It’s official: I’m a nationally certified personal trainer (again)!! After letting my certification lapse (note to self: next time, keep up with those continuing education credits!) I decided I wanted to get back into the fitness game, so I took my National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) exam yesterday – and I passed!! :)
WAHOO! So, so happy right now!!
And that’s not all ;) I also have a lil surprise for all my fellow fitness friends:
An Exclusive NASM Course Discount!
When I ordered my materials, I worked with an amazing education advisor, Greg Lapp (seriously, within two minutes of our first conversation he’s calling me “Jess” – which immediately made me feel like I was back in the gym! lol) He always responded to my messages within 24-hours and even sent an email just checking in – which definitely motivated me to get back to studying! After I passed my exam, Greg checked out the blog and offered this exclusive discount for Prayers and Apples readers:
Call or email Greg Lapp directly, mention Prayers and Apples (or Jessica Walters), and receive a 10% discount off any NASM course!
There’s also a lil something in it for me: I’ll receive a $50 NASM promo code for every student who enrolls – which means I won’t have any excuse for not keeping up with my continuing education credits next time around ;)
NASM CPT-4 Exam Tips
My certification from the first time around :)
So we definitely have some fun studies to get to today, but first I wanted to offer a few quick study tips for anybody preparing for their NASM exam:
- Download the Certified Personal Trainer NASM Exam Prep app by TouchMint (the absolute best thing I did!)
- Check out this post by Peanut Butter Fingers blogger, Julie (her list of focus topics is dead on!)
- Use the code on the inside cover of your book to access The Point and take advantage of the interactive question banks (I took each quiz a million times!)
- Know those muscle imbalances, compensations and corrective strategies inside and out!!
- And if you have any questions, feel free to email me! (I mean it!) ♥
(Update: For study tips on memorizing compensations, scroll down through the comment section at the end of this post! Also, for the most comprehensive study guide ever, check out this free download from one of my favorite bloggers, Kim, at Fittin Pretty!)
A couple mind-body-spirit notes before we go…
PS. I have the best friends ever: “This apple is coming to you on prayers that it made it in one piece!” ♥ TOO CUTE :)
(I know this post is getting kind of long, but I thought you guys might be interested in these articles!):
- Beyond belief: Research is sounding the depths of the connections between spiritual practice and biomedicine (David Cameron for Harvard Medicine)
- Exercise may be the best medicine for Alzheimer’s disease (University of Maryland School of Public Health researchers, summary by ScienceDaily)
- Low omega-3 levels associated with poor cognitive performance and behavior in school children (Oxford University researchers)
Let me know if you have any NASM questions!
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CONGRATULATIONS we all know how much fun “studying” is so I take my hat off to you !! As for football I’m looking forward to the STEELER nation ranking #1!
Thanks!! :) Black n yellow, black n yellow!! :)
congrats!!! and GO RAVENS!!!
Thanks!! Looks like right now the Panthers are beating your Ravens and my Steelers! We need to get more people to vote! lol :)
Nooo I wish I had an iPhone so I could use that app!! Sounds awesome! I’ll have to go hunt down an android version.
I’m so scared about all that muscle imbalance content…gulp!!
Thanks so much for the tips and congrats again!!!! :)
Thanks and you’re welcome! lol :) You sound like you have such a good study plan down – you’re gonna be fine, I know it! And seriously, when it gets closer feel free to email me with any questions you have! The muscle imbalances/corrections thing is huge.. and for real: just go down that checklist on Julie’s post – if you know all of that stuff inside and out, you’ll be good to go!! :)
Just emailed you. :) The thing that’s tripping me up the most about Julie’s list is that she just says “vocab in chapters 2 & 3” … that’s a TONNN of stuff!
Very good to know about the muscle imbalances/corrections being important–I’ve heard that from a couple different people now!
I am so so proud of you Jessica!!!
Thanks, Brandi! :) xo
Congrats, that’s so great. I’m impressed, I’ve been giving some thought lately about becoming a personal trainer.
Thanks! :) Let me know if you have any questions, I’d be happy to help!
