More hating on "Fitness"

...by Jason Nunn.

Three More Reaons Why I Hate "Fitness"

He's absolutely spot-on on the certification. I'm proud of mine, and I chose a difficult one to pass and one which requires a lot of continuing education to maintain. But it's not enough. It's as meaningful as a degree is when it is not coupled with experience. My experience is what matters the most, and the experience of my own coaches is what matters the most. My MMA coach doesn't have a black belt (or maybe he does, but not in the style he teaches). But I know he's got more fighting experience than I'll ever have and a great touch at passing his skills onto people without his level of talent. I haven't the slightest idea what certifications my strength coach holds. But I know Joe DeFranco respected his experience enough to hire him, and then he got even more experience working there. I respect the results he's gotten me. Would it matter if I found out what certs he had?

By all means, I would find out what kind of certifications a potential coach has. But even more so, I'd want to find out what he or she has done, who they've trained, and how they turned out. A strong client who was weak, a slim client who was once heavy - this tells me the person can do their job more than any test they passed. The certs are just a start, so use them as such when you look. Find someone with a good cert, and then see what kind of experience they have. You can't just put faith in the letters after someone's name.