Our Brookbush Institute review covers their online certifications with honest, expert advice by a graduate of the programs.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!If you’re looking for superior training at minimal cost, then the Brookbush Institute’s programs for Certified Personal Trainers (CPT) and Human Movement Specialists (HMS) may be perfect for you. The training is head and shoulders above the other leading programs, and the cost is hundreds of dollars less.
You can also sign up for hundreds of hours of CECs approved by many organizations.
Our Brookbush Institute review gives an honest assessment of strengths (“glows”) and areas for improvement (“grows”) for their online certifications. Read below to find out if this is the program you’ve been looking for.
Be sure to also check out our comprehensive Guide to the Brookbush Institute’s Certified Personal Trainer Program!
If you’re interested in objective analysis of improved strength, read our Best Handheld Dynamometer: Comparison & Review.
(Note: The Brookbush Institute also offers a third certification for Integrated Manual Therapists. However this should only be practiced by professionals who are licensed manual therapists.)
What is the Brookbush Institute?
Founded by doctor of physical therapy Brent Brookbush, the Brookbush Institute is a website offering three certifications:
- Certified Personal Trainer (American Council of Exercise approved)
- Human Movement Specialist
- Integrated Manual Therapist (only for licensed manual therapists)
The Brookbush Institute prides itself on creating evidence-based protocols, and doing plenty of myth-busting along the way.
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1. Brookbush Institute Review: Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) Program
If you put the time in and study the material, you’ll come out differently trained than most certified personal trainers. Rather than just pushing clients through the Big Five (bench press, deadlift, squats, shoulder press and pull-ups), the Brookbush Institute’s CPT programs train you to deal with a number of conditions you’re likely to encounter in any studio or gym.
The emphasis of the programming is:
- assessment
- identifying dysfunctional movement patterns and muscular weakness
- designing programs to address these dysfunctions and weaknesses
In short, you are trained as corrective exercise specialist. So if you want to help folks move through pain and restriction into strength and mobility, this is great training to have. (And check out Built from Broken (Scott Hogan) Review and Built to Move Review to get you started there.)
But if you’re primarily wanting to help clients get jacked and skinny, that’s not really the point of the Brookbush Institute’s CPT program. Although hypertrophy, supplements, and fat burning are certainly addressed in the program, the emphasis is more with corrective movement.
So a great thing about the Brookbush Institute’s personal trainer program is that you graduate doing much more than yelling at people while they sling weight and chug protein shakes. You become educated about how to help people move through restriction and pain while increasing their performance and abilities.
Glows & Grows
Here’s where you’ll see what our Brookbush Institute review identifies as the pros (Glows) and areas for improvement (Grows) of their Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) program.
Glows
Evidence-based
From bro-science to snake-oil cures, the health and wellness industry is filled with claims that are unsubstantiated or just false. While it’s certainly true that any number of cures and exercises may be very effective, the Brookbush Institute builds itself out from scientific evidence. For example, numerous studies have shown that a plank with both arms down and a single leg in the air activates the transversus abdominus more than one leg and one arm off. So their progressions move to the single leg off instead of an arm and a leg in air.
Tons of info
The Brookbush Institute articles follow a format with content about anatomy, function, fascial relations, and ongoing scientific research about the part or function in question. This can be dense reading, and you’re expected to understand it for the exam to receive credit for that module.
Excellent video tutorials
Each module also has a number of tutorials. These are great because Dr. Brookbush gets right to the issue (no loooong preambles!). You’ll also find a number of great adaptations and progressions to tailor these to your clients. Most videos also have an enumerated text below them walking you through the process.
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Value for money
In terms of value for cost, our Brookbush Institute review scores the Certified Personal Trainer program very high. The number of hours of quality (i.e., not useless fluff) training you get is high. Brent Brookbush is a doctor of physical therapy, and he informs the program with his clinical expertise, training, and experience.
For about a third of the cost of most CPT programs, you can receive certification as both a personal trainer and Human Movement Specialist (HMS). The focus of both programs is building corrective exercise programs based primarily on analysis of the standing squat test.
That said, if your employer requires certain accreditation to recognize you as a personal trainer, this program may not suffice. In that case, you may want to look into ACE’s program.
Other great glows
The Brookbush Institute’s Certified Personal Trainer program also has a number of additional features that make it worthwhile.
- Very fast feedback on questions and great customer service
- One of the cheapest certifications on the market
- Great for readers, auditory, and kinetic readers
- Division into many modules is great to organize your learning
Grows
While our Brookbush Institute review has plenty of glows for the Brookbush Institute’s Certified Personal Trainer program, there are also some areas for growth.
Missing an Introduction/Orientation
Our Brookbush Institute review finds that a major concern for new members is that there’s no clear overview: where do you start? What is the goal?
VersusPilates.com has addressed this need. Check out our Guide to the Brookbush Institute’s Certified Personal Trainer Program to solve this!
Note about recognition
The Brookbush Institute’s CPT certification is one of the very few that are recognized by the American Council of Education. Most major fitness chains, including Equinox, 24 Hour Fitness, and Goodlife, recognize the Brookbush Institute CPT. The ubiquitous Lifetime Fitness guarantees you an interview if you apply with this certification (which you’d ace, since you’d be 10x more qualified than most of your competitors after completing the program).
Still, a few fitness chains, such as the YMCA, only recognize certifications that are approved by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). While this is pitched as quality control, the fact is that the Brookbush Institute’s program is superior to most of its competitors. (Read Dr. Brookbush’ s argument against this practice here.)
Looking for a quick, widely-recognized Personal Training Certification? Check out why we recommend ACE’s program.
2. Brookbush Institute Review: Human Movement Specialist Certification
The second certification to be considered in our Brookbush Institute review is the Human Movement Specialist certification. This program requires 60 credit hours to complete, and some of the hours can be shared with the personal trainer certification.
