National Academy of Sports Medicine Reviews 87

NASM is the devil incarnate. I mean how can an organization so monopolistic and ineffectual that it masquerade as a non-profit, for the greater good, industry defining standard? HELLLLLLLL

I am very disappointed with my experience with NASM regarding their NASM One subscription.

I was locked into a one-year subscription with zero prior notice. This was done at 9:30 PM after business hours, when I had no ability to reach anyone or do anything about it. When I saw the email the next morning at 6 AM, I immediately emailed the company—timestamped before they even opened—stating that I wanted to cancel. I was then told that I was too late, that nothing could be done, and that I was now locked in for the entire year at $38 per month ($456 total).

I went through my credit card company, provided all documentation, and they ruled in my favor, determining that there was no proper advance notice and that my attempt to cancel was valid. I have now been refunded for the past FIVE MONTHS, yet NASM still refuses to cancel my account and continues attempting to bill me.

At this point, I am being charged month after month despite a dispute that has already been resolved in my favor. My credit card company continues to side with me, yet NASM continues to push charges through.

I cannot get in touch with a real person. My emails go unanswered, and no one is taking responsibility for resolving this.

This is a terrible way to treat your members. I have been with NASM for nearly 20 years, and I am honestly disgusted by the way this has been handled and the complete lack of response.

I will continue to dispute these charges every month until my subscription is canceled and the billing stops.

I would strongly recommend that others avoid participating in this subscription program. Based on my experience, it is not worth the cost, and the way it is managed raises serious concerns. There is a reason this company has a 1.7 rating—they are taking advantage of their members.

Shame on you NASM for taking advantage of people who have been loyal to your company for years.

This company is horrible - I would not recommend using them to get certified. There are a plethora of other companies out there to learn personal training and nutrition from. This company is way overpriced, customer service is only helpful when you call directly; otherwise, forget about it. They give you little to no time to complete the course work and take the exam. There are those of us with day jobs and it is next to impossible to complete 23 incredibly dense chapters with a 40 to 50 hour work week. But they know this and so I find this to be quite deceptive. I will be looking to other companies for similar certifications. This one is not it.

NASM programs are amazing! Actually, NASM is one of the best sources these days that offers science backed education and a leading organization that has contributed to the Fitness’s industry for decades. 5 Stars!

Great Customer Service, high quality program.

1. I HAD to file a complaint with the FTC for deceptive marketing and horrendous business practices. I will NEVER do business with NASM again after certification, and I will divert as much business to competitors as possible.
2. They have hidden fees and onerous rules for taking an accreddited test.
3. They a brand name, they're not the best in the fitness game and have plenty of other competitors like: NSCA, ACSM and ACE for personal trainer certs, and PN1 for Nutrition.

Be careful with this company, they have very fishy practices and will charge you fees and finding information is very difficult. I asked if my renewal was good to go and they told me it was all done. I find out months later it was never done, I had to pay a late fee and they said I was lucky they waived the grace period. This was after paying a lifetime renewal. I asked all the questions, was specifically told my renewal was good to go and done.. months later I find out my certification is expired as I am submitting paperwork to a job. I emailed them and received no email response back, which is typical.

Це хуйня а не курс. Яка забере дохера вашого часу і грошей, а не дасть майже ніхуя. А люди на відео будуть тупі і награні. В матеріалі дохуя води. Це ппц яка я розстроєна цим курсом

Truly the worst customer service in the world. Content is basic at best. this company is a scam and produces short sighted poorly informed trainers.

I passed my NASM certification exam in March 2024 after purchasing a $1,500 program. It was one of the hardest exams I’ve taken, and I was proud to earn it.

In February 2026, I was charged for a duplicate CPR course. I was never able to access the CPR exam despite multiple attempts. I contacted NASM support to resolve the issue, but the problem was not fixed.

Because I was twice charged for a service I could not access, my cc company reach out to me about the double charge on the same day asking if I was disputing this.

NASM then suspended my entire account due to the dispute. All for 54.00, I got locked out of my account with no warning! As of March 2, 2026, my certification has now expired while my account remains locked.

I have requested temporary reinstatement while the billing dispute is under review, but I was informed the bank process could take up to 90 days. In the meantime, I have no access to my credentials.

This is deeply concerning for a professional certification organization. A billing error should not result in loss of access to earned credentials, especially when the issue originated from inability to access a purchased course.

I am still seeking resolution and reinstatement. This affects my ability to earn money, not to mention time and stress taken from me dealing with their outsourced customer service and no one to help me! This is unacceptable and truly not the high standard leading company NASM claims to be!

