Frequently Asked Questions

• • General Inquiries

  • Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification

  • Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification

  • Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification

  • Workshops FAQ

• Close FAQs

  General Inquiries

  • Press Release (Certifications)

    Our New Certifications are Finally Here:

    Our desire to offer certifications goes much deeper than wanting to be able to say that we "have certifications"... I know that sounds silly, but hear me out. The dream of offering certifications as part of our online platform has been at least 5 years in the making. It started with a troubling set of questions...

    Why do education companies get to charge 3 or more times for the same content? That is, they charge once for access to the content, again when the content is labeled continuing education, again if the content is bundled with other content into a certification, and several companies even re-purpose content into other certifications to try and charge again? But, isn't it all just content? Why should any company get away with charging 3 or more times for the same content? And, why does any company get away with charging a crazy premium on content because it's given the title "certification"? There is no doubt that certifications have value. They are a means for professionals to advertise to clients and employers the completion of a set of continuing education. But, why should that convenience result in such a heavy tax on the professional? The additional costs involved in developing certifications, including accreditation, partnerships and branding are expensive, but not that expensive. Although an increase in price may be justifiable, a 10X increase in price is CRAZY.

    Typical Example:

    • Textbook used for certification = $70.00
    • Textbook with test labeled "certification" = $700.00
    • 10X increase in profits by taxing students for the label "certification" = Shameless

    Since these realizations we have been on a mission to continually elevate our content, refine our processes to insure more and more of our content is accredited for CECs/CEUs, and then further organize and expand our content so that we cover the content centers that would fulfill industry and professional expectations for a respected certification. In addition we maintain focus on improving the user experience (with some big changes with this launch), and we continue to refine our business model so that we can continue to offer our services with a "Netflix-style" low cost monthly membership. If you think this sounds like a juggling act... you are correct... and that is why this "little" project took 5+ years.

    But, now they're here, and we have a lot to be proud of. Not only are we not charging 3 or more times for the same content, we are not charging per course, we are not charging per certification, we are not even charging for the app that makes it possible to easily complete courses and certifications from your phone. It is all included in membership. The content you love, has been approved for CECs, and those same courses count toward certification. And, we will continue to publish new courses and update existing content to ensure you have more content and more choices in the future.

    Announcing Two New Certifications:

    • Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
    • Human Movement Specialist (HMS) (Newly updated)
    • Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT)

  • What is the difference between a monthly and yearly memberships?

    You will have full access to all online resources included with BrookbushInstitute.com with either membership. The annual membership rewards your commitment to education, with a savings of $40 per year when compared to 12 months of the monthly membership. You can cancel either membership at any time.

  • What is the cost of a membership?

    Memberships are $19.99/month or $199.00/year, cancel anytime, 30-day money back guarantee no additional fees (courses, certifications and mobile app included).

  • What is included in a membership?

    Membership gives you full access to BrookbushInstitute.com which includes:

    • Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification
    • Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification
    • Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification
    • 150+ CEC approved Online Courses
    • 500+ Videos
    • 500+ Articles
    • Mobile app for easy navigation on your phone
    • New content added continuously

  • Is there a minimum time commitment?

    There is no time commitment. I suppose, technically a month is the minimum, although we do have a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can join for as long as you like and cancel whenever you like. Full disclosure, we are hoping we create such an awesome experience for you, and help you make education a daily, weekly or monthly habit, and that you CHOOSE to be part of our community for years to come.

  • How can I cancel (can I cancel at any time)?

    You can cancel at any time. Log in to BrookbushInstitute.com, go to your "Dashboard". The "Dashboard" button is located on the upper right-hand side of any page on the site. Once you on your “Dashboard” you will notice “Settings” under your profile picture. In “Settings” you can “Cancel” from your “Payment Details”.

  • How does membership work?

    The easiest way to explain the site is like “Netflix for Human Movement Science”. It is a monthly or yearly membership (cancel anytime) that provides access to all online courses, certifications, and content.

  • How do the courses work?

    This platform is built for flexibility and convenience. All courses are a mix of text, images and videos (more than 150+ to choose from). Once you are a member you can take any course within your scope from desktop or mobile app. At the end of every short course (1 – 4 hours long) is a practice exam to test your knowledge, and a final exam that you must take to receive credits. Credits will automatically generate a CEC certificate in your dashboard and will be applied to any related certification. The “Certification” tab on your dashboard can be used to generate a custom “Recommended Course Order” to help you achieve your goals faster. This is all included in membership, no additional fees, and you can cancel anytime.

  • How do I become certified?

    Once you are a member you will have access to our entire library of courses. Each certification requires that you finish a certain number of credits in selected course categories. (Course credits that also count as CECs). Once you have completed enough credits in each category, you will be awarded your certificate. That’s it. Get credit for every course you pass, no additional fees, no giant final exam. Further, we have created a “Recommended Course Order” function that will help you create a course order that is best for you, help you decide which courses to start with, and continue to guide you on which course to take next.

  • How do the tests/exams work for courses and certification?

    We do everything we can to support flexibility, convenience, and access to education. In pursuit of this goal, we have built our platform to ensure you get as much credit as possible, for each step toward your education goal. We are avidly opposed to the “cram and forget model” promoted by large, summative, single-chance end exams. Instead, you will be asked to take a short (7 – 20 questions), multiple-choice exam at the end of each 1- 4 credit course. You have 2 chances to pass (70% or better) each final exam, and each course has a similar practice exam you can take an unlimited number of times. If you do not pass the final exam on the 2nd attempt, your only penalty is being locked out of that one exam for 30-days. If you pass you will attain credits, which will automatically generate a CE certificate and be counted toward the relevant certification or added to your electives. Once you achieve enough credits to attain certification, the certification will automatically be populated in your account. Again, there is no “large end exam”. You get credit as you go and can take as long as you want to achieve the credits/certifications you desire.

  • What is the cost of the certification?

    There is no additional cost for certification, it is included in the cost of a membership ($19.99/month or $199/year).

  • Is there a certification order?

    No, although if you are new to the profession, we recommend completing the CPT before the HMS. Although it is not mandatory, it is a better progression based on the level of complexity of material.

  • Do workshops count towards the certifications?

    Yes, but the workshop is only mandatory for the Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification.

    • Performance Program Design (Live or Live-stream) = 16 CPT Credits
    • Corrective Exercise Lab (Live or Live-stream) = 16 HMS Credits
    • Integrated Manual Therapist (Mandatory) = 16 IMT Credits

  • Do some of the same courses count for the different certifications?

    There is some over-lap, but each certification has a distinct focus. Each certification does mandate that you complete 10 elective credits, which can be fulfilled by taking courses from the certification you want to do next.

  • I am a physical therapist (or physical therapist assistant) in the United States. Are your courses approved for CEs in my state?

    We are accredited to provide PTs and PTAs with CEs in 44 or 50 states and the other 6 states permit our courses with petition. For more information, please visit our accreditation page

  • I am a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine (DC). Are your courses approved provide DCs with CEs?

    Our courses are approved by PACE which is accepted in approximately 28 states. See a map here. Other states may accept PACE approved courses with petition.

