About Our Founder
EMAC Certifications was built to offer more relatable and applicable fitness certifications. Our founder, Erin McGill Mahoney, spent her entire career in the fitness training space. Further, she held executive level positions for other personal training certifications, National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). In both roles, she contributed to over 15 fitness textbooks in 10 years, but saw a gap in both the education being delivered and how it was delivered.
One of Mahoney’s master’s degrees is in sport and exercise psychology. This education and training, combined with 20+ years as a personal trainer, led her to identifying the first educational gap- the coaching interaction with fitness clients. A perfectly designed fitness program is only as effective as the client can follow it. However, the industry places 95% of the education on exercise science. The discussion of how to interact with clients to educate, motivate, and hold them accountable is historically a side note. It’s one of the final chapters in other certification programs as almost an afterthought. Therefore, her mission with EMAC Certifications is to bring the client interaction and ultimate goal of success to the forefront of the education for fitness professionals.
Secondarily, the way fitness education is delivered often misses the mark on helping new personal trainers learn the material. Course completion and exam pass rates are low across the industry. This is in large part because of the scientific depth to which the information covers. But, it’s exacerbated with a lack of linking the scientific information to the day-to-day activities of personal trainers. Therefore, the second goal of EMAC Certifications is to make the education more digestible and accessible. Every concept related to exercise science is linked back to what it looks like in the gym, what it means for the personal trainer, and how the client’s body will ultimately change.
