Locking It Down: Part 2

Proponents of regulation fail to recognize the barriers to linking personal training to health care and third-party insurance payments.

As detailed in “Locking It Down,” the benefits of legislated licensing for personal training are minimal at best for both the public and personal trainers.

So why would personal trainers want their occupation to become a licensed profession? Many don’t, and many more haven’t even considered the issue.

The stark reality is personal trainers are not driving the boat. If licensure comes to fruition, it’s more likely that credit—or blame—will be assigned to an organization unrelated to personal training. These organizations are not interested in helping personal trainers succeed; they are interested in regulating personal trainers for financial gain related to licensing or training prior to licensing.

The primary example of this craven quest for legislated income is the United States Registry of Exercise Professionals (USREPS, established by the Coalition for the Registry of Exercise Professionals), whose business model requires you to pay for registration to be on its list of personal trainers. To be eligible for the list, you must complete training and certification through a program accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. Of course, USREPS member organizations—most notably the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)—provide that training and certification.

Should such organizations gain oversight of personal training through legislation, the result would be regulation by a government-appointed body that does not represent the vast majority of personal trainers. These organizations are also unfamiliar with the day-to-day realities of working in the fitness industry—clinical exercise and strength and conditioning for sports are not personal training.

Is there a dedicated body of personal trainers that can effectively argue against licensure? To date only CrossFit Inc. has stood up to represent personal trainers. CrossFit aggressively defends the rights of its trainers and coaches to practice, but its work also indirectly helps personal trainers with any credential by ensuring they are not misrepresented and regulated by organizations that have no right to do so.