  • Can I take multiple certifications, or switch certifications?

    We recommend that you finish one certification at a time, but you can switch certifications, and any course you pass will be automatically credited toward the relevant certification. The best part is that all certifications and online courses are included in membership, so there is no penalty for changing your mind.

  • Are your courses approved by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)?

    Actually, the APTA does not approve continuing education courses (CECs). CECs are approved by state boards, with many states accepting courses approved by other state boards. The Brookbush Institute has put in significant effort to ensure that our courses are approved in 45 states, and will be accepted in the other 5 states with petition. For more information, a map of approved states, and links to petition information, please click on the "Physical Therapists USA" card on our Accreditations Page (hyperlink this).

  • Are these certifications subject to renewal (How do I recertify)?

    Recertification with the Brookbush Institute is iterative, automatic and included in membership, no additional fees.

    What does that mean?

    • Certifications with the Brookbush Institute will expire 2-years from the date of the last course you took within a 2-year period that included 20 credits. That sounds a little confusing, but what we are saying is that we will automatically extend the date of expiration by 2 years from the date of your last course, assuming the previous 2 year period included at least 20 credits. And, this happens automatically. You don't have to do anything. Well, except enjoy education, and continue to make learning a habit. You can extend your certification expiration date incrementally, indefinitely, by finishing a course a month, or a couple of courses a quarter, or even by starting your next certification with the Brookbush Institute. And, this is included in membership, no additional fees!

  Close FAQs

  Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification

  • Press Release:

    The Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification got an Upgrade!

    The HMS certification was our first attempt to disrupt certification, and although many loved the new approach, our first attempt left room for improvement. Many of the features included in the new CPT and IMT certifications, were a result of lessons learned from the HMS. And, those new features are now part of the HMS too!

    More Focused: The Human Movement Specialist (HMS) is now a certification focused on corrective exercise. Although, many people loved the concept of a totally customizable certification, the sheer volume of courses we offer was a little intimidating. Our data suggested that most individuals interested in the HMS certification mostly completed corrective exercise and anatomy courses. So, the HMS became our corrective exercise certification. All of the same courses (and more) are still available, but now choosing a certification is step toward choosing the courses you wish to complete.

    From 80 credits to 60 credits: A more focused certification, means competency in a specific subject can be demonstrated with fewer credits. In the previous version of the HMS, the number of hours was set high enough to ensure minimum standards were reached in all areas. That is no longer necessary. We hope fewer credits for this certification results in more individuals completing the certification, and using that accomplishment as motivation to continue their education.

    Customizable Recommended Course Order: Many of our colleagues were left with feelings of not knowing where to start, or they found the sheer number of courses intimidating. Other colleagues just found it hard to develop a path or flow that guided them to completion of the HMS certification. To address this issue, we have added a game-changing feature; the customizable "Recommended Course Order" (see image below). Now with a few clicks you can choose the certification you want to complete, choose between "by category" or "mixed" course orders, display an individual category, and/or remove finished courses, and narrow courses within a certification to just those that count toward the CEC credits you are trying to earn. We know this feature will dramatically improve the user experience, and we are just getting started.

    You Still Have the Power to Choose: Our certifications require that you achieve a specific number of credits per category; the curriculum is not built from a fixed set of courses. This means as we continue to publish more and more courses, you will have more and more choices in each category. And, to feed your curious side, every certification (including the HMS) requires that you complete 10 elective credits, which can be fulfilled by taking any course within your scope.

    If you have the HMS, you will keep the HMS: Although we have made some pretty large changes to the HMS certification, and may change the certification in the future, if you completed the HMS certification, you will not lose the certification. We would never retract a credential you worked hard for. You earned it, you keep it.

    What if you just want to try a few courses, finish some CECs, or take courses you enjoy? Any course you complete that is part of the mandatory course work for a certification, will be automatically counted toward that certification (once you choose a certification), and any course you complete will generate a CEC certificate on your dashboard. It's automatic; we want to give you credit. If you enjoy a more open learning experience, you can use the Course Home Page to choose any course.

  • What is the re-certification policy for Brookbush Institute certifications?

    We decided to totally re-invent re-certifcation:

    If you have been through re-certification with another organization, you know it is often a clumsy, cumbersome and unnecessarily expensive experience.

    True Story:

    The last time I "re-certified" with an organization it took me 15 minutes to figure out where to submit my certificates, 30 minutes to upload my certificates into their ridiculously slow website, only to find out I had submitted my certificates into the wrong fields (thanks in large part to a horrible user interface). I then had to start over, and 75 minutes after I had started, I was thanked for my effort with a request for $150.00. WTF? So, we decided to completely re-invent recertification...

    Recertification with the Brookbush Institute is iterative, automatic and included in membership, no additional fees.

    What does that mean?

    took within a 2 year period that included 20 credits. That sounds a little confusing, but what we are saying is that we will automatically extend the date of expiration by 2 years from the date of your last course, assuming the previous 2 year period included at least 20 credits. And, this happens automatically. You don't have to do anything. Well, except enjoy education, and continue to make learning a habit. You can extend your certification expiration date incrementally, indefinitely, by finishing a course a month, or a couple of courses a quarter, or even by starting your next certification with the Brookbush Institute. And, this is included in membership, no additional fees!

  • What is the cost of the certification?

    There is no additional cost for certification, it is included in the cost of a membership ($19.99/month or $199/year).

  • Do I need to complete additional credits to maintain my certification?

    Yes, we do support the minimum standard of 20 additional credits/hours of education per 2-year period to maintain certification status. However, we have completely disrupted the re-certification process. With BrookbushInstitute.com your certification will expire 2 years from the last course you took, within a 2-year period with 20 credits completed. I know that sounds complicated, but the result is a massive simplification of the re-certification process. This means that as long as you take 1-3 courses a quarter, your expiration date will be extended indefinitely. And, this is automatic, you never have to worry about some clumsy process of submitting certificates or paying additional fees. Your account will automatically be updated every time you take a course.

  • Do courses count toward Certification and Continuing Education Credits?

    Yes, all courses are courses count toward certification and have been approved for continuing education credits with a growing number of organizations. For more information visit our accreditation page

  • Do workshops count towards the certifications?

    Yes, but the workshop is only mandatory for the Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification.

    • Performance Program Design (Live or Live-stream) = 16 CPT Credits
    • Corrective Exercise Lab (Live or Live-stream) = 16 HMS Credits
    • Integrated Manual Therapist (Mandatory) = 16 IMT Credits

  • What counts as an elective credit for a certification?

    Any course within the professional’s scope that was not needed to meet mandatory certification requirements or used as an elective for another certification.

  • What is the difference between the CPT, HMS and IMT certifications?

    • Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) focuses on “Strength and Performance”
    • Human Movement Specialist (HMS) focuses on “Corrective Exercise”
    • Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) focuses on “Manual Therapy”

  • How many credits/hours do I need to complete the Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification?

    60 Credits - Each credit is estimated to be 1 hour of study, based on the Mergener Formula. However, there is no time limits, and you are free to take as long (or as short) as you need to finish a course.

  • How long does it take to complete the certification?

