NSCA Cert Question

[Robert Callahan]

Thank you for taking the time to read my post, I greatly appreciate the input. I recently finished my undergraduate career and am curently taking the steps required to apply to medical school but will have at least a year off before I start. I was an athlete in college and have been crossfiting for about a year now and have decided to do personal training while I deal with applications. I have been looking into becoming NSCA certified so I can have some credentials for being in the training buisness. I recently took the NSCA practice test and had a few questions I thought you could help me with since you have been very involved with them.
There were two questions I missed that I was confused about. One was concering breathing during a heavy lift. In starting strength (incredible book) you recomend the Valsalva manuver which says to hold the breath through the sticking point, but the NSCA test said you should exhale through the sticking point. The second was concering 1RM testing, essentially it asked what was an unsafe excercise for 1RM testing and the correct answer was shoulder press. How is a intermediate - elite athlete supposed to make a workout without knowing his 1RM?
Is the NSCA wrong? and should I just answer them wrong to get it right on the test? or is something else going on? I appologize for the long read and I appreciate any feedback

-Robert

[Mark Rippetoe]

The NSCA is wrong about these two questions, and about enough other shit that I am no longer a member and will either be dropping my credential or just letting it expire, depending on my mood between now and the end of the year. Their journals are an embarrassing mess, they are run by physical therapists, and they don't think you should press heavy or squat below parallel. Many years ago they were a very reputable organization, but at this point I cannot recommend that you associate with them. I see little going on there that distinguishes them from AFAA, IDEA, ACE, or any of the other certifying bodies.

[jshreck]

Amen!

[Ganondorf]

Are there any good organizations (that is consisting of mainly competent individuals who know what they are talking about) to be affiliated with? Yeah, you can be certified by any organization for a simple job, but that is different than actually learning correct information and being competent.

I have considered going for some type of personal training certification, but specifically I would like to train people who want to lift for a good reason, like getting stronger, faster, etc. for a sport; I wouldn't want the majority of my clients to be those just interested in general "fitness", (e.g. treadmill jogging, 10 lb. swiss ball presses) but I wouldn't mind doing it every now and then.

Before I read your books I was thinking NASM. After reading them I was thinking USAW or NSCA. I was thinking that I could just get certified to satisfy the job need, but I don't want to learn incorrect information and actually believe it is right. SS:BBT and PP:ST are great, but I am sure there is other information necessary to be knowledgeable and actually be good at your job. If I already knew everything I could just bs my way through the cert/s, but since I don't I would inevitably learn crap info and believe it to be true. The thought just makes me sick.

Did you know the National Board of Uninformed in Regard to Physical Activity Parents, Teachers and Forensic Accountants says that quarter-squats are the safest exercise, and they make you super strong because you can use so much weight!? I wouldn't doubt it if there was such a group...

[Mark Rippetoe]

CrossFit certifications are very good, solidly grounded in practice and theory, but they are not the same thing as those granted by the Acronym bodies in that they are evidence of proficiency in the CrossFit method, not exercise science or practice as a whole. There is a market for a legit broad certification now, and CrossFit may eventually be the organization that provides it. Right now, I am at a loss to recommend a certifying body that I would pay to test me.

[Ganondorf]

So if you wanted to get a job doing some training, ho would someone learn the right information first, before they have the chance of learning and believing crap?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You just have to read a lot, train a lot, and practice on the dog.

[Robert Callahan]

Thank you very much for the reply, that is helpfull. If I may be so bold as to ask another question.

You mention physical therapists as running the NSCA now in a negative tone, well I am currently at a crossroads in my life, I am in the midst of applying to medical school but am starting to rethink that decision because my passion is in interacting with people, developing relationships, and helping them to achieve higher levels of fitness, nutrition, and thus quality of life. I plan on attending CF certs eventually but as far as profesional career choice I am thinking that doing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy may be a better feild than MD Doctor for incorperating CF ideas and helping people on a more intamate level. Judging by the tone of what you said about the NSCA though you do not think to highly of Physical therapists, do you think it is a field I would be able to incorperate CF into effectivly and still get to interact with people in a way similar to personal training? Any thoughts, feelings, or recomendations are welcome and thank you again for taking the time to read my post

-Robert Callahan

[Brandon Oto]

Why on god's green earth would the shoulder press, specifically, be unsafe to max out on?

Isn't even the weepy impingement paranoia more about repetition than load?