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How to Become a Certified Personal Trainer

Pursue Your Passion with a Personal Training Certification from NASM

HOW TO POSITIVELY CHANGE LIVES BY BECOMING A PERSONAL TRAINER?

As a personal trainer, you’ll wake up each day...

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  • Feeling excited to help people get fit, healthy, and live their best lives.

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  • Enjoying an active and rewarding lifestyle that allows you to pursue your passion each and every day.

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  • And with the fitness industry expected to reach $434 billion by 2028, your earning potential is nearly unlimited.

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  • Sound like something you’d be interested in?

Read on to learn how to start your career as a Certified Personal Trainer today.

Questions? Get guidance from our Program Experts

Choose your program

How to become a personal trainer

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step 1

Commit to Pursuing Your Passion

The most important thing to know about becoming a Certified Personal Trainer is this: You can do it!


Working in the fitness industry, where you have the opportunity to change lives and help people become the best versions of themselves, is within your reach—all you need to get started is a passion for health & fitness and the dedication to make it happen...


…and a partner like NASM, with our 35 years of experience and world class program to set you on the path to success.

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step 2

Get Ready to Make Your Dream Job a Reality

Becoming an NASM Certified Personal Trainer is easy! This program enables you to join 1,500,000+ personal trainers who are winning with NASM.

To register for our industry-leading Certified Personal Trainer program you need a high school degree or GED. You'll need a CPR & AED certified before your final exam, sign up anytime during the course with our convenient online-only CPR/AED Certification powered by ASTI.

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step 3

START TODAY & GET CERTIFIED IN AS FEW AS 4 WEEKS

Now you’re ready to get started!

We offer several Certified Personal Trainer program packages to choose from, including bonuses like our Job Guarantee program and EDGE CPT Exam Prep that gives your career a head-start with real-world experience.

See all our Personal Trainer Certification Packages. With a Personal Trainer Certification from NASM, you’ll be powering your career forward with the most recognizable and respected fitness certification in the industry.

There’s a reason we’ve been the top choice with fitness pros for more than 30 years:

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  • We prepare you with the knowledge and skills you need to start your fitness career off right.

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  • We are built to serve, allowing you to maximize your earning potential and your positive impact on those lives waiting to be changed.

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  • A world class approach which allows you to combine your drive with our knowledge!

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  • As quick as 4 weeks to go from dream, to creating your new reality…

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Not sure which program is right for you?

Answer a few questions, and we'll match you with the right study program for your needs.

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Program questionairre

Not sure which program is right for you?

Answer a few questions, and we'll match you with the right study program for your needs.

Quiz goes here

Compare Personal Trainer Programs

 

Register Now to Become a Certified Personal Trainer

All payment plans are 0% interest, with no fees, penalties or credit check!

Choose your number of monthly payments, then select your program below:

Self-Study

$25 down +
Monthly Payments
/month

 

Benefits

  • 100% Online Course
  • Two Exam Options • NASM Personal Trainer Certificate (Non-Proctored Exam)
    • NASM Certified Personal Trainer (NCCA Accredited Certification Exam)
    • No Hidden Fees: Both exam options are included with your program!

  • State-of-the-Art, Digital Learning Platform
  • High-End Learning Videos
  • Audio Chapter Summaries
  • Exercise Demonstration Library
  • Biodigital 3D Models
  • Handouts and Resources Library
  • Practice Exam, Quizzes and Knowledge Checks
  • Best-in-Class Test Prep with NASM's Edge Mobile App

 

Premium Self-Study

$25 down +
Monthly Payments
/month

 

Benefits

  • Everything in Self-Study plus...
  • Job Guarantee** Want help getting your first personal training job? With our Job Guarantee program, you're guaranteed to get a job within 90 days of passing your NASM CPT exam, or the cost of the Job Guarantee will be refunded to you.

