Polar and NESTA Partner to Offer a New First in Personal Training Certification: Newly developed programs integrate Polar cardio education and heart rate monitors to help club owners, trainers and members achieve greater results.
Lake Success, New York- Polar, the leader in heart rate monitor technology, announced a partnership with the National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association (NESTA), to create an enhanced personal training certification, integrating cardiovascular education and heart rate monitor technology into NESTA's Personal Fitness Trainer 2.0 certification program.
This progressive step forward for personal trainers and health clubs marks the first time cardio-specific training will be combined with heart rate monitor education and offered to personal trainers as a part of their certification process. The partnership comes at a key time when cardio-based workouts at the gym have never been more popular, and club owners are anxious to provide a more effective gym experience that helps members reach their goals. Personal trainers now have an advanced certification option to keep up with their client's expectations.
"Cardiovascular and resistance training programs are an extremely important part of the health club experience, and we know that trainers and club owners are anxious to see more success and greater results with their clientele," said Jesse Harper, Polar Director of Sales, Health Clubs. "By integrating Polar heart rate monitor education and technology with NESTA's comprehensive certification programs, trainers and club owners now have an effective way to plan, measure, and assess a club member's efforts. This intelligent approach to fitness and weight loss will improve member results, boost retention, and increase club revenues."
Beginning in March 2008, Polar cardiovascular education and heart rate monitor technology will be incorporated into NESTA's Personal Fitness Trainer (PFT) 2.0 certification program and personal study manual. Students enrolled in the PFT 2.0 enhanced certification option will receive and train with a Polar F11 heart rate monitor as part of their educational process. NESTA's certification workshops will also incorporate these training methodologies and heart rate monitoring education from Polar.
"By combining Polar's cardio expertise and technology with NESTA's certification programs, we're giving our trainers and educational edge that no other certification organization currently provides," said Scott Gaines, NESTA Vice President of Program Development. "Personal Trainers who are certified through this collaborative process will be able to achieve greater results with health club members, increase retention among personal training clients, and develop consistent revenues for any health facility or as an independent trainer."
Today, a cardio workout is a major part of an individual's exercise routine. In fact, nearly two-thirds of health club members use a treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical machine when they visit the gym, according to IHRSA's Health Club Trend Report 2006.
"We understand that health club members can become frustrated when the investment of time and money doesn't generate the desired results, which can sometimes lead to cancelled memberships," said Harper. "By incorporating Polar heart rate monitor technology into the picture, it takes the ambiguity out of working out - it provides a window to a person's current fitness level, quantifies their efforts, and helps them know exactly what they need to do to reach their goals."
Polar heart rate monitor technology can be found throughout health clubs nationwide - from treadmills and ellipticals, to spin bikes and BodyAge machines - a fitness assessment tool which measures a person's biological age vs. chronological age, and charts a realistic, attainable course for fitness and weight loss goals.
