UESCA Coaching Certification Review – A Personal Review

Are you looking to become a certified running or endurance coach and wondering what it takes to get certified –or even IF you should become certified? 

Well, have you heard of UESCA before? If you have, you might still be deciding whether the certification is worth the price tag. 

OR maybe you’re just looking to up your scientific background in your favorite endurance sport (like running or cycling) and wondering if UESCA is true to its scientific backed claims. 

In this UESCA coaching certification review, I’ll introduce: 

• What UESCA is
• Why UESCA is different than other coaching programs out there
• If the certifications are right for you
• What the course content is like
• Tips and tricks for the final exam.

UESCA (United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy) touts itself as an endurance sports education company. Most of the people taking their courses are trying to achieve some type of coaching certification. 

A certification from a reputable company such as UESCA shows prospective clients that you’ve invested time and money into learning your craft. 

But the certification is only a tiny part of the story.

However, just because research deems a training practice to be ideal does not necessarily mean that it is practical. Our team ensures that science-based training methodologies are applicable in real world training environments.

UESCA educational material focuses on well-proven scientific back solutions. You can improve your scientific knowledge, then apply practical solutions directly with your clients! 

Technically no! But it can help. 

If you’re just starting your coaching business, how can people trust you have the knowledge and know-how to train them safely and effectively? A certification can help with that. 

Maybe you’ve been training individuals for a while but want to update your knowledge with science-backed solutions. The educational material inside this certification program is a great tool to add to your toolbox.

Now, having a certification doesn’t mean you have to go and coach straight away, either! You may just be an avid sportsperson looking to up your knowledge to improve your performance!

But there are more perks than a simple certificate and education.

Discounts from various sporting goods and services. As athletes, we wear through gear quickly. So getting discounts is a huge bonus. In the past, I’ve used discount codes to get Altra deals, Ultra-Aspire packs, and training software and saved a bunch of money!

Help with purchasing coach liability insurance. Insurance is paramount when running a company. And coaching is no different. But knowing which company to go with is nearly impossible. UESCA keeps us up-to-date with the best options.

Access to a Facebook UESCA Coaches group. Maybe you’re stuck with an athlete’s issue and need advice, or you’re looking for coaching business advice. It’s likely that someone else has been through it and is willing to help in the Facebook group. A community is vital, and that is where the UESCA Facebook group comes in.

CEU credits offered for NASM, ACE, USA Triathlon, USA Cycling ISSA, AFAA. If you don’t know what this is, likely, it doesn’t apply. But if you do, just know that UESCA certifications can count as CEU credits for many programs. 

I was nervous when I started my ultrarunning coach course. I didn’t know if the subject would be too complicated for me. On the other hand, I didn’t want to breeze right through and learn nothing. 

I am glad to say it was a challenge but completely doable. And I learned a ton!

The course I took had topics on 

• Sports physiology
• Training modalities
• Training structure
• Mental training 
• Nutrition
• Equipment
• Business and Legal

Much of the content was new to me. Each topic is presented like a blog post utilizing graphs, images, and figures when it simplifies the explanation. Small quizzes are offered at the end of the topics to solidify the knowledge. 

For me, the training modalities and structure had the most impact. The material allowed me to assess an athlete and, like Lego, build a plan tailored to improve specific metrics we decide upon. I had confidence in the programs I could create because the structures and plans had been successfully tried and tested. 

You still have access to the material after the course! I’ve often jumped back into the material when I’ve forgotten some physiology, or I want to double-check a plan I’ve laid out. And UESCA is continuously checking and updating the course with any new information that is deemed relevant. 

You must take an exam to pass the certification. 

• At-home online exam
• 3-hour time limit
• Must take the exam in 1 sitting
• Open-book exam.
• Up to 2 practice exams.

In my personal opinion, it wasn’t too hard. 

As long as you’ve focused on the educational material and covered each topic in full, you’ll have no problem.

There are a couple of things that make it easier too. 

• It’s an open-book exam. So you can refer to external material. 
• You can take practice exams with similar, if not the same, questions as the actual exam. 
• If you fail the first time, you can retest.
• It’s a multiple-choice exam.

If I had taken the exam at the start, I wouldn’t have passed purely because I didn’t have the knowledge to answer the questions.

But now, 2 years after going through the educational material, I’m still confident I could pass the exam because the material was well laid out, and the quizzes at the end of each topic drill in the essential information. 

My tip is. If you’re in doubt, take a practice test. You’ll likely know if you can pass after that.

I’d just say go for it if you’re on the fence about the UESCA coaching certification! Even if you don’t use it in a coaching environment, you will learn a lot that will likely benefit your athletic fitness. 

As a small bonus, you can make back some of the money spent by utilizing the coaching discounts for various companies. And you can ask top coaches questions in the Facebook group (even if it’s personal!).