Sport Nutrition Specialist
NCSF Sports Nutrition Specialist
Become a Sports Nutrition Specialist
Sports Nutrition Specialists help athletes use nutrients to optimize their health and enhance their athletic performance. Whether they want to lose weight, improve their strength or reshape their body composition, Sports Nutrition Specialists work with athletes at all levels to apply nutrition concepts for better performance. In this 100% online course, you will learn nutrition concepts and their use in improving human performance. Upon successful completion, you will be prepared for the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) Sport Nutrition Specialist (SNS) exam. Enrollment includes a voucher to cover the exam fee.
Job Outlook for Sports Nutrition Specialist
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts an 8% increase in job demand for Dietitians and Nutritionists between now and 2029. That is much faster than average growth for all job categories. The BLS states that increasing awareness of food’s role in enhancing health and human performance is a driving factor behind this trend.
- According to PayScale.com, sports nutrition professionals earn $46,374 per year, on average. ZipRecruiter.com places the salary range for sports nutrition positions between $31,000 and $77,000 per year.
Sports Nutrition Specialist FAQs
What skills do Sports Nutrition Specialists require?
Sports Nutrition Specialists assess an athlete’s nutritional status and goals, devise nutrition plans to achieve those goals and help the athlete implement the plan. This requires extensive knowledge of nutrients and their impact on the human body as well as specialized assessment and planning skills. Sports Nutrition Specialists also help athletes remain motivated to follow their plans, which requires skills in listening, empathy and persuasion.
Is certification valuable for a Sports Nutrition Specialist?
Sports Nutrition Specialists often work with established institutions such as high schools, colleges or even professional sports teams. Many also serve private clients who expect elite-level knowledge and skill. For these employers and clients, earning a certification such as the NCSA’s Sport Nutrition Specialists signals that you have undertaken a serious course of study to prepare for your professional career. It may also be a requirement to establish your eligibility for employment.
Where do Sports Nutrition Specialists work?
Sports Nutrition Specialists may work in institutional settings such as high school or college athletic departments, professional sports teams, or physicians’ offices and wellness centers. Many also serve as independent advisors to individual athletes of all ages, specialized sports teams or clubs and corporate or organizational wellness programs.
Course Objectives
- Know nutrients and recommended intakes
- Master fuel sources for muscle and exercise metabolism
- Learn about gastric emptying, digestion, and absorption
- Understand how to manage body composition and weight
- Know how to identify eating disorders in athletes
- Learn about nutrition and immune functions in athletes
- Understand nutrition needs and training adaptations
- Learn how to calculate nutrient requirements and manage nutrient-timing to accelerate adaptations to training
- Prepare to sit for the NCSF-SNS Exam and to earn the Sport Nutrition Specialist certificate
- Prepare yourself for a job as a personal trainer, strength coach, or allied health professional
- Better your understanding of nutrition and health so as to become a healthier individual and more knowledgeable industry professional
Prerequisites and Requirements
You must be 18 years or older to take the Sport Nutrition Specialist Exam. You can register for the Sport Nutrition Specialist Exam at any time with the NCSF. Once registered for the exam, you will be provided a unique eligibility code, which allows you to schedule an exam for a date, time, and location of your choice.
You must meet at least one of the following requirements to be eligible to take the exam:
- Hold a current NCSF certification, or
- A current NCCA-accredited fitness professional certification, or
- A college degree (Associate’s or higher), or
- REPs Level 3 or higher credential (individuals outside the US and Canada)
Curriculum
Introductions to nutrients
Discover the fundamentals of nutrition by learning about recommended nutrient intake.
Introductions to intakes
Understand how different bodies need different nutrition amounts and how to properly designate a meal schedule.
Physiological concepts for nutrition
Learn about fuel sources for muscle and exercise metabolism, energy, gastric emptying, digestion and absorption.
Macronutrients
Understand carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water requirements, and fluid balance.
Macronutrients and Supplementation
Cover suitable intake levels for vitamins and minerals.
Nutrition and physiological adaptations to exercise
Complete the course by learning about nutrition and training adaptations, body composition, weight management, eating disorders, and nutrition and immune functioning.
Instructors
This fully online is not instructor-facilitated; however, support will be provided through email, online forms, and phone.
Registration and Enrollment
This course is open enrollment. You can enroll and begin anytime.
