C

Certification

Jumpstart your fitness career with an ACSM certification

ACSM’s four core certification types let you lean into your specialty — whether it’s coaching, leading a community health initiative or assisting patients in a clinic.

Our six specialty certificate programs help you to expand your skillset and take your career to the next level!
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Specialty Certificates

Resources and Updates

Candidate Handbook

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Specialty certificates are educational programs that enhance certificants’ base knowledge, skill or ability to work with clients with cancer, support public health programs and more.

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View ACSM Certification news, read blogs written specifically for certified professionals, access resources and discounts from industry partners and more!

Learn the policies and procedures you need to be familiar with to prepare for an ACSM Certification exam.

GSSI Pre-Conference

The Physiology of Hydration: More Than Water Alone

This session explores the physiology of hydration through an integrated lens—examining how carbohydrate, sodium, flavor, and fluid interact to influence intake, absorption, retention, and performance. We’ll review current research on fluid balance, osmotic drivers, and palatability, highlighting mechanisms that underpin voluntary intake and thermoregulation. Attendees will gain insight into individualized strategies, including sweat profiling and timing approaches, to optimize euhydration and mitigate performance decrements associated with >2% body-mass loss. Practical applications will be linked to laboratory- and field-based research, ensuring translation from bench to field. This pre-conference equips you with evidence-based tools to support athlete hydration across diverse environments and sporting contexts. 

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  • Session 1: Sweating the detail: New insights on hydration considerations for athlete performance
    • Lewis James, PhD, Associate Professor in Human Nutrition in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University
  • Session 2: Functional ingredients in fluid replacement beverages for athletes
    • Lindsay Baker, PhD, Director at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute
  • Session 3: The hydration toolkit: Practical approaches to athlete support
    • Floris Wardenaar, PhD, Associate Professor at the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University