- Last Updated:
- 11/22/2024
- Chelsea Ramsey, ACE CPT
Striving to help improve the country’s access to health and wellness resources, the National Aerobics and Fitness Trainers Association (NAFTA) is on a mission to educate and certify fitness professionals across the nation.
Explore the pros, cons, and details of pursuing a NAFTA fitness certification below.
What Is the National Aerobics & Fitness Trainers Association (NAFTA)?
NAFTA is a non-profit certification and continuing education organization for health and fitness professionals. One of its primary missions is to reduce the rate of preventable lifestyle-related diseases by providing early and lifelong learning around health and wellness topics.
NAFTA also prides itself on being the largest provider of continuing education credits (CECs) for a variety of fitness professionals, with hundreds of on-demand videos, specialized certificates, and live workshops offered.
Pros and Cons of NAFTA Certifications
Based on our NAFTA review, here are the pros and cons with the association’s education and certification programs.
Pros
- Extensive continuing education credits are offered with both live workshops and self-study courses.
- Continuing Education Credit (CEC) courses include many business development topics as well as fitness topics.
- A variety of certificates and/or classes are available for specialty and niche areas.
Cons
- The website is busy and can be difficult to navigate.
- Pricing for courses is not obvious or always readily available.
- The website only provides registration for personal trainer certification programs that include the live in-person workshops.
- NAFTA is newer and less recognized than other organizations.
- Educational material for the basic instructor courses are less in-depth than some of the other larger courses available.
Want to compare NAFTA to other options? Check out Insurance Canopy’s reviews of the best personal trainer certification programs, so you can choose with confidence.
What to Know About NAFTA Personal Training and Group Fitness Certifications
NAFTA’s website states that it is going through the accreditation process by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) for its Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor certifications.
As of 2024, the NAFTA Group Exercise Instructor Certification is officially accredited by the NCCA.
Requirements
To qualify for the NAFTA personal trainer certification or group exercise instructor exam, you must:
- Have completed high school (or equivalent)
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Hold a current CPR/AED certification with a live skills check
- Present a current government-issued photo ID with signature
NAFTA Certification Costs
NAFTA’s certification costs are not consistently available on its website. You may need to contact the offices directly or via registration@naftfitness.org.
Pricing information that has been available includes:
- Basic Group Exercise Instructor Exam ONLY: $199
- Group Exercise Instructor Certification (with in-person workshops): $299–$499
- Personal Fitness Trainer Level I Certification (with in-person workshops): $649–$849
Continuing Education and Recertification
Each NAFTA certificate is valid for two years. Recertification allows you to refresh and maintain a working knowledge of the fitness industry, as well as deepen your understanding of certain topics.
In order to recertify with NAFTA you must:
- Complete 15 CECs
- Maintain your cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) certifications
- Submit a renewal application with fee
Specialized Certification Programs
NAFTA strives to provide educational material beyond the basic fitness courses typically available. They offer a wide range of speciality certificates, niche classes, and business courses.
Some of the specialty certifications offered by NAFTA are:
- Aqua Aerobics
- Barre Instructor
- HIIT High Intensity Training
- Power Cycle Instructor
- Power Pump Instructor
- Power Step Instructor
What You Can Do With a NAFTA Personal Trainer Certification
While Insurance Canopy recognizes NAFTA as having a great source for continuing education credits, we do not recommend it for new personal trainers looking to get certified for the first time.
For more experienced fitness instructors looking to expand their knowledge in niche areas or to better their business practices, NAFTA’s courses are a valuable resource.
Why NAFTA Certified Personal Trainers Need Insurance
Accidents at the gym can still happen, even with the most experienced professionals in the safest facilities. Students can drop equipment on the floor, or on each other, and clients can trip and fall walking into the gym or during their workout.
Personal trainer liability insurance is designed to help you with the cost of claims related to incidents like these. Many employers will also require you to have your own insurance before they even consider hiring you.
Proactively protect yourself and your training business with top-rated personal trainer insurance from Insurance Canopy for as little as $159 a year!
Frequently Asked Questions About NAFTA Personal Trainer Certification
The group instructor exam includes 100 multiple choice questions and a two-hour time limit.
Content for the personal trainer and group exercise instructor exams include:
- Exercise science and physiology
- Basics of anatomy, kinesiology, and biomechanics
- Health and fitness assessments
- Exercise programming for healthy adults
- Principles of nutrition
- Communication
- Behavioral change
- Cueing
- Choreography
- Music skills
According to NAFTA it takes around 60–70 hours of study time to fully prepare for your exam. The minimum passing grade is 70%.
