“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
― Albert Einstein
Understanding running, both the how and why, hasn’t bored me yet in the 8 years I’ve been into it. When I heard Dr. Jason Karp speak at IDEA World Fitness Convention, a man who has been running his entire life and written extensively on all aspects of running, it was both galvanizing and daunting. There is so much to know about running, but more than that…to understand. Which is why completing Dr. Karp’s certification, REVO₂LUTION RUNNING, was a must-do. Now that I have, I’m happy to tell you all about it.
REVO₂LUTION RUNNING
Runners/trainers typically want to know if a certification is worth it (the time/money) and if it will help them be better at what they do. Then, the next question is usually, “How hard is the test?” I’ll try to cover all that.
I did the home-study. Partially because I’ve been to several presentations by Dr. Karp already and partially because I wasn’t ready to leave my 5 month old baby for two days. Dr. Karp is a very entertaining presenter. I was pleased to find that his humor and voice comes through in his written material as well.
How It Works
When you sign up for the course at Run-Fit.com you’ll get a welcome email (shows up titled Purchase Receipt in your inbox) with a link to download the course materials. There are about 139 pages of reading divided up into 7 sections. Your REVO2LUTION RUNNING T-shirt will also arrive in the mail soon.
You have 4 weeks from the day you sign up to complete the online, multiple choice exam. There are 100 questions and you have to get 80 of them correct to pass. If you want to know more, here is the FAQs page.
To cover all the material in the time allotted, I approached it as follows:
- WEEK 1: Read Running Physiology and Running Technique
- WEEK 2: Read Running Training and review
- WEEK 3: Read Running Workouts and Running Injuries
- WEEK 4: Read Running Nutrition and Running For Weight Loss and review
Pros
Easy to read. The course material is not dry textbook reading and it’s not wordy-nerdy. This is important, because understanding things like VO₂max is complicated enough as it is for most of us. This course spells it out as clearly as I’ve ever seen.
Usable running science. Compared to the RRCA running coach certification course, REVO2LUTION RUNNING gives you more in terms of running physiology and how that directly relates to training for races.
Women-specific information. The female body works different and responds differently to training. I greatly appreciate the coverage of running and the woman’s body from mechanics, nutrition, to pregnancy, postpartum and more.
Directly speaks to weight loss. These days, the majority of folks who hire a coach or trainer have weight loss as one of their top goals. There are 14 pages dedicated to talking about running and weight loss.
Sample race training plans. For a 5k or a marathon, beginner or advanced, these are helpful to see. This program is not a “run less, run faster” approach.
Cons
No sources sited for research mentioned. I’m used to textbook type material having cited sources when phrases like “studies have shown” are used. Even if I don’t always care to actually look up that study and regardless of whether or not I’d understand it if I did. However, knowing Dr. Jason Karp has a PhD in exercise physiology, a master’s degree in kinesiology, and a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science…I’m inclined to trust he has done his research.
Continuation education requirements to remain certified. While this is pretty typical of any certification, you’ll have to decide if paying $110 per year to be able to call yourself a REVO₂LUTION RUNNING Trainer is worthwhile. Most of the CECs mean purchasing one of Dr. Karp’s books, taking the online exam for it and then you pay a renewal fee each year in addition to that. At least if you’re ACE or NASM certified, some of these CECs will do double duty for you.
Is it worth the investment?
I think so, if:
- You’re a running coach looking for more tools in your tool belt.
- You’re a fitness pro with clients wanting to run races and lose weight.
It is helpful?
More knowledge & understanding is more better. This certification leaves me feeling better able to explain to my athletes the WHY behind their training programs. Many times, a good explanation of how their bodies will respond to their workouts encourages them to stick to the program.
Is it difficult?
If you’re already a certified coach or trainer, it shouldn’t be particularly difficult to read through the material. To pull it all together into a sound training plan, however, is not a given. VO2max and Lactate Threshold are all things runners talk about but I’m not sure how many really understand. If you have trouble explaining these concepts or knowing how to use them in a training plan, then this is what you want.
What about the exam? It’s not a “gimme” exam. The questions are pretty straight forward and use the same terminology from the text. You have 2.5 hours to complete 100 multiple choice questions. I highly recommend that you go through all the questions, answering the ones you know first and writing down the number of the ones you aren’t sure about on a sticky note. That’ll give you an idea of how much time you can spend really working through the more difficult questions. I used up almost the full 2.5 hours because I wanted to get as many right as I could (I ended up getting 95).
Got questions? I’d be happy to answer them.
I’m joining hosts Running on Happy, Suzlyfe, Crazy Running Girl, and Coach Debbie Runs for the Coaches’ Corner linkup!
This was a fabulous review! I have seen the program advertised and didn’t really know much about it.
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner recently posted…Healthier Teeth, Healthier You Brushing Evolved
Thanks Deborah!
I have no interest (or not much anyways) in being a “certified coach” in any capacity for income, but I’m interested in learning the nuts & bolts of the science behind all the “stuff” just for my own knowledge and understanding. Great review! Thanks for sharing 😉
Kimberly Hatting recently posted…Let’s Plank in November!
Well this would definitely be a course I’d recommend for runners interested in the nuts and bolts. It’s immediately useful information. And if you don’t care about the certification, I suppose you could just skip the test-taking part and certainly you don’t have to worry about the CECs! 😀
Very cool! Congratulations! I always wondered about these training programs and certifications. Love how you broke it all down. Sounds like it would be definitely be a worthwhile cert for a running coach.
Jenn recently posted…october wrap + november goals
Thanks Jenn!
I’m very familiar with J Karp but not his Revolution Running Program. Thanks for sharing this info.
This is something I had not heard about, but I am intrigued! Thanks for sharing, Great Review!!!
Congratulations! I have Les Mills certifications in Body Pump and RPM but recently signed up to complete a group fitness certification to make myself more marketable. It stinks to pay for CECs especially when you are not putting it to use. That is where I am at with my ACE Personal Trainer Certification. They are so darn pricey! Hopefully you will put yours to good use and it will be worth the money, Goodluck!
Congrats! Sounds like this would be a great course. We’re reading his book, The Inner Runner for my blog book club this month. I hope it’s as good as his course!
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home recently posted…Runners, We Get Each Other
I am thinking about doing this one summer in July when I have more time. I am RRCA certified already.
Thanks for sharing! I’m always interested to know about continuing education opportunities. I have my cpt and gfi certifications now and I have to make sure I get enough CEUs to maintain them.
I’ve never heard of this running certification. It sounds really interesting. I have thought about coaching as a super long term goal and this seems like a pretty cool option.
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Legend Compression Performance Socks Review + Discount!
It’s definitely going to set you up for being a good coach and a better runner.
Great write up especially bc I have been wondering about this. I coach at a community college, and was thinking about doing Jason’s course to have a certification and be seen as more “legit.” Great info!
Patty @ Reach Your Peak recently posted…New York City Marathon Training Recap