ISSA Certified Personal Trainer [day#22]

Back in November, I wrote about taking the first step: enrolling in the ISSA Certified Personal Trainer program. At the time, I framed it as a personal milestone—not a pivot to coaching clients, but a commitment to deepening my understanding and building a solid foundation for True Grit Fit. Yesterday, that step came full circle: I passed the exam.

200 questions. Only 13 mistakes! Nearly 4 hours of intense focus.

It’s an open-book format, and I’ll be honest—without that, I might not have passed. English isn’t my native language, and the depth of material was overwhelming even in translation. The workbook alone is over 700 pages, and the video content spans dozens of hours. It’s not a program you casually coast through. It demands effort, patience, and a genuine will to learn.

I started the course in November and had to extend my exam deadline once—I simply wasn’t ready the first time around. Life, work, other responsibilities… but also a bit of perfectionism. I didn’t want to pass just to pass. I wanted to understand. To fill gaps in my knowledge, to correct misconceptions, to lay the groundwork for something more meaningful than a certificate on a wall.

I’m not taking on clients (yet). That was never the goal—at least not now. What drove me was the need to align my passion with structure. To back up intuition with science. To be able to write, speak, and coach—eventually—with confidence that comes not from ego, but from education.

Was it exhausting? Yes. The last phase of preparation was a grind. Hundreds of practice questions, endless repetition. Realistically, only 15% of that knowledge will be useful in everyday situations. But the rest? It’s what protects people from injury. It’s what separates thoughtful training from influencer nonsense. It’s the difference between guessing and guiding.

This certification doesn’t mark the end—it signals the beginning. The principles I’ve studied will shape the TGF system I’m building. A system that prioritizes individual needs, long-term health, and simplicity over trends and showmanship.

So yes, I’m proud. Not of the title, but of the process. Of staying the course. Of putting in the work quietly. Of proving to myself that I can build something real and useful—not in spite of my limitations, but because I’ve learned to work with them.

As of today, I’m a Certified Personal Trainer. But more importantly, I’m ready to keep learning.