ACE's Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist Certification

ACE’s Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist certification enables you to work with people that have health risk factors.

The number one reason for health professionals to be certified is to safeguard clients and patients. This is achieved by setting criteria pertaining to the profession and making sure those certified have proven minimal capabilities within the particular field or area of practice.

The NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies), which functions under the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE), is an example of an organization that gives accreditation to a credentialing organization.

In the field of health and fitness, the NCCA is often considered as the gold standard credentialing agency for organizations that certify exercise professionals - the American Council on Exercise (ACE) being among this exclusive group.

Regarding these certifying organizations, various certifications are usually offered and it is important to choose the one most in line with the type of work or role you’ll be taking on.

For health professionals interested in the area of clinical exercise, ACE offers their NCCA-accredited Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist (AHFS) certification. Those who become AHFS-certified have shown the ability to operate on their own and as part of teams in delivering solutions associated with health promotion, fitness assessment and testing, exercise prescription, being physically active, and other lifestyle behavior modifications.

ACE Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist Certification

An Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist (AHFS) is a healthcare professional that has the educational foundation and instruction required to carry out and oversee exercise and physical fitness programs (both individual and group) not only for healthy populations, but for those with various health risk factors and controlled disease as well.

An AHFS is qualified in assessing habits and disease risk factors affecting health, performing pre-fitness program assessments, conducting evaluations on current fitness levels, designing exercise prescriptions, and supervising workout sessions.

Furthermore, an Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist is capable of teaching wellness promotion and encouraging their clients/patients to take on, engage in, and sustain healthy behaviors on a daily basis. ACE AHFS-certified professionals that wish to work as corporate health directors, fitness coordinators, and exercise program managers should also have some background in administration, business, and marketing.

The following infographic provides a rundown of ACE’s minimal requirements for AHFS certification in addition to role description and possible employment opportunities.