A number of personal trainer certification books have been written. Which one is best for you will depend on the style you like, your preferred way of learning and of course your budget. So here are a few reviews to help you make your mind up as you consider moving on in the fitness industry.
You are probably familiar with the ‘For Dummies’ format. In this case take ‘Dummies’ to mean absolute beginners. Melyssa St John and Linda Formichelli have between them produced ‘Becoming a personal trainer for dummies.’ Being something of a specialist book you will probably have to order it at your local book shop or from the Internet. The format is easy to read and there is a good index. It is however written for the American market and there is quite a lot of emphasis on running a personal trainer business, rather than actually being one. This is not so much about muscular skills as professionalism. There are sections for instance on finding the right location, researching the market and doing your sums. But perhaps that is just the input you need. It is relatively inexpensive and you can also get tips from Dummies .com. Just put ‘personal trainer’ into the sites search engine.
There are also a whole pile of other fitness professional books in the series such as ‘Pilates Weight Loss for Dummies’ and ‘Exercise Balls for Dummies’.
Another book aimed at the American market, but with valuable tips nevertheless, is NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training’ from the American National Academy of Sports Medicine. It is aimed at those preparing to become certified personal trainers. It describes what it calls Optimum Performance Training and there are lots of colourful diagrams or maps of many different exercises, so it is perhaps worth looking at for that.
Another book I found on the web, but haven’t actually seen is one with the incredibly long title ‘How To Start Your Personal Training Business: Step by Step Business Plan and Forms. Get a Fitness and Personal Training Certification and Become a Certified Personal Trainer’ by Joe Dynasty. There were no reviews of this, but it certainly seems from the title alone, to cover all the angles. It is a business plan, but also includes how to get certification.
Ed Thornton has written ‘It’s more than just making them sweat ‘which he describes as a career guide for personal fitness trainers. It is however more like his personal story, which is basically about making the client happy. Having said that, lots of successful personal trainers rate this short book highly.