ISSA Vitamin Certification Overview (2023)

Having already earned my CPR/AED and CPT certifications through the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), I used to be desperate to discover different choices that would improve my skills and income-earning alternatives as a health skilled. As I expanded my consumer base at YouFit, the place I began working as a private coach shortly after getting my certification, I shortly realized that few understood the fundamentals of diet. In reality, it was evident that many individuals want extra assist with determining the right way to gasoline their our bodies slightly than the right way to transfer them.

I took benefit of the partnership between ISSA and YouFit and scored a reduced charge on a specialization course: the nutritionist certification course. This certification course allowed me to achieve an in-depth understanding of the right way to put collectively an efficient diet program. Ripe with useful sources like video lectures, downloadable consumer varieties, and direct entry to ISSA’s resident diet skilled, the course accommodates all of the instruments it is advisable to not solely move the ultimate examination, but additionally change into a extra assured and succesful well being and health coach.

This ISSA diet certification overview offers a complete breakdown of the course supplies — together with the Health Vitamin textbook and chapter quizzes — and covers different key parts so you possibly can resolve whether or not to make the leap and buy the course. (Trace: It’s properly price it.)

Key Takeaways

• For about $650, the ISSA diet certification course is a smart funding for private trainers and well being coaches who wish to broaden their enterprise by providing a beneficial service to each present and potential purchasers.
• In addition to going in-depth on scientific subjects like macronutrients, micronutrients, metabolism, digestion, and hydration, this diet program additionally addresses necessary areas like habits change, aim setting, and motivation — all of which contribute to a consumer’s success.
• Whereas the ultimate examination accommodates 100 multiple-choice questions and a six-part essay portion, it’s an open-book check. You shouldn’t have any hassle assembly the 70 % threshold to move, particularly in the event you make the most of the examine supplies and carry out properly on the chapter quizzes.

What’s the ISSA Vitamin Certification?

Certainly one of many specializations obtainable by ISSA, their diet certification course is an effective way to get a leg up on the competitors and assist your purchasers crush their objectives quicker. For licensed private trainers like me who wish to present the very best science-backed steering on the right way to keep correctly fueled, it’s onerous to go mistaken with a program like this. It lets you work at your individual tempo as you find out about the whole lot from figuring out a consumer’s ideally suited macronutrient consumption to assembling a well-rounded supplement stack to constructing a diet teaching enterprise.

Alongside the way in which, your information might be examined with chapter quizzes to see your progress. Pairing the Health Vitamin textbook with video lectures offers a stable basis for studying you could construct upon additional with the assistance of a devoted Success Coach who you possibly can entry by way of e-mail or by calling the ISSA assist line throughout enterprise hours. Though I didn’t benefit from this useful resource, having it obtainable definitely qualifies as a plus for this diet program, particularly in the event you wrestle with a few of the extra science-heavy topics.

By the point you full the course and move the ultimate examination, you may be empowered to offer your dietary experience to purchasers who wish to lose fats, gain muscle, or just enhance their total well being and wellness. In spite of everything, acquiring your cert from a company that earned accreditation from each the Nationwide Fee for Certifying Companies (NCCA) and the Distance Schooling and Coaching Council (DETC) offers validity and added worth to you and your rising enterprise.

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ISSA Vitamin Certification Course Highlights

Registering for the ISSA Nutritionist course is step one in changing into a simpler licensed private coach and life-style coach. You’ll instantly achieve entry to a guided examine program that features the net model of the Health Vitamin textbook, practically 20 video lectures, and devoted chapter quizzes designed to arrange you for the ultimate examination. This system is supposed to be accomplished in 10 weeks, however as a result of you possibly can full the course at your individual tempo, you might be able to get hold of your diet certification even quicker.

As you make your approach by the course, you’ll achieve an in-depth understanding of the whole lot from power methods to fad diets to widespread vitamin deficiencies. Though the breadth of data may appear overwhelming at occasions, relaxation assured that you may be a superior coach by spending the time, cash, and power on seeing this diet program by.

When you full all of the quizzes, you’ll then have the ability to take the ultimate examination, which consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and 6 essay questions. You need to earn not less than a 70 % total to earn a passing grade from ISSA. The check is untimed (it took me about two hours) and open-book, so that you shouldn’t have an excessive amount of hassle hitting that mark in your first try.

General, I believed the ISSA diet certification course was price it for a number of causes. First, I acquired all of the instruments I wanted to ship high-quality programming and steering for my purchasers, together with downloadable varieties. Second, I had the choice to make the most of sources like the net scholar discussion board and Vitamin Instructional Bootcamp for additional assist. Lastly, it set me up for extra monetary success sooner or later by giving me one other avenue to earn earnings as a health skilled.

