Part of the responsibility that comes with serving as a thought leader is staying up to date on the changing landscape of our industry. In recent years, that landscape has included more and more discussions within statehouses about regulating health and fitness professionals in our space.

Although a comprehensive law has yet to pass, we need to be a part of the discussion when and if it does. We want to be able to represent you and professionals like you who have demonstrated they have the capacity to safely and effectively lead people to healthy change.

Other like-minded leaders in our industry recognized that opportunity as well, and as a result, we have pulled together to form the Coalition for the Registration of Exercise Professionals (CREP), a nonprofit, 501(c)(6) organization.

Like ACE, organizations including ACSM, NCSF, NSCA, NETA, PMA and Cooper Institute believe that exercise certification programs accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) represent the best opportunity to advance our profession.

The elected CREP board of directors, composed of individuals representing member organizations, and two nonvoting advisory directors from the Commission for Accreditation of Exercise Sciences (CoAES) and the NCCA will support exercise professionals by:

• advocating for health and fitness professionals who hold NCCA-accredited certifications on issues that pertain to regulation, access and scope of work;
• seeking recognition as a health provider for professionals who have passed a competency-based fitness certification exam accredited by the NCCA; and
• maintaining the United States Registry of Exercise Professionals (USREPS), an internationally recognized registry of exercise professionals who hold NCCA-accredited certifications in the United States.

CREP and a place on the U.S. Registry are benefits of holding a current, accredited certification from any member organization, including ACE. We want to work on your behalf because we believe the knowledge and skills you possess help people change their lives all over the world.

In order to comply with CREP membership criteria and elevate our Specialty Certifications, we have also initiated pre-requisite requirements for individuals interested in becoming an ACE Specialist. Now, in order to pursue an ACE Specialty Certification, candidates must first hold an NCCA-accredited health and fitness certification, or an equivalent professional license.

For a list of accepted pre-requisite credentials, or for more information about that decision, please visit ACEfitness.org/SpecialtyCertifications. Professionals who have already earned an ACE Specialty Certification prior to February 24, 2014, will be grandfathered into our system as an ACE Specialist.

For additional answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our website here.

By Scott Goudeseune, ACE President and CEO