How soon will ACE certification exams include the ACE IFT Model?

Don’t panic! But yes, this is a good question. As ACE is making the transition from the 3^rd edition ACE Personal Trainer Manual and supporting materials to the 4^th edition Personal Trainer Manual, we are seeing questions about how soon the 4^th edition materials – particularly the ACE Integrated Fitness Training^TM (ACE IFT^TM) Model - are going to show up on the personal trainer exam.

All four ACE Certification Programs, including the ACE Personal Trainer Certification, are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). This means that the programs assess whether or not a candidate meets a set criteria required to work as a competent professional in a given field, and that it does not assess if a candidate knows proprietary information. And the ACE IFT Model is proprietary information. Therefore, the ACE Personal Trainer Exam will assess whether or not candidates know and can apply the latest research proven exercise science information, but it will NOT assess whether or not a candidate knows the proprietary terminology in the ACE IFT Model. So you won't see the phrase "ACE IFT Model" or "Phase 1" anywhere on the exams.

‘But…but…but…what about the ACE IFT Model? I thought that was really important?’ Oh, it is. The ACE IFT Model is a comprehensive system for exercise programming based on the latest exercise science research. It has different phases that group appropriate assessments and programming based on a client’s unique health, fitness, and goals.

Even with the creation of this model our familiar training concepts of overload, specificity and progression are still around. And that’s what is important to remember. All the ‘stuff’ that is inside the model is testable. The model itself is not.

For example, you could be asked "When should intervals be introduced into a client’s cardiorespiratory training program?"

The answer is "After a client is performing moderate intensity cardiorespiratory exercise for 20 – 30 continuous minutes on a regular basis."

If you are paying attention, the answer is the basis of early training in Phase 2 of the ACE IFT Model for cardio. This follows well established exercise science guidelines for increasing exercise duration prior to increasing intensity.  

ACE certification exams and ACE manuals reflect the latest exercise science research. When ACE reprints a manual, appropriate edits are made to reflect any significant updates. If you are currently studying from the ACE Personal Trainer Manual (3^rd edition), you can adequately prepare for success on the ACE Personal Trainer Certification exam, especially through 2010.

Whether you are using the 3^rd or 4^th edition of the ACE Personal Trainer Manual to prepare for the exam, be prepared to apply your knowledge (vs. simply recalling it) to make good decisions regarding client interviews and assessments, exercise program design, implementation, progressions, modifications, and maintenance (see Appendix B for the detailed exam content outline).

The ACE Personal Trainer Manual (4^th edition) is a more comprehensive resource than the 3^rd edition, providing a wealth of appropriate assessments, exercises, and progressions/regressions for clients at all different levels of health, fitness, and performance, organized into the user-friendly and comprehensive ACE IFT Model, and it includes ACE’s Practical Guide to Exercise Coaching DVD. It comes bundled with ACE’s Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals, which includes ACE’s Essentials of Applied Anatomy & Kinesiology DVD.

Questions? Contact an ACE Education Consultant at 1-888-825-3636 x782