Hey, I have recently begun looking into becoming certified as a personal trainer.  I'm kind of curious as to how I would start out doing that.  One of the reasons I want to start with it is because I now work out at a Gold's Gym, and I sometimes have to bite my tongue when I hear some of the advice given by the trainers. ("You know you're doing it right if it hurts bad.")  I've been working out for about 10 years now, and have very slowly gotten to a place where I take care of myself and also push myself, and have gotten a lot of good advice (both of my parents are physical therapists) and bad advice ("You know, I think you could compete in this show coming up if you were willing to make a few adjustments.  They don't test.").  When I started, I just wanted to get huge.  Now, I'm more interested in general health and taking care of my body.

Anyway, I've looked into the certifications, and there are quite a few.  A friend of mine who is a trainer in Portland recommends the NASM certification, because that's how he started.  He also said that the NSCA is a pretty well respected certification.  I would start off with one of the certifications, and then look into a degree in either kinesiology or exercise science.

I have just started looking into this, and I'm not really sure how to start.  The reason I asked on this particular website is because I've been reading it for a few months and I agree a lot more with the philosophies espoused here than I do with a lot of the trainers I've met.  Any advice on how to get started with this career path would be greatly appreciated.