How Long Does it Take to Become a Strength and Conditioning Coach?

Strength and conditioning is all about improving athletic performance and reducing injury risk. Coaches use strategic exercises and training programs as well as a little psychology to help their clients achieve athletic goals. 

It’s a rewarding and challenging career if you’re interested in fitness, athletics, and working with people. Before you begin, make sure you understand the requirements. You’ll want to know whether you need to be certified and how long it will take before you can start working as a strength and conditioning coach. 

What Do Strength and Conditioning Coaches Do?

It’s important to learn more about any career before spending valuable time earning a degree or certification. It takes time to prepare for a new career, so be sure it’s what you really want to do. 

A certified strength coach works with athletes to improve performance and reduce the risk of injuries. Some coaches work with entire professional or collegiate sports teams. Other coaches work with individuals, both serious athletes as well as ordinary people looking to boost their performance in recreational sports. 

Strength and conditioning coaches are responsible for: 

• Evaluating their athletes’ strength, performance, and injury risk

• Helping clients develop performance or recovery goals

• Creating conditioning and strength training plans to meet those goals

• Assessing their athletes along the way and making changes to the plan as needed

• Guiding clients through their training 

• Providing motivation and coaching strategies to keep their clients progressing

Check out this ISSA post for even more details about what it means to work as a strength and conditioning coach. 

How to Become a Strength and Conditioning Coach

Technically, you don’t have to do anything to be a strength and conditioning specialist. With no official regulation in the industry, anyone can call themselves a coach and offer their services. Of course, this can be problematic, both for clients and serious and professional coaches. 

In reality, you won’t make it very far as a strength and conditioning coach without a few basic requirements: 

• Education. You need a lot of technical knowledge to train clients safely and effectively. This includes an understanding of anatomy, metabolism, nutrition, body mechanics, training plan development and implementation, behavior science, and more. 

• Certification. A credential is the proof that you have an education. This is important for getting hired in a coaching role or attracting clients if you choose to work independently. 

• Experience. Knowledge and certification are essential, but experience is what will make you a great coach. Working with experienced coaches and hands-on with clients is the final step to becoming a successful strength and conditioning coach. 

So, how long does all this take? It can vary from several months to several years, depending on the path you choose. Because there is no regulation, you can choose from among a few different options. How long it takes to complete the path to becoming a performance coach might be an important deciding factor for you. 

Earning a College Degree

The most time-consuming path to becoming a strength and conditioning coach is to earn a college degree. You don’t necessarily need a college degree to become a certified or successful strength and conditioning coach, but it’s a valid option. 

If you want to earn a degree, choose a related major, like exercise science, athletic training, or kinesiology. Some schools even offer a specific strength and conditioning degree. You can find two-year programs for an associate degree or spend four years earning a bachelor's degree. 

There are some pros and cons of taking the college path to coaching. In the pro column: 

• A degree is required for some jobs in strength and conditioning.

• You might be able to earn more as a degree holder.

The downsides to choosing a degree path to becoming a strength and conditioning coach are also important to consider: 

• It can take four years or longer to earn a degree.

• Earning a college degree is expensive.

• If you need to work and earn a living while becoming a coach, you might not be able to fit college courses into your schedule. 

• Fitting in college courses can also be challenging if you have family responsibilities. 

How Long Does it Take to Become a Strength and Conditioning Coach Online? 

One of the quickest ways to become a strength and conditioning coach is to complete an online certification program. It will provide the first two things you need to be a coach: education and certification. 

Most online strength and conditioning programs allow you to complete the course at your own pace. If you move quickly through the materials, you should be able to take the test and get certified within a few months. With self-pacing, though, you can take more time if you need it. 

While the time it takes to complete a strength and conditioning specialist course may be an important factor, there is more to consider. Choose a strength and conditioning program that is accredited, recognized in the fitness industry, and led by experts and professionals in strength and conditioning. 

Start Now, Get a Degree Later

There are many good reasons to earn a college degree if you aspire to be a strength and conditioning coach. It’s not the right path for everyone, though. If you don’t have the time or can’t afford college right now, start with a strength and conditioning certification program. 

Certification is all you need to start working. You can always go back to college later. An online certification course can get you working within a few months. You may never decide to earn a degree, but if you do, it could open the door to more career opportunities, such as a head coach for professional sports teams. Some jobs in strength and conditioning require a four-year degree or even a graduate degree. 

Is it Worth Becoming a Certified Personal Trainer First? 

If you’re looking to start working right away, becoming a personal trainer first will delay the start of your strength and conditioning coaching career. However, it wouldn’t delay it very much, and there are good reasons to consider this path to coaching. 

Being a personal trainer first provides a solid foundation for specializing in strength and conditioning. It will also make it easier to learn the principles and pass the classes in a strength and conditioning program. Also, if you can start working in the personal training sector, you’ll begin to gain valuable real-world experience that will make you a better strength coach. 

As with strength and conditioning, you can become a personal trainer within a few months by taking an online certification course. 

With a foundation as a personal trainer, you can get certified in many different areas of health and fitness. Here are some of the many specialization certifications available through ISSA. 

Strength and conditioning coaches have rewarding, often lucrative careers. They get to work with athletes, helping them succeed and avoid injuries. If you love being active, enjoy sports, and like working with people, this could be the career for you. 

If you’re interested in a fitness career but unsure what specialty suits you best, start with the ISSA’s Certified Personal Trainer – Self-Guided Study Program. This self-paced course has everything you need to get started as a trainer and serves as a foundation for specializing.