  • Unlimited Access to NASM Fitness Experts
  • Exam Retest
  • $899 added value

BUNDLE & SAVE

CPT Essentials Bundle

$25 down +
Monthly Payments
/month

 

Benefits

  • Everything in Premium Self-Study plus...
  • Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC)
  • CPR/AED Certification Online
  • Metabolic Makeover (Earn 0.3 CEUs)
  • $999 added value

Limited Time Only

Certified by 2025 Exclusive Bundle

$25 down +
Monthly Payments
/month

 

Benefits

  • Everything in CPT Essentials Bundle plus...
  • Weight Loss Specialization (WLS)
  • Call 844-902-6487 to Customize Your Bundle
  • $899 added value

Have
Questions?

Talk to an NASM Program Advisor.

Our team of experts is ready to help you decide which program is best for you.

Call 844-902-6485

NASM Certified Personal Trainer FAQs

As one of the most trusted sources of fitness training certifications in the world, NASM is a distinguished name that will stand out to fitness employers. When you choose NASM for your Personal Trainer certification, you’ll get access to world-class fitness experts, your top choice of gyms to work for, and much more:


  • • Peer-Reviewed Content from the Brightest Minds in the Industry

  • • State-of-the-Art Digital Learning Platform

  • • Programs Designed to Meet Multiple Learning Styles

  • • 35+ Years Of Experience Training Fitness Professionals

  • • 1.5M+ Fitness Professionals Trained

  • • 100+ Countries with NASM Fitness and Coach Professionals

  • • 12K+ Gym & Health Club Partnerships

  • • Optional NCCA Accreditation

  • • NCCA-Accredited Certification includes optional add-ons like Job Guarantee Program, Gymternship™, lifetime recertifications, and more

You must have a high school degree or GED. You're also required to have a current CPR and AED certification before you take the exam. For your convenience, NASM offers an online CPR/AED Certification.

You can complete your personal training certification in as few as 4 weeks. In addition to its interactive multimedia-rich content, learning tools, resources, and comprehensive study-planning guide, you can also receive assistance from NASM experts when questions arise.

Absolutely! You can complete this program and become a Certified Personal Trainer while also working full-time. The study material is 100% online and self-paced, and can be accessed on a computer, or a mobile device such as a phone or tablet.

You have the choice between two exams—a non-proctored Certificate exam, and a proctored NCCA-Accredited Certification exam. Here are some of the major differences between the two:


  • • The non-proctored exam has 100 questions; the proctored exam has 120 questions.

  • • You have 3 hours to complete the non-proctored exam; you have 2 hours to complete the proctored exam.

  • • The non-proctored exam is open-book; the proctored exam is not.

  • • The non-proctored exam confers a Certificate as a Personal Trainer; the proctored exam confers an NCCA-Accredited Certification as a Personal Trainer.

The choice of exam is up to you and in most cases simply depends on what your employer requires.

The non-proctored, online-only exam contains 100 questions that must be answered within 3 hours. This exam is open-book, meaning you can refer to your study materials.


The proctored, NCCA-Accredited exam contains 120 questions that must be answered within 2 hours. This exam is closed-book, so you cannot refer to your study materials.


You will have 180 days from the date of registration to take either of the exam options. An extension for the exam can be purchased by contacting NASM Member Services at 1-800-460-6276.

The non-proctored exam is administered online only.


The proctored, NCCA-Accredited exam can be taken online or in-person. For more information click here.

For the non-proctored exam, you have 3 attempts to pass. If you do not pass after 3 attempts, a retest can be purchased by calling NASM Member Services at 1-800-460-6276.


For the proctored, NCCA-Accredited exam, you have one attempt to pass. A retest can be purchased by calling NASM Member Services at 1-800-460-6276. A retest is also included with the Premium Self Study and All-Inclusive programs.

You must recertify every two years to ensure that your Personal Trainer certification remains up-to-date with current best-practice guidelines and skills. You will be required to earn 2.0 NASM approved continuing education units (CEUs) every two-year period, which includes 1.9 CEUs from a specialization program and 0.1 CEUs from the mandatory CPR/AED certification.

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