- What This Certification Actually Is
- The ACE and BioMechanics Method Partnership
- Format, Assessments and What Is Still Unclear
- Pricing, Access and Portal Routing
- The Five Curriculum Modules in Depth
- Who Should Enroll and Where It Fits Professionally
- Sequencing Your 50-80 Hours
- Credits, Expiration and Maintenance
- Frequently Asked Questions
- This certification is ACE's partner program developed by Justin Price and The BioMechanics Method, awarding the TBMM-CES credential.
- The digital course lists at $749 and includes materials, online assessments and unlimited free retakes.
- There are no enrollment or education prerequisites; expect roughly 50-80 self-paced study hours across five modules.
- Published pass-mark details conflict (70% versus 80%), so confirm the current threshold in your own portal.
What This Certification Actually Is
The acronym "CES" is shared by several unrelated credentials, which causes real confusion for people searching online. This article covers one specific program: the Corrective Exercise Specialty Certification offered through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) in partnership with The BioMechanics Method. If you want a quick orientation on terminology first, our short explainers on what CES certification is and what CES stands for cover the basics.
The credential you earn on completion is the TBMM-CES, short for The BioMechanics Method Corrective Exercise Specialist. It is an online, self-paced specialty course aimed at exercise, health and fitness professionals who want a structured system for assessing posture and movement, identifying muscular imbalances, and designing corrective programming for clients.
The ACE and BioMechanics Method Partnership
ACE's March 2019 article explicitly associates this Corrective Exercise Specialty Certification with The BioMechanics Method, and the current ACE Partner Specialist Program page confirms that the course is developed by Justin Price and The BioMechanics Method. In practice, that means ACE lists and promotes the program, while the curriculum, instructional style and assessment design come from the BioMechanics Method team.
This partnership structure matters for candidates in two ways:
- The learning philosophy is the BioMechanics Method's. Expect a particular approach to structural assessment and corrective sequencing rather than a generic survey of the field.
- The portal you use depends on where you bought the course. The provider's official course-login page routes learners to different Inspire360 portals, including an ACE-specific portal, based on the purchase channel.
For a broader look at how this program stacks up as an investment, see our analysis of whether the CES certification is worth it.
Format, Assessments and What Is Still Unclear
The course is delivered entirely online. Materials include video instruction, digital texts, assessment forms, interactive quizzes and skill-building activities. You need internet access and a compatible computer, tablet or smartphone. To earn the credential, you complete all five modules plus the required course components and assessments.
The provider's current course page confirms two candidate-friendly features: the tests are untimed, and retakes are free and unlimited. That removes much of the pressure associated with proctored, one-shot exams.
The Conflicting Published Details
Here is where candidates should be careful. Two undated portal listings describe the assessments differently, and both are marked "Not Available," so neither can be treated as a verified current configuration:
| Detail | ACE Partner-Portal Listing | Provider Full-Course Listing |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment description | Four multiple-choice exams plus one online practical skills exam | Multiple-choice assessments |
| Passing threshold | 80% | 70% |
| Listing status | Undated; marked Not Available | Undated; marked Not Available |
| Timing and retakes | Current provider page confirms untimed tests and free retakes, but does not resolve the threshold conflict | |
Because the format is self-paced with unlimited retakes, the experience differs from a traditional scheduled exam. There is no testing window to book, which also means concerns covered in our CES exam dates article apply differently here: you progress at your own speed.
Pricing, Access and Portal Routing
ACE lists the digital TBMM partner course at $749. A promotional price of $599.20 was observed on October 6, 2026; the provider's full online course lists at $749. Promotions can change or end, so confirm the price at checkout. The fee includes course materials, online assessments and unlimited free test retakes, so there are no per-attempt exam charges to budget for.
| Cost and Access Item | What the Sources Show |
|---|---|
| List price (digital course) | $749 |
| Promotional price observed October 6, 2026 | $599.20 (via ACE listing) |
| Included | Course materials, online assessments, unlimited free retakes |
| Completion deadline | None |
| Access after completion | Continues; no extension fee |
| Renewal or recertification fee | None |
The lack of recurring costs is a notable feature. Many professional credentials charge renewal fees every cycle; this one does not. For a fuller breakdown of how to weigh the upfront investment, read our CES certification cost guide.
The Five Curriculum Modules in Depth
ACE and The BioMechanics Method publish five module headings on their current course pages. No separate formal exam blueprint or domain percentages were located, so these headings should be read as the preparation curriculum rather than a weighted exam outline. They do not establish exhaustive exam coverage. Our complete guide to the five CES content areas expands on each one.
Module 1: The Fundamentals of Structural Assessment
This is the foundation. You learn how to observe and evaluate a client's structure and posture before prescribing anything.
- Reading static posture and identifying deviations from neutral alignment
- Understanding how structural findings relate to potential movement limitations
- Documenting assessment findings consistently, using the course's assessment forms
Module 2: Understanding Muscles and Movement
Here the course connects what you observe to the muscles and joint actions behind it.
