National Academy of Sports MedicineReviews of nasm.org

I have always loved NASM and the material they provide for fitness professionals like myself. I was recently locked out of my account (I forgot my password) and called customer service -which I was dreading based on previous comments I had seen. I wanted to leave this review because I had a great experience with the guy (Chris) who helped me. Thank you NASM (and Chris) for your patience and for the updates on the latest courses that have been released.

So I bought their CPT course and decided it was not the best time to complete the course in my life situation right now. When I requested a refund they charged 10% of the entire course cost out of the deposit even though I didn't use it. They also said it would be half of a month before I get my money back. The kicker : I had to wait just over a half hour on the phone... to hear all these bad conditions. If I ever do get certified it won't be with this company that's 100%

I have been involved (CPT + Multiple Specializations) with NASM for over 15 years. As a fitness manager at the time when I first took the test, it gave me something substantial to teach my staff. It created a better means of communication in addition to providing structure to the workouts of my own personal training clients. This systems-based methodology from Assessment to Exercise Program Design has helped me and every trainer I've had a chance to train with consistency and structure making results repeatable. This is the hardest thing for trainers to do.

I do not know where my fitness career would be without the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). I became certified personal trainer (CPT) through them in 2005. I learned so much and my clientele got great results from using their Optimum Performance Training (OPT) periodization model program. As a result of NASM propelling my career, I decided to pursue other certifications and specializations. I now have their two certifications and multiple specilizations. NASM is cutting edge and stays abreast of the latest research. I will continue to use the OPT Model not only with my clientele, but with personal exercise program too. They keep a pulse on the trends but back it up with research. My clients like this and so do I! I highly recommend NASM!

I am also filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and multiple other agencies. I have stopped payment through my bank and my bank has actually issued me with refunds from previous payments made after their legal department researched as well. NASM is poor on communication and organization. However, my negative complaint and subsequent Better Business Bureau notification is due to the fact NASM states you can take their exam online or in person. What they do not tell you is if you choose to take it online which is the only way I could take it, then you have to take down the firewalls of your computer to allow their proctor system to back access your computer. I have multiple government contracts and could not do this. I would not do this regardless. I advised them of same. They were absolutely unresponsive and unhelpful on any level. I mentioned I would contact a lawyer at which point they refused to engage speaking with me on the subject any further. This is not even to mention the challenges inherent in trying to set up the online proctoring session. They do not provide guidance. You have to call repeatedly to have someone tell you how to go about doing this. The system is then very often down or being upgraded as they say. Additionally, when you test your computer on the system they indicate this may not be accurate reflection of how it will perform the morning or day of your exam. Also if your proctor is late even beyond 15 minutes you are expected to wait or it is considered a forfeiture.

Terrible communication and setup. Getting started was easy. When it came time to take the test there were multiple links to “get started” with Proctoru. I had to try three times to take the test and on the fourth attempt was accused of cheating for using a calculator. On the Proctoru website it says calculators are allowed. There is obviously no communication or good working relationship between NASM and Proctoru. I emailed and called costumer service and sent in photos of screen shots proving I was following the rules I read. Their response was to pay $199 to retake the test. THEY JUST WANT TO SUCK MONEY OUT OF YOU. I am going to find another company to get certified but first I will check their customer service reputation.

Back in October, 2020 I called NASM to let them know that I would be unable to make that month's payment because of a financial hardship. In November, 2020 I called again to ask if I could continue to put my account on hold as a result of a reduction in work hours and pay due to COVID. The woman I spoke with said that they would be able to do this through January. Today, I called to let them know that my situation had not changed, and have now been furloughed indefinitely with no pay, and need a refund of the January 26, 2021 charge. Currently, I have no source of income and do not qualify for unemployment benefits. I explained my situation kindly to the gentleman I spoke with on the phone today. They told me there is nothing they could do. I asked to speak to someone who could, and they said that person is not available for days. This is unacceptable - especially during the current pandemic. As a Customer Success Manager professionally, me and my team have gone above and beyond to extend customer subscriptions at no cost and provide refunds without difficulty. Therefore, a business who truly cares about their customers should do the same. As a result, I CANNOT recommend NASM to anyone looking for CPT or Nutrition training.