUs(continuing education credits) and

>> diplomas and such; but what about guys like me who

>> couldn't afford to finish school or rarely have the

>> time to go to the so-called conferences? I'm not

>> making excuses for myself but I'd rather put most of

>> my time into coaching my athletes (practical),

>> training for PL competition (practical

>> experimentation), and analyzing the effects of my

>> training on my guys and myself; rather than sticking

>> my nose in some lame guide book reading about legal

>> issues and watered down training programs. Not to

>> mention attend conferences where the purpose of some

>> of the presenters is to prey on naive newcomers in

>> order to sell their psuedoscientific ideas which have

>> little or no validity in the " real world " .

>>

>> The only seminar I have attended was a force training

>> seminar featuring Dave Tate and Jim Wendler. To this

>> day I am still learning new things and asking more

>> questions about what was presented. What Dave and Jim

>> had to say was worth more than any CEU, CEC, or

>> conference will ever be worth, not to mention all that

>> I have ever put into practice. I am not only a better

>> coach/ teacher from this but a better lifter as well.

>> Thank you Dave and Jim.

>>

>> I am currently looking forward to a seminar featuring

>> Dr. Yessis and Dr. Yuri Verkoshansky at the

>> gym I train/ work out of. I am sure the information I

>> will gain from this will be worth a lifetime of

>> critical thought, discovery, and success for both me

>> and my athletes. In fact is that not what every

>> athlete / coach should strive for? Instead of some

>> overly expensive conference or course which leaves you

>> with nothing more than a few trivial letters that you

>> can put after your name on a resume? Maybe to balance

>> things out these certifications should give CEU/ CECs

>> to coach's who actually still participate in a sport,

>> especially those at a high level. This would make

>> things comparable to the Soviet system. IE-master of

>> sport, etc. I feel this can and will give real

>> credibility to one's practical skills which is what

>> this field desperately needs.

>>

>> Pete Arroyo

>> ESP Athletics

>> Naperville, Il

>

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