Congrats!! I need to download that app tonight! I have others, but I fear they might not be as good. I take the test on November 11th and I am not doing so great on my practice exams so far. I am making flashcards today and reviewing Julie from PB Finger’s topics and hopefully making my own study guide this weekend. Eek! Wish me luck. Did you think the test questions were really difficult and worded differently than the practice exams?
Thanks Lisa! :) It definitely seemed a lil harder than I expected – but I think that’s because I had been (unintentionally) memorizing the practice test questions – so when I saw a question worded in a different way, I would panic for a sec and then have to work backwards in my head to make sure I picked the right answer. (I don’t know if that makes sense? lol) Moral of the story though: Make sure you really UNDERSTAND the material inside and out, so that way the wording won’t trip you up :) GOOD LUCK!! :) Let me know how you do! xo
Hi Jesssica,
I have my exam on Wednesday. I have a good understanding of most of the content / topics. But the compensations chart is killing me! I just cant seem to get it all in my head for some reason. Even if I know where the muscles are located, I’m just not getting the underactive / overactive muscles correct.
Any tips or hints? I’ve made cardboard charts, I’ve bought an anatomy man poster and I’ve also recorded my voice and listen to it reading the table when I’m in the car (I drive my kids around quite a bit!) so I’m trying some different strategies for learning but unfortunately none of them seem to be working too well!
Thanks,
Chantal :)
Hi Chantal! With the exam so close, I would suggest sight memorizing :) You most likely have a much better understanding of the material than you think you do (it sounds like you’ve been hitting the books pretty hard!), but you’re probably getting confused because you have *so* much information floating around in your head. So to just kind of solidify the information in your mind (and give it somewhere to “live”) try dividing the information up into big cards (i.e., compensation and all the underactive muscles, compensation and all the overactive muscles). Use the same color marker for each compensation. Then put the two cards for each compensation in different rooms in your house (for instance, put the underactive and overactive cards for one compensation in the kitchen, another in the living room). And then just go about your day. I know it sounds crazy, but lots of times your brain learns best when you’re busy doing other things! Without the pressure, your brain will make little connections while you’re washing the dishes, or vaccumming the living room – then, when you’re taking the test and trying to remember a certain underactive muscle, it’ll pop into your head, “Oh! I remember seeing that muscle next to the coffee maker! And the kitchen is the red ‘feet turned out’ room!”
Hope this helps! Let me know how your test goes! And best of luck! :)
Hey.. am my name s jose and I know 0 of this BUT I Really Want to do this Seems like a fun career and A well pay off job and I like freedom alot Soo Im scared :x idk if Im able to pass it or to study what do you recomend me.
If it’s something you’re passionate about, I say give it a shot! :) Maybe just plan on giving yourself extra time to study and prepare! Wishing you lots of luck :)
Hi Jessica! Thanks for the great info. I also read PBFingers post as well. I appreciate the inside scoop. I was wondering how much CE run??? I’m currently a certified pharmacy tech but my real passion is fitness, running and health so I’m weighing my options as far as career change goes. Thanks! :-)
Hey Jessica, thanks for stopping by! :) Prices for continuing education (CE) courses can vary, but you can check out a lot of them here. Let me know if you end up making the change! :)
I passed my NASM test 9/8/2014 Ya I was so happy after failing the ACE test twice. I thought something was wrong with me. I soon realized today’s ACE is not the same test I passed twenty years ago, ACE has moved into the business of failure. I realize now that NASM is a far superior certification. lesson learned I will never act out of fear. I wasted a thousand dollars and spent a thousand and succeeded in fulfilling my dream of becoming a certified personal trainer with NASM Ya Edison NJ
Congratulations, Kevin! So happy to hear you passed :)
Am I just missing the “helpful hints about compensations” part? I don’t see it :/
Hi Lindsay,
I outlined a few compensations/memorization tips in response to Chantal’s comment (a few above). Hope these help a little! =) Best of luck!!
Found this in 2020 and it’s SUPER helpful!! Thank you!! If you have any more updated tips, I’d love you forever! ❤️