The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), a global leader in fitness and wellness certifications, today announced enhancements to its Certified Nutrition Coach (CNC) course, introducing new practical resources designed to help fitness and wellness professionals bridge the gap between nutrition knowledge and real-world client coaching.
As client expectations continue to evolve, nutrition guidance is becoming a baseline part of the fitness professional’s role.
According to NASM’s 2026 State of the Personal Trainer Report:
- 43% of personal trainers are asked about nutrition by clients at least weekly.
- 65% are likely to expand their services beyond workouts into areas such as sleep, recovery, and life coaching over the next three years.
- The research also found that trainers earning more than $100,000 annually are 2.5 times more likely to generate revenue from nutrition coaching, highlighting the growing value of services that support clients beyond exercise programming alone.
At the center of the update is the new NASM Nutrition Coaching Manual, a practical field guide designed to support coaches across the full coach-client lifecycle. The manual includes 15 templated client sessions, communication resources, and structured workflows covering client intake, initial consultations, ongoing coaching, common challenges, and client exit or re-engagement.
The framework gives newly certified professionals a clearer starting point for working with their first clients, while allowing experienced coaches and trainers to adapt the resources to their established coaching styles. By helping professionals structure sessions, evaluate progress, navigate client challenges, and deliver a more consistent experience, the manual is designed to reduce uncertainty between earning a certification and putting that knowledge into practice.
Additional enhancements include the NASM Foundations of Nutrition Coaching, 2nd Edition e-textbook, developed to the same production standard as NASM’s flagship Certified Personal Trainer textbook, and a structured Nutrition Coaching Study Guide to support learning, exam preparation, and long-term reference. For learners with an entrepreneurial focus, Certified Nutrition Coach Premium Self-Study expands its business-building resources with access to NASM Nutrition Coaching Perspective Videos, featuring interviews with practicing nutrition coaches who share how they structure sessions, build client relationships, create career opportunities, and develop confidence in the field.
“The role of today’s coach extends well beyond delivering workouts,” said Mike Fantigrassi, Head of Product at NASM. “Clients increasingly look to fitness professionals for guidance around nutrition, habit formation, accountability, and long-term behavior change. These enhancements were designed to help bridge the gap between learning nutrition science and confidently applying it in real-world coaching situations. By providing practical frameworks and client-ready tools, we’re helping professionals create better coaching experiences while building more successful and sustainable careers.”
The program enhancements also come as fitness professionals navigate a changing client landscape shaped in part by the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss medications. NASM’s research found that 40% of trainers have sought additional education to better understand these medications, while another 40% report focusing more heavily on protein intake and behavior change in response to their growing use. Additionally, 63% of trainers say they are likely to pursue working with GLP-1 clients over the next three years.
Together, the expanded resources connect evidence-based nutrition science with practical tools that can help coaches streamline client intake, deliver more consistent coaching, strengthen client relationships, and build services that support both client outcomes and business growth.
The new resources are now available within the Certified Nutrition Coach program. Individuals who purchased the current version of CNC on or after January 21, 2026, have also received access to the materials as part of their existing course enrollment.
To learn more about becoming an NASM Certified Nutrition Coach, visit the NASM website.
NASM® is a global leader in evidence-based learning and certifications for fitness and wellness professionals. Building on over 35 years of expertise, NASM programs create a roadmap for fitness and wellness professionals to help their clients achieve better physical and mental performance in athletics and everyday life. NASM provides an industry-first training system, with the Optimum Performance Training (OPT™) model, creating robust courses and content based solely on science-backed research. Learn more at www.nasm.org or follow NASM on Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok.
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