Who Ought to Get the ISSA Vitamin Certification

• Coaches who search extra in-depth information on diet than what’s offered in commonplace private coach certification applications.
• Coaches who wish to get higher outcomes from present purchasers or be better-prepared to assist new purchasers attain their objectives.
• Entrepreneurial-minded people who wish to entice extra enterprise by offering a beneficial service that different trainers could not provide.
• ISSA-certified private trainers who wish to fulfill their persevering with training unit (CEU) requirement and save on recertification charges.

Who Shouldn’t Get the ISSA Vitamin Certification

• Anybody who needs to prescribe medical dietary remedy (treating medical situations with food plan), as this doesn’t fall underneath the scope of observe for a diet coach.
• Anybody who wishes to work as a registered dietician, which requires a bachelor’s diploma from an accepted supervised medical program, passing the Fee on Dietetic Registration (CDR) closing examination, and completion of CEU necessities to keep up registration.
• Licensed private trainers who’ve a proper training in sports activities diet or meals science, as they are going to doubtless already be aware of a majority of the course materials content material.

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How A lot Does the ISSA Vitamin Certification Value?

With none reductions, the ISSA diet certification sometimes prices simply north of $600. Bear in mind, although, that the group recurrently gives specials all year long which will decrease that complete. It’s also possible to get monetary savings by pairing the ISSA CPT course with a specialization just like the Nutritionist course to change into an authorized Health Coach for lower than $1,000.

Furthermore, ISSA makes it simpler for college kids to afford their diet program by providing three fee plan choices. For those who slightly not pay in full, you possibly can select between a six- or 12-payment setup. Not solely does that provide the flexibility to unfold out the overall price, however it additionally comes with the good thing about being interest-free.

ISSA Vitamin Certification Course Supplies

Registering for this self-paced course offers you entry to a wealth of examine information supplies and different helpful sources you possibly can even use after you earn your nutritionist certificates.

From video lectures that additional clarify a few of the subjects lined within the on-line textbook to quizzes that reinforce key ideas and assist put together you for the ultimate examination, let’s check out what ISSA offers college students:

Health Vitamin Textbook

That includes contributions from 9 people — together with Daniel Gastelu, ISSA Professor & Director of Dietary Sciences, and Adam Seal, a postdoctoral researcher at California Polytechnic State College’s Division of Kinesiology and Public Well being — the Health Vitamin textbook spans 19 chapters and is sort of 500 pages lengthy. Revised in September 2022, it’s well-organized and pretty user-friendly, with loads of pictures, tables, and graphs that present further context.

Whereas the chapters fluctuate in size, most fall between 10 and 20 pages. Every one is separated into a number of sub-topics, with some that includes as few as two (Chapter 2: Cells, Organ Techniques, and Digestion) and others being damaged down into way more sections. For example, the chapter on protein covers 10 subjects starting from protein’s function within the physique to the way it’s digested to why athletes want it for optimum efficiency.

Here’s a full listing of the chapters within the newest model of the ISSA’s Health Vitamin textbook:

1. Vitamin
2. Cells, Organ Techniques, and Digestion
3. Metabolism and Vitality Steadiness
4. Carbohydrates
5. Protein
6. Fat
7. Nutritional vitamins
8. Minerals
9. Water and Hydration
10. The Function of the Vitamin Coach
11. Phases of Change and Motivational Interviewing
12. Shopper Evaluation and Purpose Setting
13. Enterprise in Vitamin Teaching
14. Dietary Tips
15. Product and Complement Labels and Claims
16. Dietary supplements
17. Navigating Profitable and Trending Diets
18. Particular Vitamin Situations
19. References

As somebody who signed up for the certification course with a stable basis of the basics of diet, I nonetheless discovered the textbook to be a beneficial useful resource. That being mentioned, a few of the earlier chapters had been fairly science-heavy and never essentially probably the most pertinent for a private coach. The chapters on cells and organ methods and metabolism and power stability made me really feel like I had been transported straight again to highschool biology — which wasn’t precisely my cup of tea.

Nonetheless, after getting by these extra difficult chapters, I discovered a majority of the textbook to be immediately relevant to my function as a private coach and health coach. Certain, a few of the data on macronutrients had some crossover from the ISSA CPT course. However the in-depth materials on micronutrients, hydration, and the psychological and enterprise points of being a diet coach definitely gave me a extra well-rounded understanding of all the points it takes to steer a consumer in the correct course.

From a training perspective, I notably appreciated the “Product and Complement Labels and Claims” chapter for offering detailed tables of the necessities wanted to make claims like “All Pure” and “Good Supply Of” on meals labels. Since most people is essentially unaware of those intricacies that may have a significant affect on their well being and wellness, that is precisely the kind of simply digestible data that we as licensed private trainers want to teach our purchasers on.

