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American Council on Exercise and First Fitness Inc. Team up to Educate Home and Commercial Fitness Product Sales Professionals

Posted: Feb 09, 2000 in

SAN DIEGO - First Fitness Inc. and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) are pleased to announce a strategic alliance to introduce the Fitness Equipment Specialist Certificate, a comprehensive sales and fitness certificate training program.

In an effort to bring much needed fitness education to professionals that sell home and commercial fitness equipment, First Fitness teamed up with ACE, the nation’s largest nonprofit fitness certifying organization and consumer watchdog. Designed specifically for specialty retail associates and commercial equipment sales professionals, the Fitness Equipment Specialist Certificate program will cover basic exercise physiology and fitness-specific sales techniques.

"The goal of the certificate program is to help sales professionals better understand fitness and its practical applications," explains Ken Germano, ACE executive director, "so they can, in turn, provide home and commercial consumers more credible fitness information and equipment recommendations."

Generally, fitness equipment salespeople are trained in either sales or fitness. The Fitness Equipment Specialist Certificate is the first of its kind to bring the two disciplines together in a comprehensive training course.

"There is a real need for a program like this out in the marketplace," says Gregory Florez, First Fitness president and CEO. "Having salespeople earn this certificate will give retailers and manufacturers a definite competitive edge, as well as provide a significant value to consumers."

The Fitness Equipment Specialist Certificate program provides training and education, along with a proctored exam to test competencies. The four-hour, onsite program will be available nationwide in April 2000 by calling First Fitness at (801) 538-0282.

As a leading expert on fitness and the sports and fitness industry, First Fitness provides information, education, coaching, and tools to consumers, sports and fitness professionals, and equipment manufacturers and retailers. First Fitness is dedicated to supporting people in achieving a high level of physical, mental and emotional fitness through regular exercise and physical activity. For more information, call First Fitness Inc. at (801) 538-0282 or send an email to alisa@firstfitnessinc.com.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective fitness products and instruction. As the nation’s "workout watchdog," ACE conducts university-based research and testing that targets fitness products and trends. ACE sets standards for fitness professionals and is the world’s largest nonprofit fitness certifying organization. For more information on ACE and its programs, call (800) 825-3636 or log onto the ACE Web site at www.acefitness.org.