    It depends on how fast you can finish approximately 60 hours of online study. There are no time limits or expiration dates. One of the many things we love about the monthly membership model is giving students the ability to dictate the pace of their education.

  • What is covered in the Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification:

    The HMS certification is corrective exercise focused. This certification requires the completion of credits in the following categories:

    • Corrective Exercise
    • Movement Assessment
    • Postural Dysfunction and Movement Impairment
    • Integrated Functional Anatomy of Muscles
    • Research Corner
    • Electives

  • If I cancel my membership will I lose my certification status?

    Your certification is valid as long as you have completed 20 credit hours of education on the Brookbush Institute platform within the last 2 years. Certification status is not tied to your membership status. You do not lose certifications, nor do you lose progress toward any certification when you cancel. You can re-join at any time and pick-up where you left off.

  • How do I become certified?

    Once you are a member you will have access to our entire library of courses. Each certification requires that you finish a certain number of credits in selected course categories. (Course credits that also count as CECs). Once you have completed enough credits in each category, you will be awarded your certificate. That’s it. Get credit for every course you pass, no additional fees, no giant final exam. Further, we have created a “Recommended Course Order” function that will help you create a course order that is best for you, help you decide which courses to start with, and continue to guide you on which course to take next.

  • Should I take any courses (prerequisites) prior to pursuing the HMS certification?

    There are no mandatory prerequisite courses that must be completed prior to pursuing the HMS certification. If you are new to the industry, profession, or the subject of human movement science, then we suggest it may be better to acquire the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification first, or that you complete the "Introduction to Functional Anatomy" courses prior to beginning the courses for the HMS.

  • What work or position does the Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification help you acquire?

    Without any additional education, and assuming you are in the USA or Canada, you could potentially work as a personal trainer. We do have insurance partners in the USA and Canada that will insure a professional with this credential alone (see below). However, we would recommend starting with the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certification. The HMS credential was designed to be an additional or advanced credential focused on optimizing movement with corrective/therapeutic exercise.

    Liability insurance partners:

    • United States - insurefitness.com/partners/brookbush
    • Canada - www.ineedapolicy.com

  Close FAQs

  Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification

  • Press Release:

    This is not your conventional "Manual Therapy" certification. Again, we set out to disrupt education in the best possible way. As professionals ourselves, we wanted to create the certification we wish existed.

    • The IMT includes all the same disruptive qualities that the CPT and HMS include: The IMT certification is included in a low-price, monthly membership (19.99/month), with a 30-day money back guarantee, and no additional fees. The courses you take for the IMT are also approved for continuing education credits, the multi-media courses are short (1-4 hours long), with short practice and final exams, that can be taken on your computer or the mobile app (no single shot, all-in final exam). No pressure, no time limits, and no crazy time commitments (No boring, 4-8 hour long videos). You get credit for each course you complete when you complete it; so, you don't have to worry about retaining every random fact for some final exam that only tests your ability to cram. We had you in mind when we built this platform; the working professional (perhaps with family) who needs the ability to squeeze education into cancelled appointments, lunch breaks, commutes, etc.. Or, the professional who has less work during the Covid-19 pandemic, and needs something affordable that can be done primarily from home. Either way, you can whip out your phone or laptop at any time, finish a credit or two, or "favorite" and "bookmark" more progress on a course, and move on to your next task. This is the education program you can customize to fit your life.

    Evidence-based, systematic, outcome driven, integrated approach:

    • The approach must be integrated: If a joint mob doesn't work, the answer is not more joint mobs. If soft tissue therapy didn't work, the answer may not be more soft-tissue work. It is strange how our profession becomes fixated on a modality or technique, rather than a systematic approach that is built from assessment, considers the intent of each modality, and optimizes based outcomes. Joints, muscles, fascia and the nervous system are an integrated system. Studies demonstrate that changes in osteokinematic and arthrokinematic motion are likely to result from, or result in, altered joint stiffness, changes in muscle activity, trigger points, inhibition of functional antagonists, altered sensitivity, etc.. So, why not attempt to assess and address each of these issues with an integrated approach that applies the best technique for the hypothesized impairment? Optimizing outcomes has to be at least in part dependent on our ability to address changes in each component of the human movement system. After all, what carry-over can we expect if joints are addressed, but trigger points, or instability, etc. are left behind? In this certification we focus on building "integrated intervention plans (flows)" to address compensation patterns (not isolated impairments). The techniques are just the tools we use.
    • Only the most effective techniques will do: So many manual therapy certifications focus on teaching mobilizations for every joint in every direction, or release techniques for every possible muscle, rather than focusing on the techniques that are commonly implied by assessment, and/or have demonstrated the greatest efficacy based on outcomes and findings from original research. This leads to many certifications teaching 100s of techniques, when 20-40 of those techniques will be used 99% of the time, and the rest of the techniques are used so rarely that you are likely to have to look them up when you need them again, anyway. Our goal is to optimize outcomes, so we focus on the most successful techniques, leaving room to teach the best techniques of other modalities and interventions, with the goal of creating optimal intervention plans. Our goal is to drive optimal practice, not encyclopedic knowledge for the sake of knowledge.
    • Systematic and Outcome Driven: Another major issue with manual therapy certifications is the presentation of techniques without context, perspective or relationship to other effective interventions. If you take enough workshops, before you know it, you have this big bag of tricks, but like a bag full of anything, there is no order, direction, best fit, or means of testing the effectiveness of the whole bag. To be truly outcome driven, an approach must be driven by outcomes from reliable assessments, and the intervention plan has to be a consistent systematic approach that can be refined over time based on those assessments. Our courses are built on a systematic approach, with the idea that even if you choose to replace a manual therapy technique from our courses with a technique learned from a different course, you would know where to put it in your intervention plan, what to test it against, and be able to make a decision based on outcomes. Switching modalities should not force you to adopt a foreign approach that leaves you feeling like you just walked into the clinic for the first time.
    • Evidence-based: Evidence-based has become a buzz word in the industry, but the truth is very few organizations are putting in the effort to refine practice with a "fair" review of the literature. Most courses are built from the opinions and personal biases of a founder or leader, retrospectively supported by cherry-picked studies, a few hand-selected reviews, or a random smattering of articles. Although many of these organizations are well-intended, these methods are not particularly helpful in refining practice. We have set-out to be the first education company that builds every course on a comprehensive and transparent review of all original experimental and observational studies, with a focus on the aggregation of effect directions to build nuanced, and reasonably objective conclusions. It has taken us years to refine our review methods, and years to build courses from this labor intensive review strategy, but it is the most accurate methodology we are currently aware of; and therefore, the right thing to do. We want to be the organization you can trust, built from data and outcomes, with unprecedented transparency.
    • Live education if great, but... Live education is great for developing initial confidence, but mastery is not going to happen in the classroom. Mastery takes practice, first with colleagues and friends, and then in a professional setting. Online learning prior to a live workshop, results in a much more rewarding learning experience during the live workshop, and most importantly online courses can be reviewed following the live workshop, in real time, during practice witch colleagues. There is no evidence to suggest that it is more effective to force individuals to attend information crammed workshop, after workshop, after workshop, generally months or years apart from each other, followed by a one-shot-on-goal final exam. We believe consistent online learning (a habit of education) is far more effective, and live education is a building block (64 hours online, 16 hours live). We could certainly make an argument that more live education is better, but we are also very dedicated to reducing costs and increasing access. Live workshops are very expensive to facilitate, and therefore more expensive for students than online learning, and most individuals add additional travel and lodging expenses, as well as disruptions to schedules that may add additional costs. We will gladly add more live workshops in the future, if that is what our colleagues want, but we think that 16 hours of live education in addition to peerless online manual therapy courses, will result in one of the most respected credentials in our industry. (P.s. We also work to keep our live-workshops affordable. Current cost for the 16 hour course is $699, and we often offer early bird discounts.)

