The National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association (NESTA) is a professional association and certification body representing over 60,000 professionals in the health, wellness, and fitness industry. Established in 1992, NESTA provides opportunities for individuals to earn personal fitness trainer certifications which will validate their understanding of critical concepts in the health, wellness, and fitness industry.
The purpose of NESTA’s Personal Fitness Trainer (PFT) certification program is to validate that candidates possess the necessary knowledge and skills for competent entry-level practice, as well as to establish requirements for practitioners to maintain ongoing certification (e.g., continuing education).
NESTA’s Executive Certification Board (ECB) governs the PFT program. The mission of the NESTA ECB is to:
Recognize individuals who are exceptionally qualified to provide individualized personal fitness training through safe, efficient and effective exercise programming for personal clientele and the public at large while striving to pave a new path of unparalleled professional excellence.
In fulfillment of this mission the NESTA Executive Certification Board:
- Creates, develops and enforces performance standards for entry-level competency of certified personal fitness trainers;
- Identifies a code of ethics and scope of practice for certified personal fitness trainers;
- Develops and administers examinations that assess the knowledge, skills and abilities consistent with professional data obtained from psychometrically validated survey information
- Establishes a code of ethics and a scope of practice for certified personal fitness trainers
- Provides a mechanism to “Recognize those individuals who continue to increase their professional qualifications through adherence to NESTA ECB continuing education standards, competence within the scope of practice, and ethical conduct and behavior in compliance with the continuing education requirements and code of ethics for NESTA’s Certified Personal Fitness Trainer program.”
NESTA’s Certified Personal Fitness Trainer (PFT) Program, validates that the candidate has entry-level application skills, knowledge, and commitment vital to a successful fitness practice. The candidate may utilize multiple avenues for entry including: self-study, practical work experience including internships and apprenticeships, and two and four-year collegiate-based fitness programs.
NESTA awards the title “Certified Professional Fitness Trainer” to those individuals who meet the continuing education, ethical conduct, professional behavior, and examination requirements set forth by the PFT Certification Board.
The NESTA Personal Fitness Trainer is accredited by the National Commission on Certifying Agencies.
NESTA is an NBFE Approved Affiliate