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ABOUT IFTA

Welcome to IFTA – The hub for Fitness Training Certifications!
We’ve helped train and certify over 30,000 fitness professionals worldwide.

Who Is IFTA

IFTA = International Fitness Trainers Association (formerly known as Interactive Fitness Trainers of America) is a certification and continuing education company established to provide potential instructors and trainers with the basic education and practical skills necessary to become qualified fitness leaders.

IFTA also provides currently certified fitness leaders, trainers and instructors with the tools and knowledge necessary to enhance the professionalism of their existing programs. 

We continue to provide thousands of satisfied members with internationally recognized Certifications.

Our Vision & Mission

Our objective is to educate participants on safe, effective movement and to link health and wellness in meaningful ways.

In dedication to lifetime health and fitness, it is IFTA’s desire to service fitness professionals by giving them the tools needed to develop all components of fitness and wellness.

Our focus is to serve our members by providing the most advanced content and educational programs available.

What IFTA Provides​

IFTA offers training and continuing education opportunities that support your unique lifestyle and fitness goals. Whether you prefer hands-on training or the convenience of online learning, IFTA has something for everyone.

LIVE
EVENTS

IFTA
Certifications

Continuing Education

Renewal
Process

Where is IFTA Recognized

At IFTA, our commitment to excellence is unwavering. We are dedicated to providing internationally recognized certifications to our vast community of satisfied members. With a presence that spans across all 50 states in the United States and over 20 different countries worldwide, IFTA has become a globally recognized institution.

Our status as fully verified and approved by the US Federal Government is a testament to the quality and credibility of our programs. Additionally, our A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau reflects our commitment to maintaining the highest integrity and customer satisfaction standards.

Our global reach extends to Singapore, where we have established a dedicated branch staffed by master trainers, ensuring that our expertise and certifications benefit fitness professionals in Southeast Asia. We are proud to announce that we have gained recognition from the Singapore Health Promotion Board.

Our acceptance extends to numerous esteemed organizations in the fitness industry. Some of the well-known names that trust IFTA certifications include top health clubs like Lifetime Fitness, Rex Wellness Centers, Crunch Fitness, New York Sports Clubs, Lucille Roberts Health Clubs, Family Fitness, many YMCAs, Fitness Connection, GoodLife Fitness (Canada), Monroe Fitness & Aquatics, EOS Fitness, LifeSparks (Singapore) and many other reputable facilities!

Meet IFTA's Founders

Dedicated to providing you with the best experience in the fitness industry, the IFTA founders and executives are knowledgeable, experienced, and accessible to you! Click on the Founders’ pictures to learn more about them!

Shawn Stewart

With a 20+ year background as an owner/operator of large club chains, Shawn brings a wealth of leadership experience and knowledge to IFTA.

Shawn is a featured speaker for IHRSA, and has presented at conferences around the world on topics relevant to the fitness industry such as Sales, Personal Training, Leadership, and Operations. He is a featured writer and business blogger for Club Solutions magazine as well as a member of REX, the executive roundtable of top international health club operators.

A sought-after mentor, leader, and speaker, Shawn is a former Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NFL.

Carter Collins

As both an athlete and a Registered Nurse, Carter brings a unique knowledge base about the human body and how it works to the fitness industry.

She understands that rather than working independently, all of our body systems affect others and that making healthy choices for the total body is the key to wellness.

Carter brings 20+ years of experience to IFTA building fitness programming and leading group fitness departments to success at several chains across the Mid-Atlantic. She also writes for several publications.

Greg Sims

Greg, Co-Founder of IFTA, and now the Director Of Sales, is a Raleigh native, who holds a Business Finance degree. He began as a fitness model, starring in workout videos, and eventually became a Corporate Aerobic Director overseeing hundreds of instructors over multiple clubs.

With 25 years of experience and ACE, AFAA, IFTA, AEA, and AAAI certifications, Greg features in 65+ fitness videos, including 3 international fitness video infomercials.

He's a global presenter, travelling worldwide, including biannual appearances in Singapore. Greg's online videos guide IFTA Certifications, and he presents almost every weekend.

IFTA's Story

IFTA was established in 1993 by co-founders Greg Sims and Jeff Borden. The only internationally recognized company providing both live + online certification for more than 30 years, IFTA is proud to have certified members in all US states and many foreign countries.

In September 2022 Carter Collins and Shawn Stewart partnered to acquire IFTA as a solution to a growing need in the current fitness industry. IFTA is perfectly positioned as a full-service program for the recruiting, hiring, certifying, and developing of top trainers and instructors, providing top-notch continuing education.

Collins and Stewart have worked together for many years growing full-service fitness clubs and jumped at the opportunity to pair their unique skills to grow the well-established, respected IFTA brand to new heights!

Shawn Stewart’s long-standing reputation as an industry leader in sales and leadership training combined with Carter Collins’ fitness programming background and her wellness background as an RN-BSN sets the perfect stage to grow the IFTA brand.

IFTA will continue to be an innovative company designed to deliver the highest quality training and certifications in all areas of fitness. IFTA provides multiple programs for Trainers, Coaches, and Instructors. IFTA will also develop and provide the industry’s highest quality training in Health Club operations including leadership, customer service, sales, recruiting, hiring, safety, and program building.

Meet IFTA's Fitness Training Presenters

IFTA provides your facility, instructors, and members with the most knowledgeable and effective trainers/presenters in the industry.  IFTA has certified instructors in every U.S. State and several foreign countries, including Singapore where we have an IFTA branch.

Each of our Fitness Training Presenters is committed to providing quality education that keeps participants on the “cutting edge” of fitness. Their humor, style and “usable” choreography/information enhances every event. Click on the Presenters’ pictures to learn more about them!

Nicholas Kimps

I specialize in Creativity, Program Design, Sequencing, Inclusivity, Strength, Cross Training, Ayurveda, and Yoga.

JoJo Polk

JoJo specializes in Strength and Conditioning. With a bachelor’s in health and human performance (and as a former arena football player), he has a robust background in both one on one and small group training.

Ashley Dunn

I was a personal trainer for many years, and have taught group fitness for 22 years. I specialize in teaching “Bootysculpt”, a program combining strength, barre and pilates. I also teach mat pilates, bootcamp, strength training,TRX, barre, HIIT and Les Mills BodyPump.

Maggie Donnelly

I'm Maggie and I specialize in group fitness (including Barre, pilates, low impact cardio, and many others), nutrition, and wellness hacks!

Gay Gasper

I specialize in Primary Group Fitness, Cycle, Barre and Pilates Certification, Athletic Conditioning, Core, Yoga, Strength, and Senior Fitness.

Darise Barron

I specialize in Dance Fitness, Senior Fitness, and Primary Group Fitness Certifications. I’ve been presenting for IFTA for more than 25 years!

Da’Ziya Grady

Director of Social Media Marketing for IFTA and specializes in Strength Workouts and lecture series on performance nutrition and exercise science.

Brian Guzman

Brian Guzman has been in the IFTA family since 2005 and has been in the fitness industry for over 20 years. Brian is known for his grueling boot camps and awesome cycling classes.

Course Highlights