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Top 10 Nutrition Courses for Personal Trainers

Nutrition
September 14, 2022
tim saye

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Many clients today are looking to fitness experts on Instagram for nutrition coaching with their workouts, or, body composition results that require nutrition as well as coaching. So, a prominent place to start when enhancing your skill set as a personal trainer is with a nutrition course. Below, we introduce you to 10 of the best nutrition courses available.

Why Take A Nutrition Course?

Improving your client's nutrition will help them perform better and aid their body composition goals, should they have any. Focusing on their eating habits and macronutrients ultimately enable them to achieve their goals faster. Addressing your client's nutrition habits makes achieving goals like muscle gain or weight loss far easier than with training alone.

A nutrition course will give you a great foundation of knowledge so you can be sure you're giving your client safe and accurate recommendations. By providing a better service, you get better results, more testimonials, and, ultimately, a better reputation in the industry.

The Top 10 Nutrition Courses For Personal Trainers

It's not hard to see why it makes sense to enhance your skills by taking a nutrition course. However, knowing where to begin when selecting a course provider can be difficult. This article brings you 10 of the best and most popular options. Each has a different angle to offer, so check them all out and see which one fits your goals and needs as a personal trainer.

#1. BTN Academy

https://btn.academy/

The BTN Academy's motto is a powerful one. "Learn nutrition, change lives." Their courses give personal trainers the tools they need to understand nutrition science and how to apply it effectively.

The coaching team will empower you to achieve goals for yourself and your clients, such as enhancing health, building muscle, and losing weight. You will be able to qualify as a Nutrition Coach, which improves your credentials and gives your clients confidence in you as a coach.

They currently offer two nutrition courses are present:

- AfN Certified Foundation Academy - This is a 10-module digital course with support from a tutor, covering all nutrition science fundamentals. It costs £350 for the digital course and £395 if you'd like a paperback course book.

- Practical Academy - If you want to master the science and practical application of nutrition from a certified source, the BTN Practical Academy is where it’s at. This fully online course is supported with four course textbooks, dedicated webinars and weekly Q&A support sessions, all taught by 12 specialist tutors. That means you’ll learn about nutrition & coaching from credible industry experts including dietitians, sports nutritionists, psychologists, university lecturers and researchers, and highly experienced coaches, ensuring you get the right balance between science, practical application and real-world experience.

#2. MAC Nutrition Uni

www.mac-nutritionuni.com

Mac Nutrition Uni is available in 80 locations worldwide. Once you pass their final exam, you will become an MNU Certified Nutritionist. Not only is this great for your profile, but you also qualify for insurance to practice as a nutritionist.

All Mac Nutrition tutors are qualified to MSc standard as a minimum, comprising of registered dietitians, clinical nutritionists, and performance nutritionists. You will also get access to a supportive community with nutrition and business content from experts in the field.

MAC Nutrition Uni provides an entire 12-month course, and you have a choice of enrolling on the fully online one or completing the Live with Honours extended course. They both have pre-requisites, so do check what kind of experience, knowledge and qualifications you already need to possess to enrol. MNU has one enrolment period per year, during the summer, and the course starts in September.

#3. Precision Nutrition

www.precisionnutrition.com

Precision Nutrition has been providing coaching for clients and certifying professionals since 2005, so you know they have a name you can trust! PN offers a whole host of training courses, including countless free articles and resources so you can hone your skills in various areas of nutrition and lifestyle.

Their Level 1 Nutrition Coaching is a great place to start if you're just getting started with nutrition coaching education. You can learn how nutrition influences every element of your client's health. You will get the ability and authority required to coach nutrition and turn it into tangible results through habit coaching.

If you'd like to address other lifestyle factors like stress, sleep and recovery for your clients, PN has you covered with their L1 course on these topics. If you want to become an expert in health coaching, you can enrol on their PN Level 2 Master Health Coaching Certification.

#4. ISSA

www.issaonline.com

The ISSA Nutritionist Certification promises to help you assist your clients in achieving their "wildest health goals." The course teaches you about eating habits and a wide range of aspects of nutrition coaching so you can make specific recommendations to your clients.