    Concerns:

    • Live Workshop Concerns (COVID-19) - We have been working on this project for years, and our plan to include a 16 hour live workshop predates the Covid-19 pandemic. We do believe, and we think you will agree, that a live workshop component is mandatory if this credential is to be one of the most respected credentials in the industry. We had to cancel all live workshops in 2020 (including several IMT Workshop dates) due to the pandemic, but we are watching closely how many individuals start this certification, and how fast they are progressing. We are hoping that by the first half of 2021 we will have enough individuals approaching completion of the online courses, and that the pandemic will have abated enough, that we will be able to launch the IMT workshop (again) in at least 4 major cities across the USA, and also a workshop in the UK (hoping that no individual would have much more than a 2 hour flight to a workshop). In the meantime we will be launching an interim certificate that signifies an individual has completed the online course requirements, and only has the live workshop remaining - "Integrated Manual Therapist Candidate". If this plan does not work, we will adapt and try something else. If forced, we may have to allow the first couple of cohorts to do a live-stream manual therapy course. This is not ideal for manual therapy, but Covid-19 is a totally unprecedented issue. What we want you to know above all else, is that we are 100% on your side. I hope you can tell from our emails, that this is not just about money for us. We want to serve our colleagues the way they deserve, Covid-19 just made things a bit more complicated this year. Note, we are very open to additional suggestions.
    • Questions about Scope: We get a lot of questions about scope. From both sides; individuals wanting to know if this certification will allow them to do manual therapy, and manual therapists wanting to know what we are doing to stop people from breaching scope of practice.
    • First, no certification is capable of changing scope of practice. This is a common misconception. Certifications represent the completion of continuing education, your scope of practice is dictated by your license and legislation in your state or region. Certifications do not supersede legislation or license. If you could not perform manual therapy before this certification, you cannot perform manual therapy with this certification. And, this does not apply to just our certification, this is the law, this is all certifications.
    • Second, in order to acquire the IMT certification you must have selected a profession that includes manual therapy in their scope of practice, uploaded a copy of your license in the "Certification" tab in the dashboard, and taken the live workshop, which you can only attended if you submit a copy of your license. There are also disclaimers at the beginning of every manual therapy video. If someone bypasses all of these safeguards to acquire our certification, I guarantee we were not going to stop them from performing manual therapy without a license. Of course we respect scope of practice, but we expect every individual to be responsible, and we refuse to make changes to the platform (even more security) that would detract from everyone's learning experience because of a few bad actors.
    • Last, with all that being said, we think everyone should have access to education. If manual therapy is not within your scope, that does not dictate that the information is useless for you. If you are not licensed you cannot get credit for the courses, but you can enjoy them. What if a manual therapy course inspires someone to pursue a graduate degree and license in physical therapy, athletic training, chiropractic, massage, etc? Or, what if it just helps a trainer or coach communicate with a licensed professional? Although we are very serious about liability, and patient/client safety, hiding information is hardly ever the right approach to any situation. I hope everyone agrees. We need to do everything we can to come together. I do have this crazy dream of an iterative path to an integrated human movement profession, but maybe I save that for another e-mail ;-)

  • What is the difference between the CPT, HMS and IMT certifications?

    • Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) focuses on “Strength and Performance”
    • Human Movement Specialist (HMS) focuses on “Corrective Exercise”
    • Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) focuses on “Manual Therapy”

  • How many credits/hours do I need to complete the Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification?

    80 Credits - Each online credit is estimated to be 1 hour of study, based on the Mergener Formula. However, there is no time limits, and you are free to take as long (or as short) as you need to finish a course. 16 credit hours of this certification are fulfilled by attending a 2-day live workshop.

  • What is the cost of the certification?

    64 of the 80 credits required to achieve the IMT certification are included in membership. The cost of a membership is $19.99/month or $199/year. However, the IMT has two requirements that are different from the CPT and HMS, due to the increased responsibility that is implied by a scope that includes manual therapy. You will need to upload a copy of your license, demonstrating that manual therapy is in your scope of practice. And, you will have to attend a 16-hour live manual therapy workshop, which will be priced similar to other workshops in the industry (currently $699.00).

  • What is the Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) certification?

    The IMT is a comprehensively evidence-based certification (courses built from comprehensive literature review) that is focused on an integrated approach to therapeutic intervention. You must achieve 80 credits, all credits are approved for CECs, and 64 of the 80 credits are completed online and included in membership. We have been working on this project for more than a year, and our plan has always been to mandate the completion of a 16-hour live workshop. Despite the recent pandemic, we still think a live workshop component will be mandatory for this credential to become one of the most respected credentials in the industry. Currently we are keeping track of how many people have started the IMT, how fast individuals are finishing individual online courses, and are hoping that by the first half of 2021 we will be able to launch the IMT workshop in at least 5 cities across the USA. In the interim, we may create a certificate that signifies you have finished the online learning (but not the live workshop), for example, "IMT Candidate". If these solutions are not sufficient, we will find additional solutions. We can assure you that we are 100% on your side. Covid-19 may slow us down, but it will not stop us.

  • How long does it take to complete the certification?

    It depends on how fast you can finish approximately 64 hours of online study and attend the 16-hour live workshop. There are no time limits or expiration dates. One of the many things we love about the monthly membership model is giving students the ability to dictate the pace of their education.

  • What is covered in the Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification:

    The IMT certification is manual therapy focused. This certification requires the completion of credits in the following categories:

    • Manual Therapy
    • Movement Assessment
    • Special tests
    • Integrated Functional Anatomy of Joints
    • Gadgets
    • Research Corner
    • Electives
    • Live Workshop

  • Do courses count toward Certification and Continuing Education Credits?

    Yes, all courses are courses count toward certification and have been approved for continuing education credits with a growing number of organizations. For more information visit our accreditation page

  • What counts as an elective credit for a certification?

    Any course within the professional’s scope that was not needed to meet mandatory certification requirements or used as an elective for another certification.

  • If I cancel my membership will I lose my certification status?

    Your certification is valid as long as you have completed 20 credit hours of education on the Brookbush Institute platform within the last 2 years. Certification status is not tied to your membership status. You do not lose certifications, nor do you lose progress toward any certification when you cancel. You can re-joint at any time and pick-up where you left off.

  • Are the courses American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) accredited? Are the certifications Board Accredited?