Video Lectures

To complement the textbook, ISSA additionally offers video lectures that spotlight key factors from advanced chapters. All through the 10-week guided examine plan, visible learners can brush up on their information by watching movies on subjects like widespread digestive orders, protein bioavailability, easy vs. advanced carbohydrates, and psychology and meals advertising and marketing.

In complete, there are 19 video lectures included with the ISSA diet coach certification course. Nonetheless, as a result of most of them fall underneath the two-minute mark, you definitely shouldn’t (or can’t) depend on them to provide you all the knowledge it is advisable to comprehend the related chapter.

Quizzes

The ISSA nutritionist program challenges you to exhibit your understanding of the course materials by a sequence of 18 open-book quizzes. Every one accommodates 10 multiple-choice questions that stem immediately from the textbook.

Whereas it’s necessary to acquire a excessive rating to your personal understanding, there isn’t a minimal threshold you should meet. Plus, you possibly can take the quizzes as many occasions as needed. I discovered nearly all of them to be pretty easy, requiring a median of about half-hour or so to finish.

Talking of completion, it is possible for you to to entry and begin your closing examination solely after you end all the 18 quizzes.

Nutritionist Instructional Bootcamp

For those who want extra help than what the textbook and lectures present, ISSA has you lined. The Vitamin Bootcamp takes issues to the following stage with 5 weeks of direct entry to high-level specialists.

Through the 5 hour-long video periods, ISSA Elite Coach & Senior Content material Developer Jenny Scott and Lionel College college member Dr. Alex Hoffman ship complete classes on examine abilities particularly geared toward sure chapters. For instance, their Week 5 Vitamin Bootcamp lined test-taking suggestions, particular eventualities for diet teaching, and constructing a enterprise.

For extra individualized assist, the duo hosted open workplace hours for 5 reside one-hour periods. Though I didn’t take part, different college students can profit enormously from getting direct solutions to their questions in preparation for the ISSA examination.

Shopper Varieties Library

Obtainable within the “Downloads” part in ISSA’s scholar portal is a set of varieties and handouts that may make life a lot simpler in the event you’re a private coach.

Right here’s what’s included:

• Shopper Consumption Kind
• Train Historical past Questionnaire
• Train Bodily Exercise Readiness (PAR) Questionnaire
• Well being Historical past Kind
• Medical Historical past Kind
• Three-Day Dietary Log

When you don’t have to make the most of these varieties, it may prevent a ton of time from having to create your individual. As a result of YouFit offers private trainers with their very own varieties for gathering consumer information, I didn’t use those obtainable by ISSA. However anybody who’s wanting to enter personal teaching can depend on this useful resource and use the recognizable ISSA branding to deliver instantaneous credibility when working with a brand new consumer.

Remaining Examination for the ISSA Nutritionist Certification

When you’ve accomplished all of the quizzes and utilized the examine supplies, try to be ready for the final stage of the ISSA diet certification program: the ultimate examination. 

Just like the ISSA private coach certification course, the examination for the diet course is untimed, that means you possibly can take breaks and choose again up the place you left off. Alternatively, the construction of the ultimate examination differs in that it consists of each multiple-choice questions and essay questions, comparable to describing and explaining the function of the three macronutrients and offering the advisable dietary allowances for every. 

I discovered it to be more difficult than the ISSA private coaching certification check, particularly with the addition of a written portion. For transparency’s sake, I scored an 86 on the multiple-choice part and acquired 92 out of a attainable 120 factors on the essay part for a cumulative rating of 81 %.

Anticipated Examine Time

ISSA breaks down the course into 10 weeks, with some weeks overlaying a number of chapters from the textbook. As a result of a few of the science-heavy content material could be difficult to understand, it’s possible you’ll spend extra time learning some chapters than others.

From my expertise, it took about an hour and a half of examine time per day for simply over a month for me to finish the course from begin to end. Nonetheless, health trainers who aren’t aware of the fundamental tenets of meals science may have longer.

Cross Fee

Simply how tough is it to hit that 70 % mark on the ISSA nutritionist closing examination? With a move charge of 85 %, it’s clear that the course supplies do a more-than-adequate job of getting college students able to earn their cert. Nonetheless, it’s fascinating to notice that the move charge for the ISSA CPT certification examination is barely greater at about 90 %.

Retest Value

Don’t fret about any monetary ramifications in the event you fail to move the ultimate examination in your first attempt. The ISSA offers one free retest for its diet certification program. And for the reason that examination is open-book, you need to have the ability to obtain not less than a 70 % if it’s important to retake it.

Nonetheless, in the event you don’t move in your two free makes an attempt, there’s a $99 resubmission payment per subsequent try. 