Misleading Auto-Renewal Practices – Extremely Disappointed

I am very disappointed with my experience with NASM regarding their NASM ONE subscription.

On January 29, 2026, the exact day my subscription auto-renewed, I called to cancel and request a refund. I was told by the representative that I needed to wait until February to cancel. Trusting that information, I called back on February 25 — only to be told that my subscription cannot be cancelled until January 2027.

NASM’s own Terms and Conditions state there is a seven-day refund period following purchase. I attempted to cancel on the day of renewal — well within that window. Instead of processing the cancellation, I was instructed to delay action, which conveniently pushed me outside of the refund period.

As a result, I am now being charged $38.41 per month ($460.92 total) for a subscription I attempted to cancel immediately — one I no longer want or need.

For a company that positions itself as a leader in professional education, this experience raises serious concerns about transparency and ethical billing practices. I cannot recommend NASM based on this experience, and I strongly encourage other customers to carefully review auto-renewal terms and document any cancellation attempts.

STAY FAR AWAY! By far the worst customer service I have ever dealt with. They rarely respond and when they do they ask for information. Once you provide the information they never respond again. Rinse and repeat over and over. I have emailed at least a dozen times now. Most didn't get a response. The 4 times they responded all asked for the same information. Each time I provided that information they failed to respond again. Been doing this pattern since Dec 2025.

Paid more money and went with the ‘Gold Standard’ level of personal training course/certificate. Learned essentially nothing about properly training someone… didn’t learn anything about putting together programs, how to structure programs, programs and technique for different body types and different goals, nothing about lifting technique or form… I really don’t know what I paid for… I know how to run a few drills and how the intestines work. Great. Thanks NASM.

I enrolled in the Health and Wellness Coaching certification. I ended up getting pregnant and while on maternity leave didn't access any of the course content. My exam window closed while on leave and the company didn't send me any reminder or notification that my one year window was closing. I reached out explaining my situation and asked for an extension even if only a couple of months to take the exams. They offered to open it for $400!!!! Mind you these classes cost me nearly $2k!!!! I reached out to my "program advisor" who said she couldn't help. I've never heard of such poor program management especially when people have life changing circumstances. Of course, I could pay to extend this window, but with how much i already paid, I couldn't justify the additional cost. I wish I would have done more research before going with them. AVOID this company at all costs.

NASM is hands down one of the worst companies to deal with. Every previous one-star review is accurate. They only want your money, and their customer service is atrocious. Avoid this dog water company at all costs.

I enrolled in a NASM program but needed to withdraw due to serious personal circumstances. I emailed support to request withdrawal and provided the required information. NASM later claimed they never received my emails and said my account was past due.
When I re-sent the same emails and proof during a live support interaction, the representative again said she “didn’t receive them,” even though I sent them in real time. I have timestamped email records showing what I sent and when.
Instead of helping me find a solution, NASM added hurdles (paperwork and documentation I had already provided) and continued to treat my account as delinquent. The experience felt predatory and designed to block withdrawals rather than support students during hardship.
If you’re considering NASM, be aware that the cancellation/withdrawal process may be extremely difficult even with proof, and customer service may deny receiving documentation you’ve sent multiple times.

bad company, bad service.. scam

This is a huge waste of money and your time, they truly - as mentioned in the reviews before, only want your money, the course sucks, the tests are meaningless.

The gyms are terrible to work for, you'll be better working on your own, if you're able to sell.

Do something else in your life, and if you care about fitness, study it but don't waste your money on certifications like this,
all of this is only sales - for meaningless courses.

WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!!!!
I regret joining this company with everything. They are quick to help take your money but if you change your mind, they are IMPOSSIBLE to get ahold of and super rude. They have a 7 day return policy so it's impossible to have made up your mind by then. I got sick after joining and they want documentation that almost near impossible to get before you're able to cancel and they still can reject that. Im in tears because this is the worst experience I've ever had with a company in my entire life!!!!!!

I purchased the AFAA group exercise certification packet, found out that their AFAA group exercise certification is no longer accredited, the sales rep did not share that information with me. When I found out, i requested my money back, they said I had to wait 15 days before they could credit my money back, needless to say it has been 15days and I still have not gotten my back. When I requested my money back again they said I needed to wait 15 days. I don't have money like that to just give away. This is BAD business!!!! I will continue writing reviews until I get my money. I am mad and angry at company who does not HONOR their word. I can not afford to give money for free. Not only did you not share that you lost your accreditation, but you didn't honor your word in reference to my refund.