    • The APTA does not accredit continuing education courses (CECs) or certifications. This is a common misconception. CECs are approved by state boards. The Brookbush Institute is approved to offer CECs in 44 of 50 states, and PT and PTAs in the other 6 states may use our courses with petition during license renewal.
    • The APTA does not accredit certifications either. American Physical Therapy Board Specializations (e.g. OCS, SFS, etc.) are certification products sold by the APTA. Asking any company whether they are APTA Board accredited is a little like asking Walmart if they are Amazon.com accredited. Board specializations should be judged by individuals and employers with the same scrutiny of any other certification, and it should not be assumed that they are better or worse than any other certifications in the industry.
    • Although approval to offer CECs requires review and accreditation, Certifications are nothing more than "labels" offered by brand, signifying the completion of a set of continuing education courses from that brand. What separates one certification from another is respect from colleagues and employers. Ideally, respect of a certification would be representative of the quality of course content, but common misconception often results in certain credentials being given respect that was not earned. The Brookbush Institute aims for best-in-industry quality and delivery, and is widely respected in the industry. We hope that our mission to optimize the delivery of education in our field results in setting a new quality standards.

  • How do I become certified?

    Once you are a member you will have access to our entire library of courses. Each certification requires that you finish a certain number of credits in selected course categories. (Course credits that also count as CECs). Once you have completed enough credits in each category, you will be awarded your certificate. Because the IMT is teaching manual therapy techniques, two additional steps are required to achieve certification. You must upload a copy of your license, demonstrating that manual therapy is within your scope of practice. And, you have to complete the 16 hour live Integrated Manual Therapy Workshop.

  • Do I need to complete additional credits to maintain my certification?

    Yes, we do support the minimum standard of 20 additional credits/hours of education per 2-year period to maintain certification status. However, we have completely disrupted the re-certification process. With BrookbushInstitute.com your certification will expire 2 years from the last course you took, within a 2-year period with 20 credits completed. I know that sounds complicated, but the result is a massive simplification of the re-certification process. This means that as long as you take 1-3 courses a quarter, your expiration date will be extended indefinitely. And, this is automatic, you never have to worry about some clumsy process of submitting certificates or paying additional fees. Your account will automatically be updated every time you take a course.

  • Are your courses approved by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)?

    Actually, the APTA does not approve continuing education courses (CECs). CECs are approved by state boards, with many states accepting courses approved by other state boards. The Brookbush Institute has put in significant effort to ensure that our courses are approved in 45 states, and will be accepted in the other 5 states with petition. For more information, a map of approved states, and links to petition information, please click on the "Physical Therapists USA" card on our Accreditations Page.

  Close FAQs

  Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification

  • Press Release:

    We didn't just launch a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification, we tried to completely disrupt how certifications were offered. We started with the question, As working professionals, what would our dream certification look like?

    The Dream CPT Certification:

    1. $399.00 - 1299.00 for certification is CRAZY - If Netflix can do it, so can we. Our CPT certification is included in a low-price, monthly membership (19.99/month), with a 30-day money back guarantee, and no additional fees. No fee for additional study materials, no fee for the app, no fee to extend the expiration date, no testing center fee, no exam re-take fee, no re-certification fee, no additional fee for CECs, etc.... Just a simple, affordable monthly membership plan (cancel anytime).
    2. Needs to be convenient and accessible on the go: Working professionals are busy people, and that's who we build for. Each short course is an estimated 1 - 4 credit/hours long, with a short exam at the end. You can take them on your computer, or from your phone with our mobile app. You get credit for each exam you pass, when you pass it. There is no back-breaking final exam waiting for you at the end. We are not interested in testing your ability to cram. We also do not want to waste your time by forcing you to find a testing center, and work yet another appointment into your schedule. When we picture someone taking our courses, we imagine the working professional who just had a cancellation, is in-between appointments, is on a commute, or is on a lunch break... they whip out their phone or laptop, knock out another credit or two, or at least "favorite" and "bookmark" another course and an hour of progress.
    3. It has to be evidence-based: Too many certification base their content on the thoughts of one or a few individuals (resulting in a high-potential for bias), make half-hearted attempts at citing their work (resulting in cherry-picked citations), or are woefully out-of-date and far from comprehensive (reducing the accuracy of their content). Several certifications started on a path toward evidence-based practice, but no certification seems to have continued the effort. And, all certifications who made an attempt still charge more than $500 up front for certification. Over the last 7 years, we have created potentially the most rigorous and transparent processes for evidence-based content development in the industry, with the goal of developing all courses from comprehensive reviews of all relevant original research. Content cannot be based on any individuals views, or just a few studies, it must be based on comprehensive review of 3rd party objective data and outcomes, and refined by practical application. Too date, we seem to be the only certification doing just that. We want to be a resource you know you can trust... not because of "faith in a genius founder", but because of peerless scientific rigor and processes.
    4. It has to be Practical: Having a strong scientific foundation is important, but only if it makes you a better practitioner. Several certifications on the market do a good job at making you smarter, but not better. At the end of the day, the only thing a client cares about is outcomes. Certifications should start with the intent of providing information that can be "used with clients on Monday morning," and then teach the science that resulted in the development of those suggestions. Every one of our courses is a practical course, or leads to practical recommendations, with the gross majority of courses including videos of recommended techniques.
    5. Student-centered learning: Every effort should be made by the educator to remove every obstacle in the way of effective learning. The industry standard of "I had it hard, so you are going to have hard", or "these obstacles separate (or sort) the wheat from the chaff" are potentially the most damaging beliefs in the education industry. The crazy practice of charging someone a fortune, to force them to learn from a poorly written text, only having that one learning format available, giving zero choice to the student over subjects they want to learn, only to be forced into an inconvenient and costly testing center, to take a scary, large, pass or fail, single-shot exam, is ridiculous. And, our industry has seem to have double-downed on this torturous methodology, by making you do it again for any additional credentials (often rehashing much of the same content). This is our industries horse-drawn carriage, when the rest of the world wants a Tesla. We have tried to remove as many obstacles as we can, and will continue to do so. This includes lower costs, easier access on the go, courses with multiple media formats (text, video, illustrations, etc.), choice regarding which courses to complete, adding a pop-up glossary and hyperlinks to related material, removing scary large final exams, including a practice exam before every short final exam, continued effort to make navigating the app and website intuitive, insuring it is easy to track progress and return to courses on the go, achieve certifications, and the next certification, and the next, keep track of CECs, even re-certification with BI will be a totally different and an easy experience, and included in membership (more on that in October). The only challenge any student should face is the enjoyment of conquering complex topics. As educators our focus should be on making 100% of a student's effort directed toward learning, not attempting to navigate some poorly designed process.

  • What is the difference between the CPT, HMS and IMT certifications?

    • Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) focuses on “Strength and Performance”
    • Human Movement Specialist (HMS) focuses on “Corrective Exercise”
    • Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) focuses on “Manual Therapy”

  • How many credits/hours do I need to complete the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification?

    50 Credits - Each credit is estimated to be 1 hour of study (Mergener Formula estimates). However, there is no time limits, and you are free to take as long (or as short) as you need to finish a course.