ISSA Persevering with Schooling Necessities

For those who obtained your private coaching certification by ISSA, you should full not less than 20 persevering with training items (CEUs) by workshops, seminars, different certifications, or different accepted actions each two years. Fortunately, going by their diet certification program won’t solely handle that 20-unit requirement, but additionally permit you to skip out on having to pay a $99 recertification payment.

Though that wasn’t the first motive I signed up for the course, I gladly welcomed this added bonus with open arms. And with my CEUs already taken care of, I can focus my efforts on getting the very best outcomes for my purchasers.

Anticipated Wage

Vitamin teaching can be a stable profession selection if you know the way to market your companies. Based on ZipRecruiter.com, as of September 11, 2023, the nationwide common wage for a diet well being coach was $43,270. Most coaches can count on to make round $21 per hour, although that determine varies by state.

Whereas that wage vary gained’t make you a millionaire, you possibly can enhance your incomes potential by establishing a powerful on-line presence. Constructing a loyal following on social media and studying the right way to constantly reel in new purchasers by way of testimonials and interesting video content material may also help you stand out in a crowded subject of licensed private trainers and diet coaches.

Different ISSA Certification Applications

Whether or not you wish to begin your profession as a CPT or add a specialization to your resume, ISSA gives a variety of programs you could full from the consolation of your individual house.

Along with Nutritionist, listed here are a few of their hottest health certification choices:

• Grasp Coach
• Elite Coach
• Corrective Train
• Health Coach
• Licensed Well being Coach
• On-line Coach
• Bodybuilding Specialist
• Powerlifting Teacher

Plus, there’s even a second nutrition-based program you possibly can partake in by ISSA: the Precision Vitamin Certification.

Precision Vitamin Certification

Ought to you end up in want of much more diet instruments, there’s an alternative choice obtainable, albeit at a a lot steeper worth. At a price of about $1,200, the ISSA Vitamin & Health Coach certification program lets you get hold of two world-class certifications due to a partnership with one of many greatest leaders within the health business: Precision Vitamin.

Partaking on this two-part course lets you earn ISSA’s top-rated private coach certification and Precision Vitamin’s Stage 1 Certification for a reasonably inexpensive worth. You’ll be able to take each programs at your individual tempo, and every closing examination is open-book. Finally, although, in the event you’re centered extra on coaching than delivering ultra-detailed diet protocols, you’ll be protected with signing up for the usual ISSA nutritionist course.

ISSA vs. NASM 

Like ISSA, the Nationwide Academy of Sports activities Medication (NASM) has a pathway for private trainers to change into licensed in diet teaching. Written and reviewed by 20 main specialists, the NASM Licensed Vitamin Coach Certification (CNC) curriculum contains 24 in-depth chapters throughout three sections: Dietary Science, Habits Change Methods, and Vitamin Teaching. The course culminates in an open-book closing examination that accommodates 100 multiple-choice questions, which you should end inside 90 minutes.

To earn the NASM CNC, you should get hold of a rating of not less than 70 %. You might be allowed to retake the check two extra occasions if you don’t move initially. For those who fail all three makes an attempt, you should contact the Member Providers group by way of cellphone to debate your choices. From a price perspective, NASM is barely dearer than ISSA, checking in at round $750. Nonetheless, the group additionally gives interest-free financing as an incentive.

ISSA vs. ACE

In comparison with ISSA, the American Council on Train (ACE) gives a extra inexpensive possibility for diet certification. At just below $500, their Health Vitamin Specialist Program may be extra palatable you probably have a restricted price range. Not solely does the course embody an eBook, video lectures, and quizzes, however it additionally incorporates a podcast that goes by the small print of every stage of the habits change course of.

Similar to ISSA, ACE requires college students to attain not less than a 70 % on the ultimate examination to earn a passing grade. Not solely do you get to take the check at house, however you might be allowed limitless retakes. Remember that as a result of the ACE diet program is a unbroken training course, you should already maintain an NCCA-accredited certification to have the ability to make the declare of “specialist.” 

Parting Ideas on the ISSA Nutritionist Certification Program

As somebody who underwent a significant weight-loss journey, I can sympathize with those that wrestle to get their diet proper. Nonetheless, going by the method of shedding 75 kilos and discovering my calling as a private coach and health coach taught me how necessary it’s to concentrate on the whole lot you set into your physique. Constructing off that first-hand expertise by taking the ISSA nutritionist certification program sharpened my abilities and information, opened extra doorways to make more cash, and most significantly, put me in a stronger place to assist different individuals obtain their very own physique and well being objectives.

So, in the event you’re able to take your profession as a health skilled to the following stage, don’t hesitate to enroll in a specialization program that each you and your purchasers can profit from for years to return.