The topics covered in the course are as follows:

- Business of nutrition coaching

- Product labels and claims

- Supplementation

- Client assessments and goal setting

- Trending myths and diets

- Lifestyle strategies and changes

- Dietary guidelines and applications

- Micronutrients and macronutrients

#5. NASM

www.nasm.org

The NASM Certified Nutrition Coach certification covers a wide range of topics organised into 24 chapters, which are split up into three different sections:

1. Nutritional Science

2. Behaviour Change Strategies

3. Nutrition Coaching

The program includes chapter quizzes, practice exams, knowledge checks, high-quality, downloadable infographics and templates, 40+ high-end lecture videos, and a downloadable PDF version of the textbook.

The course has an impressive rating amongst those who have already completed it. Many students state that it is practical, challenging, and engaging.

As you prepare for the NASM Certified Nutrition Coach certification, you may also want to take advantage of the free NASM CPT online mock test to further test and hone your knowledge and skills in the field. This complimentary resource can be a valuable addition to your study plan, helping you feel more confident and well-prepared for the certification exam.

#6. Online Courses Australia

www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au

Online Courses Australia has an excellent reputation in the industry, providing a wide range of programs in various sectors, including fitness and nutrition coaching.

Their Personal Training and Nutrition Business Bundle is exceptionally popular with those starting in this field. If you're looking to learn about nutrition coaching, you have the following options:

- Certificate in Nutrition and Business - This course has been specifically designed for those individuals who want to start a career or a business in Nutrition coaching. Learn about healthy eating, writing diet plans and customising diets and eating for your clients

- Advanced Nutrition Certificate - Developed by leading experts, this course will help you make smarter choices by learning how our bodies and health are affected by the foods we eat. This online nutrition course offers you a chance to gain a deeper insight into the effects of nutrition on our health.

#7. The Health and Sciences Academy

thehealthsciencesacademy.org

The Health Sciences Academy teaches a Clinical Nutrition Program as a Level 7 Advanced Client Practice Diploma. This is an excellent option for those who want to steer their business towards nutrition coaching and want to acquire in-depth knowledge in the field.

The university-level program is flexible, with between one and three years of studying available. To become a certified clinical nutritionist, you can expect all the practical tools, professional guidance, hands-on learning, and evidence-based knowledge.

#8. NESTA

www.nestacertified.com

The NESTA Fitness Nutrition Coach certification is an easy-to-follow yet comprehensive program, which comes with a non-proctored online exam, a complete digital manual, and step-by-step online video training.

This is a worthy contender if you want a flexible course that you can tailor around your current clients and lifestyle.

You will learn about specific nutrition populations, from menopausal women to vegetarians. You will also discover techniques that lower your client's dependence on medications, improves their health, and helps your clients boost energy.

Ultimately, this NESTA course will help you expand your professional image and boost your earning potential.

#9. ACE Fitness

www.acefitness.org

Next, we have the ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist Program, created for health and fitness pros who want a more in-depth comprehension of nutrition. You will learn how to assist clients in terms of making healthier food choices. You'll also understand how to address specific nutritional requirements for various clients.

Once you've finished the course, you should feel confident in helping clients choose nutrient-dense, fresh foods. You can couple this knowledge with behaviour change strategies that assist clients in making smarter choices and ingraining them into their lifestyl.

#10. Australian Institute of Fitness

fitness.edu.au

Finally, the Australian Institute of Fitness designed the Nutrition Coach course to give fitness professionals the skills to provide clients with updated nutrition information. You'll have ultimate flexibility as the entire course is delivered online.

Students will use the latest evidence-based principles to understand nutrition for optimal health at every age. You also learn about dietary guidelines for muscle growth, performance, and weight management.

One of the main areas of this course is motivational coaching skills. You'll acquire the tools needed to empower your clients to make better nutrition choices as part of a healthy and fit lifestyle.

Take Your Personal Trainer Career To The Next Level

So there you have it: an insight into ten of the best nutrition courses for personal trainers today. As more and more personal trainers enter the industry, you will need to set yourself apart from the crowd. Offering accurate, safe, and practical nutrition information is one of the best ways.

If you take one of the nutrition courses we've listed above, you will be able to get the knowledge that's needed to give your clients the best advice. This will enable them to reach their goals more effectively while boosting your reputation.

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