For personal trainers looking to offer complete wellness guidance, getting a nutrition certification is crucial. Certifications like the ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist, AFPA Weight Management Specialist, ISSA Sports Nutrition, and NASM Certified Nutrition Coach can greatly boost your expertise. Each program has unique benefits, covering everything from basic nutritional science and weight management to sports nutrition and modern dietary trends. By furthering your education with these certifications, you can better support your clients health and fitness goals, making yourself a more knowledgeable and well-rounded professional. Explore these options to elevate your personal training career today!
Sound interesting to you? We thought it might. We were pretty sure you’re one of those successful personal trainers who’s always trying to continue their education.
Not entirely sure where to start? That’s no big deal at all.
There are hundreds of nutrition certifications out there—we’ve taken the time to comb through several to bring you the ultimate list of the best nutrition certifications for personal trainers. Check them out here!
ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist Certification
This is a classic certification that not only comes from a well-respected and well-recognized certification brand but also one that stands the test of time because it’s based on the foundations and essentials of nutritional science. No fad diets, no lose-weight fast tips, no weird calorie-cutting tricks—instead, this ACE cert teaches you, the personal trainer, how to teach your clients about how to change their nutritional behaviors, better understand their specific nutrition needs, and how to help them put what they learn from you into practice.
There are several different options for purchasing the materials needed to test for this certification, but typically the overall cost is no more than $300.
AFPA Weight Management Specialist Certification
Often, people choose to work with a personal trainer because they’re hoping to cut calories, achieve a healthier weight, and work toward better overall wellness. As you know, when it comes to weight loss, fitness and nutrition go hand-in-hand. That’s why specializing in this type of nutritional cert can be incredibly useful. If you have clients who need your nutrition help to promote weight loss, the Weight Management Specialist Certification could be the perfect cert for you!
This cert helps you learn how to advise your clients on healthy weight loss, lifestyle changes, and achieving goals through behavior modifications. Further, it takes a holistic approach to weight and health management, which (though it’s becoming increasingly popular) is still often considered a unique take on nutrition in the sports and fitness world.
ISSA Sports Nutrition Certification
Though this cert program is still considered fairly new in the cert world, it’s a fabulous program for personal trainers who want to teach their clients nutrition with a focus on muscle development, athletic ability, and fitness.
This program is all about how to train athletes, sports enthusiasts, and fitness fanatics in their nutritional realm—you’ll learn about concepts like carbohydrate loading, dive into sports-related supplements that could aid in your clients’ nutritional regimens, and even learn the best (and healthiest ways) to advise your clients to lose fat while building muscle. Typically, this program costs about $699.
NASM Certified Nutrition Coach Certification
If you want a nutrition certification that’s all about modernity and hot topics in nutrition, look no further than the NASM Certified Nutrition Coach Cert. A new cert in the NASM repertoire (seriously, it just came out in 2019), this program is all about the cutting-edge technology that’s related to overall wellness, burning fat, and gaining muscle.
Much of this program is based on newer additions to nutrition, like macronutrients, dietary patterns, discussions of fad diets, and much more. The overall goal of this program is to provide you with a modern take on what nutrition has evolved to, how you can advise clients on breaking and healing from mental plateaus with diet and nutrition, and how to teach your clients the skills to combat behavioral eating with nutritional science.
While the price is set to vary, this NASM is typically listed at about $899. This one is pricy, for sure, but it’s also a well-rounded and modern approach to what fitness and nutrition have evolved to. No antiquated nutrition tips here, friends.
Remember, there are so many different certifications out there—don’t be afraid to do a little research on your own.
No matter what cert you go with, take a moment to pat yourself on the back and be proud—you’re continuing your education one step at a time, and with every passing day, you’re becoming the best personal trainer and coach you possibly can be!
Don’t forget, protecting your career with personal trainer insurance from Insure Fitness Group is just as important as honing your skills and expanding your client base—ensure you’re covered so you can focus on what you do best.