  • How long does it take to complete the certification?

    It depends on how fast you can finish approximately 50 hours of study. There are no time limits or expiration dates. One of the many things we love about the monthly membership model is giving students the ability to dictate the pace of their education.

  • What is covered in the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification:

    The CPT certification is strength and performance focused. This certification requires the completion of credits in the following categories:

    • Strength and Performance
    • Introduction to Functional Anatomy
    • Overhead Squat Assessment
    • Corrective Exercise
    • Research Corner
    • Electives

  • If I cancel my membership will I lose my certification status?

    Your certification is valid as long as you have completed 20 credit hours of education on the Brookbush Institute platform within the last 2 years. Certification status is not tied to your membership status. You do not lose certifications, nor do you lose progress toward any certification when you cancel. You can re-joint at any time and pick-up where you left off.

  • Do workshops count towards the certifications?

    Yes, but the workshop is only mandatory for the Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification.

    • Performance Program Design (Live or Live-stream) = 16 CPT Credits
    • Corrective Exercise Lab (Live or Live-stream) = 16 HMS Credits
    • Integrated Manual Therapist (Mandatory) = 16 IMT Credits

  • How do I become certified?

    Once you are a member you will have access to our entire library of courses. Each certification requires that you finish a certain number of credits in selected course categories. (Course credits that also count as CECs). Once you have completed enough credits in each category, you will be awarded your certificate. That’s it. Get credit for every course you pass, no additional fees, no giant final exam. Further, we have created a “Recommended Course Order” function that will help you create a course order that is best for you, help you decide which courses to start with, and continue to guide you on which course to take next.

  • What counts as an elective credit for a certification?

    Any course within the professional’s scope that was not needed to meet mandatory certification requirements or used as an elective for another certification.

  • Do I need to complete additional credits to maintain my certification?

    Yes, we do support the minimum standard of 20 additional credits/hours of education per 2-year period to maintain certification status. However, we have completely disrupted the re-certification process. With BrookbushInstitute.com your certification will expire 2 years from the last course you took, within a 2-year period with 20 credits completed. I know that sounds complicated, but the result is a massive simplification of the re-certification process. This means that as long as you take 1-3 courses a quarter, your expiration date will be extended indefinitely. And, this is automatic, you never have to worry about some clumsy process of submitting certificates or paying additional fees. Your account will automatically be updated every time you take a course.

  • Do gyms accept this CPT certification?

    • We are widely accepted and well-respected in the industry, but gyms have their preferences. If you are unsure of where you would like to work, for 19.99/month, with the most up-to-date, evidence-based content in the industry, our certification is a very safe bet. However, if you have an employer in mind, we recommend you reach out to them, mention your intent to complete our certification, and ask if they have any preferences. This was good advice before we existed and is still good advice today.
    • We are continuing to work with gym chains to develop partnerships that may help in these times of employment uncertainty. We are hoping that we can use our recourses to match certified professionals with employers in their area.

  • Is your certification accredited in the USA?

    • There is no such thing as an accrediting agency for certification in the USA. Employer preference and the ability to acquire liability insurance dictate which certifications are respected in the industry. Our certification is accepted by most employers, and you can acquire liability coverage with any of our credentials. We even have a liability insurance partner that offers Brookbush Institute certified professionals a discounted rate (Insure Fitness (https://insurefitness.com/partners/brookbush). Many employers have been anxiously awaiting the introduction of our Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification, and we are currently developing partnerships that will help gyms find trainers and trainers find gyms, hoping that we can help in these challenging times of employment uncertainty. Because gyms often have “certification preferences”, we do suggest that any professional who has a particular employer in mind, reaches out to that employer to inquire about their “certification preference”.
    • If you are wondering about NCCA Accreditation, please see the Question below regarding NCCA.

  • If I acquire the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification can I work in any state in the USA or province in Canada?

    • Yes. In the USA and Canada personal training is regulated by the industry and not by legislation. That means employers dictate which credentials are respected (unless independently employed). The Brookbush Institute CPT is widely recognized and respected in the industry, but every employer has their individual preferences. If you have a particular employer you wish to work for, we recommend reaching out to that employer. If the Brookbush Institute CPT does not give you the best chance of being hired, ask them which certification they prefer, and then weigh the costs and benefits.
    • If you are independently employed, your choice of certification is dictated by your ability to acquire liability insurance. We have liability insurance partners that offer a discounted rate to Brookbush Institute certified professionals:
      • United States - https://insurefitness.com/partners/brookbush
      • Canada - www.ineedapolicy.com

  • Can I get liability insurance upon completion of the CPT certification?

    Yes, in fact we even have liability insurance partners that offer a discounted rate to Brookbush Institute certified professionals:

    • United States - insurefitness.com/partners/brookbush
    • Canada - www.ineedapolicy.com
    .

  • Is your certification accredited by the NCCA?

    There is a common misconception that the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is an accreditor of Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certifications. They are not. They accredit testing procedures. Despite claiming to be a 3rd party accreditor of certifications, the NCCA does not evaluate the quality or delivery of content. A small percentage of certifications in the industry have acquired NCCA accreditation, but this only reflects that these certifications have developed tests using NCCA specific criteria. We believe that the NCCA, and some institutions accredited by the NCCA, use the misconception that “NCCA accreditation” relates to the quality of content, to imply that other certifications are less valid. This is at best unfortunate, and at worst may represent unfair business practices.

    Before we continue, it is important to note that we support the idea of accreditation and have been accredited by nearly 20 organizations. We support attempts to enforce minimum standards of education quality, but we draw the line when an accrediting body tries to impose a rule or regulation that will detract from a student’s learning experience. Most often this relates to extremely high application fees for small markets (e.g. the Ohio State Board of Physical Therapy, or the Canadian Athletic Therapy Association expecting nearly $20,000/year), however, occasionally accreditors either intentionally or unintentionally add a rule that would create an obstacle for students. We did start the NCCA accreditation process, but had to withdraw when we realized that many of the NCCA policies would force the Brookbush Institute to change the platform in ways that would reduce the quality of education, and/or detract from our mission to increase the access, convenience and affordability of education. Those issues are discussed below.

    First, and perhaps most importantly, the NCCA does not evaluate the content of any CPT certification. They only impose regulations with the intent of improving the “fairness” of exams (although, this is also questionable, and discussed below). Read that again. It is very possible to create an NCCA accredited exam, that assesses the knowledge of horrible content. For this reason, many of the accreditations we have achieved to validate our offering of continuing education credits (CEC) to our colleagues, should likely be held in higher regard. Many of these accreditations not only review course development processes, but content of individual courses. This includes, but is not limited to, accreditations like the BOC (NATA), FSBPT (ProCert), the Australian Physiotherapy Council, REPS Ireland, CIMSPA, Fitness Australia, etc. Based on our knowledge of the course content of many of the “NCCA accredited” CPT Certifications, we are willing to bet that fewer than half could pass more than one of the accreditations previously listed, and only a couple would have a chance at passing all of them. This is a profoundly serious issue. Having the NCCA accreditation results in the presumption of quality content, but if the content of many of these certifications was critiqued using standard instructional design review, most would not pass.

