There’s no doubt about it, passing the accredited NASM CPT certification exam is a task not to be taken lightly. It requires high levels of dedication and discipline to learn and integrate the knowledge and skills needed to be a fitness professional in today’s competitive environment. We spent extensive time listening to enthusiasts and experts alike, and redesigned the NASM CPT certification program from the ground up, in order to better prepare members to pass the exam than ever before!

Instructional Design – It Makes a Difference!

Setting the foundations for the program to build upon are our instructional designers. For the first time ever, we have incorporated highly successful concepts of instructional design into the framework of the textbook and online content alike; making the program more relevant to the adult learning process than ever before. This includes new pedagogical features such as Memory Tips to remember more difficult concepts, Trainer Tips to support concepts with advice from industry experts, and callout boxes providing scientific insight, points of caution and pitfalls to avoid, as well as case scenarios providing real-life relevance with each chapter to support critical thinking and deeper levels of understanding.

Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries among physically active people accounting for an estimated 23,000 sprains — daily –that are attributed to athletic activity. (1) Basketball players suffer the highest incidence rate among sports (41.1%) followed by football (9.3%), soccer (7.9%), running (7.2%) and volleyball (4.0%). Unlike the knee and ACL injuries there is no predilection to females over males with ankle sprains occurring 50.3% and 49.7% respectively. (2) Nearly 30% of first time ankle sprains will cause chronic ankle instability (CAI) which has also been reported as a contributing factor to the early onset of osteoarthritis. (3) The effects of CAI are also seen beyond the local area of injury as altered pelvic stability. Although ankle sprains are typically treated in the physical therapy setting there are many things a personal trainer can do to help restore full function and also prevent future injuries.

A history of a previous ankle sprain is the most common predictor of this type of injury, with an incidence rate of 73%. This injury most often occurs when landing either on the ground or on another player’s foot. (4) Other causes include a sharp turn or twist, collision, fall or sudden stop. This results in functional deficits including range of motion, limited ankle dorsiflexion, impaired proprioception and balance control, and increased pelvic neuromuscular reaction time. (5,6)