ACSM Certifed Personal Trainer Exam Q&A

Less than a month ago, I passed my test, and officially became an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer...whoo hoo!! I have had some questions about study tips, why I chose ACSM, how I passed it, and more. Below is a little Q&A, but if you have further questions, please feel free to comment below or email me at hake.katherine@gmail.com.

Why did you choose to get certified?
After teaching group fitness and working as a fitness consultant for three years, I was ready for a new challenge. I wanted to prove to myself that I knew this stuff and would be able to apply it. I wanted to have the credibility to act as a resource for my friends, family, peers, bloggerz, etc. I want to work one on one with a client to help them accomplish their health and fitness goals, and see them make progress from session to session. I am excited to design fun and effective workouts (flexing that mental creative muscle) to help them find a passion for fitness, allowing them to eventually take ownership of their health, being able to lead a healthy lifestyle without me. The PT program at Purdue also has an excellent training program, which I know I will not be able to find elsewhere. I am provided with mentors, in depth training and practice, and a variety of resources to help me succeed as a trainer. This is extremely valuable to me, as in other gyms you may have to work based off commission, obtain your own clients, and be forced to compete instead of connect with others trainers/staff in your gym.

Why did you choose ACSM?
When I first decided to get certified, the gym I was applying to recommended ACSM. It was not until after the fact, that I found out this certification is considered the "gold standard." ACSM has been around for a long time, and is well recognized and accepted throughout the country. The below link gives a pretty good comparison of the two.
* http://www.acefitness.org/fitness-certifications/personal-trainer-certification/comparison.aspx

Is this exam right for me?
In order to pursue this certification, you must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and have current Adult AED/CPR certification. While these are the minimum requirements, I HIGHLY recommend that you have some background in exercise physiology, anatomy, and overall fitness in general. Not saying it is impossible, but it will take a great deal of effort to do self study over the in depth material through a text book alone.

Also, the cost of the ACSM exam is only (HA! Only, jk I'm in college remember?!) $219-279, while ACE is $399, and NASM is $599. Do your research, ask if your employer offers grants or scholarships, or search online. I was fortunate enough to apply for a personal development scholarship through my school, and received over $100 which helped cover my study materials, which was great! THANK YOU REC SPORTS!

How long did it take to study?
HA, well I wish this answer were cut and dry, but I am a special case. I have been studying on and off for the past four years. As an incoming freshman, I thought I was a baller and could teach myself through self-study after taking only one anatomy class in high school..."I know fitness, I know people, I can totally do this on my own, right?!" WRONG. I actually took the exam in 2010 after a summer of studying, and did not pass. After taking courses in anatomy and physiology, fitness assessments, nutrition, exercise physiology, and exercise program and design, I felt much more comfortable taking the test again.

Despite 3 and a half years of undergraduate coursework under my belt, I still studied for 2-3 hours about 5 days per week for the whole month leading up to my exam. If I were in a different situation, I would schedule my exam up to 4 months in advance (depending on your current knowledge), create a study schedule, and STICK to it strictly leading up to my exam.

Did you attend the live workshops or purchase any additional materials?
I did not, but I have had in class clinical work and experience which I believe contributed to my success. I read the text book from front to back, but not in the last month before my exam. I studied the purple book the most, as it has GREAT review questions at the end of each chapter. It really pulls out the key points you need to learn. The green book was helpful for risk stratification and seeing the different classification tables. I recommend this book, as you will also be able to reference it once you start training clients.

I also purchased "Secrets to the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer Exam" e-book. Dumb. Impulsive. Save your $40 for your cute new yoga pants to wear with your cute new trainer uniform! ;)

STUDY TIPS

• Review ACSM'S Certification Review, test yourself at the end of each chapter, and go back to review what you missed. YOU CAN SKIP CHAPTER 11 and 12.
• Know spotting techniques...for example, always ask the clients how many reps, sets, do they need a lift off, and how they would like to be spotted. For the most part you want to follow the bar and/or joint through the range of motion, and help them when they start to struggle. *Note how you spot/like to be spotted may be different from what ACSM says is right and for this test IS RIGHT. More details in the purple book.
• Understand concentric (shortening of the muscle) and eccentric (lengthening of the muscle) Ex: in a bicep curl, it is concentric as you bring your hand towards your shoulder, and eccentric when you lower your hand to your side
• Also understand how this happens when running/walking  up/down stairs..HealthyLikeLauren does a great job at explaining this, see link below.
• RISK STRATIFICATION! Quite a few on this, so be able to identify risk factors and place clients in low, moderate, or high risk category. When in each category, what types of tests can they do/not do.
• Special populations - What is different about these groups? As far as exercise prescription...think kids, elderly, etc.
• Heart <3 - Know the structure and order of blood flow
• SITS muscles (rotator cuff, I remember a question about this specifically, something being able to eliminate which wasn't a part of this joint)
• Calculations - BMI, ideal body weight, max HR, HR reserve, target HR at at given percentage,
• Pregnant women should never exercise in the supine position...WHY?
• General nutrition - 3,500 kcals = 1 pound...be able to calculate how long would take someone to lose certain amount of weight in x amount of time, macronutrients, general advice
• Behavior models - quite a few questions on readiness to change, levels of motivation, etc. which I did not study enough on!
• Law things - negligence, informed consent, liability, etc.

OTHER BLOGS/TIPS

• http://fitnessandfeta.com/2012/03/13/acsm-certified-personal-trainer-qa/
• http://healthylikelauren.com/how-to-pass-the-acsm-cpt-exam/
• http://www.getbodysmart.com/ap/muscularsystem/menu/menu.html

DO YOUR BEST FORGET THE REST! Take your time, and just repeat to yourself I GOT THIS! When you get sick of studying and are about ready to rip out your hair because your flexor digitorum superficialis is so tight remember WHY you are working for this cert in the first place and how many lives you are going to positively impact once you have it! YOU GO GLEN COCO :)