Credentials / Athletics and Fitness Association of America

AFAA Personal Fitness Trainer Certification

AFAA-PFTcertificationverifiedby Athletics and Fitness Association of America· Compare

Verified: this record was checked against its official source. Last verified 2026-09-03.

At a glance

Credential type

certification

Status

active

Target professional

Personal fitness trainers

Country

Official page

https://www.afaa.com/courses/personal-fitness-trainer

Recertification page

unknown

Accreditation

No accreditation on record — status unknown. Absence of a claim is recorded honestly rather than guessed.

Renewal & CEU requirements

2 yr

renewal cycle

CEUs per cycle

$99

renewal

Recertification required

yes

CEU unit system

AFAA contact hours ("A minimum 15 contact hours is required for recertification"; 2 contact hours = 0.2 CEUs, i.e. 1.0 CEU = 10 contact hours)

Ethics requirement

unknown

CPR/AED at renewal

yes

Deadline rule

Contact hours/CEUs must be completed within 2 years (24 months) of the certificate date / application date; renewal application due by certificate expiration date, with a late fee for applications received 1-180 days after expiration.

Two-year renewal cycle. AFAA PGE/PFT renewal applications require a minimum of 15 contact hours earned within 24 months, of which 2 contact hours must come from an AFAA or NASM course. Hands-on CPR/AED certification is mandatory (Category D; worth 1-2 contact hours depending on form version) and a copy of the front and back of the card must be submitted. CEU categories: A (AFAA workshops/courses and authorized CE providers), B (industry contributions), C (accredited onsite college/university coursework in accepted subjects, credited at 2x college credit), D (CPR/AED). Current AFAA site states "at least 1.5 approved hours of continuing education during each of your two-year certification renewal cycles" (apparently 1.5 CEUs = 15 contact hours) and directs users to the NASM-AFAA Recertification Handbook and the online Recertification Portal, where fees are paid. Non-payment/"Not in Good Standing" status blocks recertification.

CEU recognition

AFAA authorized Continuing Education Providers (Category A) — approved ceu provider
AFAA workshops/courses and authorized CE providers count as Category A; certificate of completion required
NASM — accepts ceus from
At least 2 contact hours of the 15 must be from an AFAA or NASM course; NASM/AFAA courses auto-populate in the Recertification Portal
Accredited colleges and universities (Category C) — accepts ceus from
Onsite accredited college/university courses in Anatomy, Exercise Physiology, Sports Psychology, Nutrition, Kinesiology and/or Physical Therapy; AFAA units equal 2x the college credit; official transcript required
AFAA (CEU Petition Application for activities outside Categories A-D) — petition accepted
CEU credits not fitting the listed categories require completion of the AFAA CEU Petition Application
CPR/AED providers (American Heart Association, American Red Cross, American Safety and Health Institute; ASTI, Emergency Care & Safety Institute) — accepts ceus from
Mandatory hands-on CPR/AED certification counted as Category D contact hours

Sources (6)

AFAA Coursestier 1 primary
official provider page · retrieved 2026-09-02
Personal Fitness Trainer Certificationtier 1 primary
official provider page · retrieved 2026-09-02
https://www.afaa.com/recertifytier 1 primary
official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-04
https://www.afaa.com/docs/default-source/pdf/afaa-renewal-application---pge-pft-11-17.pdf?sfvrsn=2tier 1 primary
official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-04
https://www.afaa.com/docs/default-source/pdf/afaa-pge-pft-application-2018.pdf?sfvrsn=6186a514_2tier 1 primary
official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-04
https://www.afaa.com/terms-and-conditionstier 1 primary
official recertification handbook · retrieved 2026-09-04

Latest verification activity: initial verification → confirmed (2026-09-04) · reverification → confirmed (2026-09-03) · initial verification → confirmed (2026-09-02)