Start or Build a Business as a Personal Trainer.

A Personal Trainer is more often than not a self employed fitness leader who works one on one with clients, providing services that are more in depth and often with a broader scope than what a typical gym based fitness leader might offer. In most countries, there are no legal requirements for being a personal trainer; however, there can certainly be risks and legal liability to consider if you are not properly skilled at what you do. A course such as this will take you well beyond the level of training that an average fitness leader will receive. Amongst other things, this course incorporates Life Coaching training which is recognised through the Association of Coaching. 

Modules

Note that each module in the Advanced Certificate in Personal Training is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

What's Covered by this Course?

FITNESS LEADERS CERTIFICATE

Part 1

UNIT ONE – Anatomy and Physiology and Exercise

Lesson 1. Introduction to Health and Fitness

Lesson 2. Exercise Physiology

Lesson 3. Exercise Principles and Cardio-respiratory Programming

Lesson 4. Physiology: Digestion, Excretion, Physiological Systems

UNIT TWO - Biomechanics

Lesson 5. Introduction to Biomechanics: The skeleton and muscles

Lesson 6. Biomechanics and Risk

Lesson 7.  Aquafitness, exercise, routines, and equipment

PART 2

UNIT THREE – Program Design and Performance

Lesson 8. Fitness Program Design

Lesson 9. Delivering A Fitness Program

Lesson 10. Ergogenic Aids to Performance

UNIT FOUR – Safety, Injury, and Body Physiology

Lesson 11. Regulating Body Physiology

Lesson 12. Safety, Injury and General Wellbeing

Lesson 13. Fitness Programs for Special Groups

Practicum: Undertake 40 hours of practical at an approved fitness centre (under the supervision of a reputable instructor)

Note: If You Want to Upgrade -This part of the course incorporates Exercise and Fitness Knowledge Level 1 and 2 in the U.K; and ALSO the Australian certificates III and IV in Fitness. ACS has articulation arrangements with partner colleges in both Australia and the UK which allows graduates to obtain accredited fitness leader qualifications in either country (A small amount of additional work and extra fees will apply to upgrade and obtain additional, accredited qualifications).

MOTIVATION

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • Describe the nature and scope of motivation, and identify the differences between people that distinguish the application of motivational skills to achieve a successful outcome
2. Awareness
   • Explain the significance of knowledge and understanding to motivation.
3. Tangible Rewards
   • Explain the effect of Tangible Rewards (eg: Money, Services, Goods) as a major motivator.
4. Intangible Rewards
   • Explain the effect of intangible Rewards (eg: Security, Ethics, Gratitude, Belief Systems/Religion, Peer Pressure) as a major motivator.
5. Negative Motivators
   • Explain how actions can be motivated by negative motivators (eg. Pain, Suffering, Discipline, Threats), and distinguish this type of motivation from that achieved through positive motivators.
6. Initiating Motivation
   • Explain how to initiate motivation with an individual or group for a situation not previously confronted.
7. Maintaining Motivation
   • Explain how motivation can be maintained or increased in both successful and unsuccessful environments.
8. Applications
   • Identify a wide range of situations where motivational skills can be applied, and determine an appropriate way to initiate and maintain motivation in each of those situations.

LIFE COACHING

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • nature of life coaching
   • cognitive behaviour therapy
   • different approaches
   • the scope of life coaching.
2. Individual Perception
   • psychology of self-perception
   • perceptual barriers
   • motivating clients to challenge their perceptions.
3. A Well Balanced Life
   • the inter-relationship between psychology and physiology
   • stress
   • the psychology of balance.
4. Coaching Processes
   • key coaching processes
   • assessment of the client's situation
   • dealing with emotions
   • setting goals
   • replacing negative habits with positive ones
   • leadership qualities in a life coach
   • imagination and enthusiasm
   • clarifying goals
   • recognition of limitations.
5. Coaching Skills
   • understanding the communication process
   • body language
   • communication barriers
   • listening skills
   • assessing learning styles.
6. Coaching and physical well-being
   • human nutrition
   • important factors in nutrition
   • physical well-being.
7. Coaching and psychological well-being
   • the psychology of self-esteem
   • stress management programme
   • identifying stressors.
8. Coaching Success
   • high achievement
   • coaching success
   • career guidance
   • managing your money
   • beginning a business.
9. Goal Setting
   • values
   • aims and goals
   • types of goals
   • planning
   • future goals
   • steps for sucessful goal achievement
   • effort and attribution.
10. Review and Adjustment
    • indications that a programme needs to be reassessed
    • client's lack of confidence
    • personality clash
    • over-achievers
    • health and safety issues.

INDUSTRY PROJECT OR WORK EXPERIENCE

This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award.

There are two options available to you to satisfy this requirement:

Alternative 1.

If you work in the industry that you have been studying; you may submit a reference from your employer, in an effort to satisfy this industry (ie. workplace project) requirement; on the basis of RPL (ie. recognition for prior learning), achieved through your current and past work experience.

The reference must indicate that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.

Alternative 2.

If you do not work in the relevant industry, you need to undertake a project as follows.

Procedure for a Workplace Project

This project is a major part of the course involving the number of hours relevant to the course (see above). Although the course does not contain mandatory work requirements, work experience is seen as highly desirable.

This project is based on applications in the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

Students will design this project in consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide suitable references from employers that show they have already fulfilled the requirements of this project.

For courses that involve more than 100 hours, more than one workplace project topic may be selected. For example, 200 hours may be split into two projects each of 100 hours. This will offer the student better scope to fulfill the needs of their course and to meet the number of hours required. Alternatively, the student may wish to do one large project with a duration of 200 hours.

Students will be assessed on how well they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their negotiations with their tutor. During each 100 hours of the project, the students will present three short progress reports. These progress reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission. The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.

If the student wishes to do one large 200 hour report, then only three progressive reports will be needed (however the length of each report will be longer).

ELECTIVES

These are designed to build extra skills which compliment job in fitness, personal training, sports or coaching.