    Perhaps the largest issue with NCCA accreditation, is their intent to create separation between content developers and assessment/test creators. This means your best educators and content developers cannot participate, or be trained to write test questions for the content they have developed. Many people do not realize that writing a good multiple-choice question, and a good exam, are skill sets associated with an individual’s knowledge and ability as an educator. Great exams are learning experiences unto themselves. A professionally written exam should leave the student with a feeling that the exam fairly assessed their knowledge and clearly highlighted areas that need improvement. Further, a great exam can serve the purpose of giving a dedicated educator one more chance to reinforce material. This can be done by writing questions that give weight to the most important topics, highlight common areas of confusion with well written distractors, and even clarify certain topics by writing questions in a way that force a student to think about a problem in a particular way. A great multiple-choice question is relevant, inspires thought, and challenges a student with a question and choices that they are likely to face in the real world.

    If the previous paragraph was too theoretical, or idealistic, then perhaps we can consider something simple, like “clarity.” Expressing ideas and writing with clarity is a skill that takes years of practice. Just ask any writer how hard it is, how much practice it takes, and how much time they spend trying to express their ideas in a way that bridges the gap between the writer’s intent and the reader’s understanding. It is not easy to write an exam question that is clear and concise. That is, write a test question that tests a student’s knowledge and not their ability to comprehend a poorly written question. A perfectly clear question leaves no room for confusion about what is being asked. We want to ensure that the reason a question is answered correctly or incorrectly is 100% dependent on the student’s knowledge of the topic. That is, the correct answer is clear, and each distractor (wrong answer) would “bait” individuals who do not deserve to pass, based solely on their knowledge. Every question that is answered incorrectly by an individual who has the pre-requisite knowledge, is likely to be an issue with how well the question was written.

    To increase “fairness” the NCCA demands that the content creators are not involved in exam writing, forcing the writing of exams to be outsourced. Considering the number of individuals whom the Brookbush Institute (BI) has interviewed, hired and trained for the BI writing team, we can say with near certainty, that the number of individuals with a combination of professional experience in the field and experience writing quality exams is prohibitively small. And, those who do have this combination of skills are likely to be very expensive to recruit. Most companies handle the outsourcing by recruiting volunteers who may have significant experience in the field, but are unlikely to have any knowledge of education theory, item (multiple-choice question) writing, or even experience with technical writing. So, despite that the NCCA means well, in their desire to create "fair" examinations, they have created a policy that forces certification companies to either accept exam questions written by individuals with no exam writing experience, or increase education costs to recruit the few individuals with dual experience. I am not sure how the NCCA considers low quality questions and increased cost to students “more fair”. Is it any wonder why so many of the certification exams in the industry are so poorly written?

    We should also consider whether the separation between content development and exam creation is necessary in our industry. It is likely a mandatory prerequisite to have formal exam creation processes when developing a test like a board exam for a licensed profession. Especially, when that board exam is the last step of a degree program offered at one of a dozen, or 100s of accredited (based on content) degree programs. The National Physical Therapy Exam is a good example (NPTE) of a single exam that all entry level physical therapists must pass, even though students are educated at one of more than 200 CAPTE approved physical therapy programs in the USA. Passing the exam is a mandatory pre-requisite for practicing as a physical therapist in the USA, dictated by law. In this case, you want to create an exam that is based on generally agreed upon standards, not biased by input from any one program, and every measure is taken to ensure the exam is fair, because after all, livelihoods and patient safety is at stake. However, this is not how the fitness industry developed. Certification in our industry is nothing more or less than a recognizable “stamp” from a brand or company, signifying the successful completion of a set of brand specific educational content. Certification is not even necessary to work as a personal trainer in most states, as most states do not have any legislation prohibiting an individual from practicing personal training without a certification. What dictates the need for certification in our industry (in the USA and Canada) is employer preference, and the ability to attain liability insurance. This brings us back to the question of whether the NCCA accreditation is necessary. Because certification content is not uniform in our industry, tests cannot be uniform either. At this point, for example, we cannot expect that the Brookbush Institute, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and the American College of Sports Medicine, etc., would have identical exams. Further, the NCCA is doing nothing, and recommending nothing that would aid certifying organizations in developing uniform standards in the quality of content, or the content-centers covered. Ideally, tests are an assessment of the student’s knowledge of the certification content. Since content is not uniform, the best assessments will accurately reflect the learning objectives of the individual certifications. The best way to insure congruence between learning objectives, course content, and the assessment/exam, is for the content creators to write the exam. This is actually the standard methodology throughout education. Consider all the exams you took throughout your schooling; chances are they were written by the teacher’s teaching the course. Again, the addition of NCCA accreditation is doing little more than reducing congruence/validity between course content and assessment/exam.

    It is worth mentioning here, that one of the intents of the NCCA accreditation process, is that competence is the only pre-requisite to take an industry exam, and that a certification cannot force an individual to buy a textbook or course. The idea is that in a world that was “ideally fair”, that competency would be the sole determinant for attaining a credential (as opposed to brand specific knowledge). Although this idea is nice in theory, there are two major flaws with applying it to the fitness industry. First, as mentioned above, content is not uniform across certifications from different companies. Second, the NCCA does not seem to have any interest in policing this policy. If this policy was held as a requisite to maintain accreditation, certifying organizations could not write exam questions specific to trademarked, unique, or creative content. All exam questions would have to pertain to a standard set of knowledge that the industry agreed was essential (for example, exercise physiology, anatomy, kinesiology, etc.). But that is definitely not the case in our industry. For example, if NCCA policed accreditations according to their own guidelines, how does NASM ask about the OPT™ model, or ACE ask about the IFT™ model, or ACSM ask about their specific criteria for risk stratification? We are not implying that these certifications are doing anything wrong, in fact, we believe these are the strengths of those programs; however, we are implying that the NCCA does not hold to their own ideals.

    Next, the NCCA adds many layers of unnecessary bureaucracy to exam creation. They expect that exams are developed from panel consensus, industry surveys, and are reviewed by psychometricians. Not only do NCCA accredited institutions have to accept exam questions from volunteers, but every step of the exam development process has to be approved by a board, based on survey data collected by the certification company, and then has to be tested by a psychometrician for statistically significant accuracy. Further, the NCCA’s policies almost force that all exams are taken at a testing center. Although they suggest that a secure online exam is possible, they also admit that no company has achieved NCCA accreditation without forcing exams to be taken at a testing center. (Note, this is obviously another area they are not policing, as many NCCA accredited certifications do allow online testing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic). Whatever the intent of these layers of bureaucracy, the result is incredibly slow to develop and incredibly expensive exams, that lose validity with every step away from the content creator (presuming content creators are experienced educators and subject matter experts). Forget experienced educators spending 2.5 hours to write beautiful 10 question exams at the end of well-designed modular courses. With this process, it may take months to finish any exam, cost 10s of 1000s of dollars, and the student is forced to schedule and pay for an exam at some inconvenient testing center. And, can you imagine what it would take to fix a typo, remove a question that is confusing students, update a question to improve clarity, or add a question based on a recent course update. As an institution that has nearly 3000 published test questions, we can attest to the fact that changes are made frequently. No matter how well intended or skilled the exam creators, having 1000s of individuals take exams reveals hidden flaws that should be addressed immediately when found. We know that every year, if not every month, our exams improve, thanks to feedback from our colleagues. If the Brookbush Institute went through this travesty of a process that is NCCA accreditation, it would be the end of beautifully written exams, then end of near instant updates to content and exams based on real-time feedback, and because exams would become so expensive to create, it would be the end of short (1 – 4 hour) modular courses with short exams, the end of taking exams anywhere (desktop or mobile), the return of a horrific single-shot final exams, and the end of one-low monthly membership price.

