Personal Trainers, Nutritionists & Registered Dietitians. How they cross, and who’s qualified to talk about what?
The health and fitness industry consists of various titles from doctors and physical therapists, to chiropractors and dentists (to personal trainers). Fields tend to overlap in some regard. And if we’re good at what we do, we’ll likely get questions from our clients that cross that overlap. Thats why it’s great to have a team of all of the above groups to refer out to . I may know a bit about a particular field, but that doesn’t mean I’m qualified to talk about, or give advice on it.
I started my career as a personal trainer by getting a baseline certification the National Academy of Sports Medicine. That’s one of the most popular certifications out there for aspiring trainers. After getting certified I went to Personal Trainer School At Show Up Fitness. There, I learned a lot about the various aspects of education needed to successful in this field, including understanding nutrition. There, I also learned the difference between and nutritionist and a registered dietician. 17 months into my time as a personal trainer at Equinox, I’ve received my nutritionist certification from Precision Nutrition. Personal Trainers will definitely get their fair share of nutrition related questions. So lets talk about how the fields cross, personal trainers, nutritionists and registered dieticians.
Personal trainers design safe, effective fitness programs based on our client’s goals. The main focus is proper progressions, and regressions for what works for that client. Some Personal Trainer certifications do offer minimal nutrition related material in their course study. But if you’re personal trainer is doing anything more than telling you to drink plenty of water, he/ she has already overstepped their boundary (ok,we eat more fruits and vegetables, but you already knew that right?). Personal trainers do not carry a licensed title, and the industry is unregulated. A personal trainer certification is required to work in a most corporate gyms. But no law requires personal trainers to have a certification.
The aspiring nutritionist of the world tend consist of 2 groups. Those groups being personal trainers that want help their clients more on the nutrition side of things, and aspiring registered dietitians. Nutritionists offer nutrition related information to their clients. We help our clients understand a calorie for what it is, along with the basic macronutrient breakdowns( proteins, carbs and fats). We also give recommendations pending our client’s goals. For example, a marathon runner’s diet will be carb heavy at the peak of training days, along with the best option for carbs. We also help our clients have a healthy relationship with all foods. If you’re nutritionist tells you that you need more vitamin C in your diet, that individual has definitely overstepped his/ her boundary( as that’s not a macronutrient, it’s a micronutrient). Nutritionists also do not carry a licensed title. They do carry a certification.
Registered dietitians are licensed by the state they practice in, and must follow specific rules in order to keep practicing. This group must earn a bachelors degree accredited by the Accreditation Council For Education in Nutrition And Dietetics, & a verification statement from a Didactic Program in Dietetics. After that, 1200 hours in an internship under a licensed professional combine with undergraduate or grad studies are required. After that, aspiring registered dietitians are eligible to take the exam for the commission on dietetics registration. Some states may have other requirements to become a registered dietitian. Registered dietitians are qualified to write out meal plans, instruct clients on what micronutrients they should be taking, and give nutrition information specific to that individual.
Registered dietitians are the go- to when it comes to nutrition specific questionsfor a particular individual, while nutritionist also have a role of offering general nutrition information. Fitness and exercise program design is where personal trainers are needed. All 3 fields have a role.