Become a Sports Nutrition Specialist
Sports Nutrition Specialists help athletes use nutrients to optimize their health and enhance their athletic performance. Whether they want to lose weight, improve their strength or reshape their body composition, Sports Nutrition Specialists work with athletes at all levels to apply nutrition concepts for better performance. In this 100% online course, you will learn nutrition concepts and their use in improving human performance. Upon successful completion, you will be prepared for the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) Sport Nutrition Specialist (SNS) exam. Enrollment includes a voucher to cover the exam fee.
Job Outlook for Sports Nutrition Specialist
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts an 8% increase in job demand for Dietitians and Nutritionists between now and 2029. That is much faster than average growth for all job categories. The BLS states that increasing awareness of food’s role in enhancing health and human performance is a driving factor behind this trend.
- According to PayScale.com, sports nutrition professionals earn $46,374 per year, on average. ZipRecruiter.com places the salary range for sports nutrition positions between $31,000 and $77,000 per year.
Sports Nutrition Specialist FAQs
What skills do Sports Nutrition Specialists require?
Sports Nutrition Specialists assess an athlete’s nutritional status and goals, devise nutrition plans to achieve those goals and help the athlete implement the plan. This requires extensive knowledge of nutrients and their impact on the human body as well as specialized assessment and planning skills. Sports Nutrition Specialists also help athletes remain motivated to follow their plans, which requires skills in listening, empathy and persuasion.
Is certification valuable for a Sports Nutrition Specialist?
Sports Nutrition Specialists often work with established institutions such as high schools, colleges or even professional sports teams. Many also serve private clients who expect elite-level knowledge and skill. For these employers and clients, earning a certification such as the NCSA’s Sport Nutrition Specialists signals that you have undertaken a serious course of study to prepare for your professional career. It may also be a requirement to establish your eligibility for employment.
Where do Sports Nutrition Specialists work?
Sports Nutrition Specialists may work in institutional settings such as high school or college athletic departments, professional sports teams, or physicians’ offices and wellness centers. Many also serve as independent advisors to individual athletes of all ages, specialized sports teams or clubs and corporate or organizational wellness programs.
Course Objectives
- Know nutrients and recommended intakes
- Master fuel sources for muscle and exercise metabolism
- Learn about gastric emptying, digestion, and absorption
- Understand how to manage body composition and weight
- Know how to identify eating disorders in athletes
- Learn about nutrition and immune functions in athletes
- Understand nutrition needs and training adaptations
- Learn how to calculate nutrient requirements and manage nutrient-timing to accelerate adaptations to training
- Prepare to sit for the NCSF-SNS Exam and to earn the Sport Nutrition Specialist certificate
- Prepare yourself for a job as a personal trainer, strength coach, or allied health professional
- Better your understanding of nutrition and health so as to become a healthier individual and more knowledgeable industry professional
Prerequisites and Requirements
You must be 18 years or older to take the Sport Nutrition Specialist Exam. You can register for the Sport Nutrition Specialist Exam at any time with the NCSF. Once registered for the exam, you will be provided a unique eligibility code, which allows you to schedule an exam for a date, time, and location of your choice.
You must meet at least one of the following requirements to be eligible to take the exam:
- Hold a current NCSF certification, or
- A current NCCA-accredited fitness professional certification, or
- A college degree (Associate’s or higher), or
- REPs Level 3 or higher credential (individuals outside the US and Canada)
Curriculum
Introductions to nutrients
Discover the fundamentals of nutrition by learning about recommended nutrient intake.
Introductions to intakes
Understand how different bodies need different nutrition amounts and how to properly designate a meal schedule.
Physiological concepts for nutrition
Learn about fuel sources for muscle and exercise metabolism, energy, gastric emptying, digestion and absorption.
Macronutrients
Understand carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water requirements, and fluid balance.
Macronutrients and Supplementation
Cover suitable intake levels for vitamins and minerals.
Nutrition and physiological adaptations to exercise
Complete the course by learning about nutrition and training adaptations, body composition, weight management, eating disorders, and nutrition and immune functioning.
Instructors
This fully online is not instructor-facilitated; however, support will be provided through email, online forms, and phone.
Registration and Enrollment
This course is open enrollment. You can enroll and begin anytime.