- Muscle function and how muscles contribute to posture and motion
- How tightness or weakness in one area can alter movement elsewhere
- Linking assessment findings from Module 1 to likely muscular causes
Module 3: The Fundamentals of Corrective Exercise
This module explains the logic of correction itself, before you meet the exercise catalog.
- The rationale for choosing corrective strategies given a specific finding
- How corrective work fits alongside a client's broader training goals
- Principles that guide progression and sequencing
Module 4: The Complete Corrective Exercise Library
The most hands-on module, built around the exercises you will actually coach.
- Learning the technique and purpose of each exercise in the library
- Matching specific exercises to specific assessment findings
- Using the skill-building activities to practice coaching and cueing
Module 5: Corrective Exercise Program Design
The capstone, where assessment, anatomy and exercise selection come together into a client program.
- Building a complete corrective program from assessment results
- Prioritizing which issues to address first for a given client
- Structuring sessions so correction supports, rather than replaces, regular training
Key Takeaway
The five modules build in a deliberate chain: assess (1), explain (2), understand the method (3), learn the tools (4), then design (5). If you can trace a single client finding through all five, you have the integrated understanding the assessments are built to check.
Who Should Enroll and Where It Fits Professionally
There are no enrollment or education prerequisites. The course is designed for exercise, health and fitness professionals, so the natural audience includes personal trainers, group fitness instructors, strength and conditioning coaches, and wellness professionals who already work with clients and want a more structured approach to movement problems. If you are weighing eligibility questions, our CES requirements guide goes deeper.
Corrective exercise knowledge tends to be valued in settings where clients arrive with posture complaints, movement limitations or recurring discomfort from training: independent personal training businesses, gyms and studios that sell one-on-one coaching, and wellness-oriented facilities. It is best viewed as a skill-set addition that differentiates how you assess and program, rather than a standalone license. Earnings depend heavily on your market, client base and how you package services; see our CES salary guide and CES jobs overview for context rather than relying on any single figure.
Sequencing Your 50-80 Hours
The provider estimates 50-80 hours to complete the five self-paced modules. Note that these are course study hours, not a written-exam timer or practical-assessment duration. Because the modules build on one another, move through them in order rather than jumping to the exercise library first. For broader preparation strategy, our CES study guide covers the full approach; the plan below is tied to this course's structure.
Structural Assessment
- Work through Module 1 and practice with the assessment forms on a friend or colleague
- Retake the interactive quizzes until the findings vocabulary feels automatic
Muscles and Movement plus Corrective Fundamentals
- Complete Modules 2 and 3 back to back so cause-and-effect reasoning stays connected
- Sketch your own links between assessment findings and likely muscular drivers
The Exercise Library
- Study Module 4 with video open and practice coaching each exercise aloud
- Group exercises by the findings they address, not alphabetically
Program Design and Review
- Complete Module 5 by writing full sample programs from hypothetical client assessments
- Retake any weak assessments; free retakes remove the cost of failing forward
Candidates who want extra repetition on scenario-style questions can supplement the course with our CES practice tests, which are useful for testing how well you can apply the five areas rather than just recognize terms. Our CES cheat sheet is a handy final-review companion.
Credits, Expiration and Maintenance
Completion awards 8.0 ACE CECs. These credits are separate from maintaining an ACE professional certification, so think of them as a bonus for ACE-certified professionals rather than a substitute for any renewal requirement you already have. If you hold an ACE certification, verify how the credits apply to your own renewal cycle.
Once earned, the TBMM-CES credential does not expire and has no renewal or recertification fee. Course access also continues after completion, with no completion deadline and no extension fee, so you can return to the videos and digital texts whenever you need a refresher before working with a new client type.
Because the exam experience here is built around untimed, retakeable assessments, questions about difficulty look different than for a proctored test. Our articles on how hard the CES exam is and the CES pass rate explain what is and is not publicly known; no pass rate for this program was located, so treat any specific number you see elsewhere with skepticism.
Frequently Asked Questions
The credential is TBMM-CES, meaning The BioMechanics Method Corrective Exercise Specialist. It is awarded through ACE's partner specialist program, developed by Justin Price and The BioMechanics Method.
ACE lists the digital course at $749, and a promotional price of $599.20 was observed on October 6, 2026. The provider's full online course lists at $749. Course materials, online assessments and unlimited free retakes are included.
No. There are no enrollment or education prerequisites. The course is designed for exercise, health and fitness professionals, but no formal credential or degree is required to begin.
Published listings conflict: one describes an 80% threshold and another 70%, and both are marked Not Available. Neither is a verified current pass mark, so confirm the requirement in your own course portal and prepare to the higher standard.
No. Once earned, TBMM-CES does not expire and has no renewal or recertification fee. Completing the course also awards 8.0 ACE CECs, which are separate from maintaining any ACE professional certification you hold.