Categories & Credit Hours
To receive your certification as a Human Movement Specialist, you’ll need to complete 60 hours in the following categories:
- Integrated Functional Anatomy of Muscles: 12 hours
- Overhead Squat Assessment: 4 hours
- Movement Assessment: 4 hours
- Corrective Exercises: 20 hours
- Gadgets: 2 hours
- Postural Dysfunction and Movement Impairment: 6 hours
- Research Corner: 2 hours
- Electives: 10 hours (credits from the Certified Personal Trainer program can be applied)
The bulk of your time is spent in the corrective exercises. These lessons consist of a long article with an overview of more recent literature, useful anatomy images, and a collection of corrective exercise videos with instructions written below them.
Following each lesson, you must complete an exam to receive your CEC hours and credit toward completion of the certification. The exams are not easy, and it’s recommended that you open the quiz in a new tab so you can consult the text during your test.
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Glows & Grows
This is what our Brookbush Institute review identifies as strengths (Glows) and areas for Growth for the Brookbush Institute Human Movement Specialist program.
Glows
There’s a lot to love about this Human Movement Specialist program.
Tons of Great Video Tutorials
You get access to hundreds of great video tutorials. Each of them is explained clearly and contains great progressions and modifications of basic exercises.
You can easily search for videos in the search box if you’re looking, for example, for ankle mobilization techniques.
Understanding of Physical Therapists/Medical Approaches
If you’re not a medical professional but frequently take and give referrals to physical therapists, chiropractors, and others, then it’s a big plus for you to be able to speak their language. The concepts and vocabulary in the Brookbush Institute’s Human Movement Specialist program will introduce you to the kind of approach used by many medical professionals. This fluency may well increase the number of referrals you receive.
Edgy Stuff
If you follow the Brookbush Institute on social media, you’ll be aware that they’re not afraid of pushing buttons and busting up some myths. They have, for example, presented impressive articles in support of high-speed joint manipulations and vibration technologies.
Being up to date means not only perhaps avoiding practices that have shown to be ineffective in studies, but also taking advantage of techniques and technologies that will help your clients. You’ll get lots of that with the Human Movement Specialist certification.
Get the Best Handheld Dynamometer at the lowest price
- The Muscle Meter by Movement Assessment Technologies has more options than competitors
- Assess strength, range of motion, posture, and more instantly and track progress
- Best value: over $1000 cheaper than competitors
- 2 year extended warranty
- Excellent app with hundreds of tests and measurements
- Pairs with your phone or tablet for dozens of additional features
- Read Movement Assessment Technologies’ (MAT) Muscle Meter Review for full information!
Grows
While all of the lessons are indeed evidence-based, and the authors do make considerable use of a large amount of literature, there’s still some growing room. The primary lack here is that several articles don’t have any references from the past 10 years.
The Brookbush Institute does appear to be updating articles, but you’ll need to do some of your own work to be sure you’re making use of the most recent research for some topics.
Continuing Education Credits (CECs)
The Brookbush Institute’s certifications and the individual lessons are all available as continuing education credit (CEC). For $20/month or less, you can earn as many credits as you like.
You can read about the Brookbush Institute’s approved continuing education credit hours here. And there is special state-by-state information for PTs and PTAs here.
Brookbush Institute Review Conclusion
The Brookbush Institute give trainers of all types (Pilates, yoga, personal trainers) the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the human body and enhance their ability to help clients of differing abilities. The standing squat assessment is at the heart of the program, and participants learn to use this single action to identify areas to strengthen, mobilize, stabilize, release, or stretch.
This is not an easy certification. The articles use anatomical language and you are expected to learn and utilize concepts fundamental to exercise science. But even if you don’t have this background going into the program, you can expect to feel comfortable with the language and concepts used by medical professionals and exercise scientist today.
The articles are well-researched, informative, and presented in a fair manner. But the greatest value for many seeking either certification may be in the video tutorials. There are hundreds of video tutorials showing wonderful exercise progressions and modifications. Most of these require no equipment other than resistance bands.
For just $20 a month (or $200 for a full year), you can earn up to three internationally-recognized certifications from the Brookbush Institute. The Brookbush Institute’s Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) and Human Movement Specialist programs are excellent values for your money, and they will significantly enhance your skillset.
If you’re taking the Certified Personal Trainer program, be sure to check out our Guide to the Brookbush Institute’s Certified Personal Trainer Program.
Get the Best Handheld Dynamometer at the lowest price
- The Muscle Meter by Movement Assessment Technologies has more options than competitors
- Assess strength, range of motion, posture, and more instantly and track progress
- Best value: over $1000 cheaper than competitors
- 2 year extended warranty
- Excellent app with hundreds of tests and measurements
- Pairs with your phone or tablet for dozens of additional features
- Read Movement Assessment Technologies’ (MAT) Muscle Meter Review for full information!
Comments?
We’d love to hear your experience with the Brookbush Institute online certifications! Is there something you’d like to see address in our Brookbush Institute review? Comment below!
FAQ
How much is Brookbush Institute Certification?
You can get qualified as a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) or Human Movement Specialist for $20/month. It is definitely possible to earn either certification in a month if you’re able to put the hours in.
Is the Brookbush Institute Legit?
Yes, the Brookbush Institute offers internationally-recognized continuing education credits for medical and fitness professionals. It is directed by a doctor of physical therapy with ongoing clinical practice.
Are Brookbush Institute certifications online or in person?
All three Brookbush Institute certifications are offered online. In addition, the institute offers in-person workshops (primarily toward the Human Movement Specialist certification).
Does the Brookbush Institute offer a free trial?
Yes. You can get a 10-day free trial to the Brookbush Institute.