    Some of you are likely thinking, “Why are these issues not more widely known?”. Well, just to find out about the NCCA accreditation process requires the purchase of a $1000.00+/year membership to the Institute of Credentialing Excellence (ICE), before you can apply for the actual NCCA accreditation. Further, our experience with ICE, was weeks of e-mails and messages to finally get someone on the phone to answer questions about whether the NCCA accreditation was the right decision for our company. Not to mention, the attitude of the representative we finally spoke too was genuinely bewildered about how we could question the processes. These issues result in the NCCA, either purposefully or incidentally, hiding their practices behind a pay wall, and “NCCA accredited” institutions having zero motivation to spend the time or money to develop content like this article, because they benefit from the misconception.

    We will continue adding to this article as we continue to battle back against processes that are inhibiting improvement of education in our industry. Until then, we can promise the Brookbush Institute will not be continuing with the NCCA accreditation process, and our members do not have to worry about us changing our platform to match their criteria. Further, our certifications are accepted by most employers, are well-respected in the industry, and may be used to attain liability insurance. Brookbush Institute certified professionals can even get a discounted rate with Insure Fitness in the USA and INeedAPolicy in Canada. A small, humble brag, many large employers were anxiously awaiting the launch of our Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification, because the Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification (launched 2 years earlier) had helped so many of their current personal training staff. We do look forward to continuing to push forward, improving access, convenience, affordability, delivery, and accuracy of educational content in our industry. We hope that we continue to get closer to building the platform we all wish existed, thanks to our wonderful colleagues who have supported us every step of the way.

  • Does this certification count toward level III or IV in Australia?

    We are a USA based company. Many employers in Australia respect our credentials; however, we will need to do more research on how this certification may contribute to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Currently, it is likely best to consider our credential as something unrelated to the AQF. On a side note, many of the courses included in the CPT certification have been approved by Fitness Australia

  • Are these certificates registered with Reps in UK? When I finish these courses will my name be registered with reps?

    Accreditation can be confusing, and questions like this really highlight how convoluted the accreditation industry has become. Our courses are approved by REPs UK and now CIMSPA who is taking-over REPs UK. This ensures our courses are approved for continuing professional development (CPD) credits for registered exercise professionals. However, the regulations around becoming a registered exercise professional are separate. We are not approved to develop, test and certify individuals who wish to become exercise professionals in the UK. We are investigating how we may be able to contribute to becoming a provider of the regulated development of a registered exercise professional in the UK, but we are still in early stages of this work. (Note, we are a USA based company)

  Close FAQs

  Workshops FAQ

  • Are workshops included in the cost of a membership?

    No, live and live-stream workshops are a separate cost from the online membership.

  • Do you offer discounts to workshops?

    Occasionally we offer discounts for live workshops; however, our focus is always on keeping prices as low as possible. Live-stream workshops were originally developed for “leaner” times during the Covid-19 pandemic, so the cost is already as low as possible. Discounts are not offered for live-stream workshops.

  • How do I earn credit?

    Credits are earned by any individual who actively participates in the live workshop, for the entire duration of the workshop. Accreditors will not allow us to give partial credit. If you show-up late, leave early, take a long lunch, etc., you risk losing all credit for the course. Further, live-stream attendees are expected to have their cameras on at all times, and actively participate in all activities (that are not contraindicated due to injury or pre-existing condition). Individuals who refuse to turn their cameras on, or refuse to participate in activities risk losing all credit.

  • When do I get my certificate?

    Certificates are sent by e-mail, generally, within 48 hours of completion of the workshop.

  • Do you offer group discounts?

    For group rates, please reach out to [email protected]

  • Do the workshops count toward certification?

    Yes! The Program Design Workshop (live or live-stream) is worth 16 credits toward the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification. The Corrective Exercise Lab (live or live-stream) is worth 16 credits toward the Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification. For these two certifications, the credits from the workshop are split between the various subject categories. The Integrated Manual Therapy workshop is mandatory for achieving the Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification.

  • How do the live-stream workshops work?

    Live-stream workshops are delivered via Zoom. After sign-up, we confirm your registration via email, and ask for your mailing address so that we may send you the included equipment. A few days before the workshop, we will email the workbook, waiver, and zoom login information.

  • How do workshops count toward certification?

    Workshop credits will be applied to your certification with the following credit allotments per category. Note, anytime the credits added exceed the number of credits required for a course category, those credits will be added to "Electives":

    Performance Program Design (Live or Live-stream) is applied to the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Certification:

    • Introduction to Functional Anatomy - 4 credits
    • Strength and Performance Training - 8 credits
    • Electives - 4 credits

    Corrective Exercise Lab (Live or Live-stream) is applied to the Human Movement Specialist (HMS) Certification:

    • Integrated Functional Anatomy of Muscles - 2 credits
    • Movement Assessment - 2 credits
    • Corrective Exercise - 8 credits
    • Postural Dysfunction and Movement Impairment - 2 credits
    • Electives - 2 credits

    Integrated Manual Therapy is applied to the Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) Certification

    • This workshop is a mandatory component of the certification, and the 16 credits are recognized as 16 credits fulfilling that mandatory category.

  • Will the live-stream workshop be taped, and/or can I watch it anytime?

    The live workshops are specifically designed to take advantage of the unique opportunities of live education. This includes an inter-active lecture style, a case-study approach, and performing the exercises and class-created routines with coaching from one of our marquee live educator. Asynchronous learning, learning anytime and anywhere, watching videos over-and-over, etc. is what membership to BrookbushInstitute.com provides (and at a lower cost). We do not provide recording of our live workshops, because it does not make sense. We would be charging you more money, for experience that is of lesser value, because the use does not match the design.

  • I would like to attend an upcoming workshop and was wondering if I need to sign-up for a membership to BrookbushInsitute.com before I attend?

    No, you do not need to be a member of BrookbushInstitute.com to attend one of our live-stream or live courses. The workshops are designed to be wonderful stand-alone courses. However, to take advantage of this learning format, the focus of the live workshops is trying techniques, application in practice, and case-studies, and as much didactic information as possible has been removed. There is more information than would fit in a dozen workshops available to members of BrookbushInstitute.com, including all supporting didactic courses. This makes the combination of a membership and live workshops a powerful pairing. Further, live workshops count as 16 credits toward certification, which can be completed as a member of BrookbushInstitute.com. In short, although you do not have to be a member to take a live workshop, we recommend it.