‘Personal Trainer’ and ‘Athletic Trainer’ are NOT the Same Thing

‘Personal Trainer’ and ‘Athletic Trainer’ are
NOT the Same Thing

Posted January 7th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Jeremy Sussman

Section: News & Results, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise, Drugs In Sports

NOTE: The following statement was released to major sports, health and fitness publications by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). This press release is NOT in reference to any article, editorial, or other content published by TheFinalSprint.com or the TFS Media Network. Conversely, it is intended as a universal statement, clarification and request to the media at large on behalf of the NATA membership.

NATA has followed news of Roger Clemens’ admittance this week to receiving B12 and lidocaine from personal trainer Brian McNamee. NATA has read this information with interest and caution since some media have incorrectly reported that Brian McNamee is an athletic trainer.

McNamee is not, nor has he ever been an athletic trainer, as confirmed by NATA and Board of Certification (BOC) records and the New York Yankees. He is in fact a PERSONAL TRAINER and should be referred to as such and not as a “TRAINER” which can add to reader confusion. You should be aware that the term “athletic trainer” is a title-protected term by statute in 43 states.

In your coverage of this very timely sports and health issue, we appreciate any references to McNamee to be accurate. The original Mitchell Report correctly identifies McNamee as a personal trainer, and we hope media will continue to refer to him by his correct profession - PERSONAL training. An accurate description of McNamee is vitally important to the reputation and credibility of the 35,000 athletic trainers working with sports medicine patients and clients.

As you may know, athletic trainers are medical professionals who specialize in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries; personal trainers are not medically based and focus solely on fitness and conditioning.

Athletic trainers (who should never be referred to as “trainers”) also have higher educational and certification standards than personal trainers; they maintain certification through the Board of Certification, an organization independent of NATA. They have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, with 70% having a master’s or higher. NATA recommends that media verify McNamee’s education and credentials since they differ vastly from those of the athletic training profession.

Brian McNamee is a PERSONAL trainer.

Thank you for helping us to maintain the integrity of our profession.

Courtesy of: NATA

***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***

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