- Description
- Objectives
- Outline
- Materials
- Certification
- System Requirements
- Watch a Demo
Fitness trainers and instructors lead, instruct, and motivate individuals or groups in exercise activities, including cardiovascular exercise (exercises for the heart and blood system), strength training, and stretching. They work with people of all ages and skill levels. Our two level fitness program coupled with Kinesiology will prepare students for a career in fitness training.
Personal Fitness Trainer Level 1
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Identify current trends in the field of personal training
- Recall biomechanics and nutritional needs for fitness
- Define coaching and behavior modification theory
- Identify the steps for an initial client screening and exercise program development
- Recognize the principles for starting your own personal training business
Personal Fitness Trainer Level 2
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Recognize the principles of physiology, nutrition and body composition
- Identify the steps to perform a health screening and fitness assessment tests and procedures
- Recall the basics of exercise prescription for chronic diseases, such as pulmonary or cardiorespiratory disease
- Identify the benefits and risks of regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight
- Recite factors to consider when forming an exercise prescription for patients and population
Kinesiology
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Recognize the basic fundamentals of structure and motion
- Recall how muscles functions as movers, antagonists and stabilizers in the human body
- Recognize the concentric, eccentric and isometric muscle contractions found in the human body
- Name the clinical applications related to key kinesiology concepts
- List the terminology needed to work in the rehabilitation field
Personal Fitness Trainer Level 1
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 1
Introduction to the Field and Profession of Personal Training
- The Fitness Industry: An Overview of the Landscape
- Personal Trainer’s Scope of Practice
- The Backgrounds of Personal Trainers
- Establishing a Solid Knowledge Base
- Professional Work Environments
- Ethics and Professional Conduct
- Client Expectations of a Personal Trainer
- Where Do I Start My Career?
- Rewarding Career Paths
- Continuing Education and Career Development
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 2
Anatomy, Kinesiology and Biomechanical Principles
- Body Position
- Joint Movement
- Musculoskeletal Anatomy
- Joint Anatomy
- Mechanical Laws of Motion
- Vector Quantities
- Power for Rotational Movements
- Muscular Anatomy and Force
- Biometrics of Selected Physical Activities
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 3
Exercise Physiology and Nutrition
- Systems of the Body
- Acute Responses
- Energy Systems
- Oxygen Requirement
- Nutritional Concepts
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Hydration
- Special Food Conditions
- Understanding a Food Label
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 4
Behavior Change and Client Focus
- Challenges of Behavior Changes
- Transtheoretical Model (TTM)
- Health Belief Model
- Theory of Planned Behavior
- Social Cognitive Theory
- Goal Setting Theory
- Helping Clients Stay Active
- Self-Efficacy
- Motivation
- Increase Adherence
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 5
Coaching and Initial Client Consultation
- Coaching Techniques
- Active Listening
- Developing Rapport
- The 5 As Model of Behavior Change Counseling
- Methods of Communication
- Successful Client Relations
- Relationship Marketing
- Power of Nonverbal Communication
- Generating Clients
- Components of the Consultation
- Client Communication
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 6
Screening and Fitness Assessments
- The Screening Process
- Risk Categories
- Exercise Testing
- Medical Clearance and Referral
- Sequence of Assessments
- Heart Rate
- Blood Pressure
- Body Composition
- CRF Assessment
- Muscular Strength Assessment
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 7
Program Design and Resistance Training Programs
- Physiological Benefits of an Exercise Program
- Muscular Fitness
- Intensity, Time, and Duration
- Flexibility
- Anatomy of an Exercise Session
- General Resistance Training Principles
- Program Design Process
- Resistance Training Modalities
- Needs Analysis
- Resistance Exercises
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 8
Cardiorespiratory and Flexibility Programs
- General Training Principles
- Cardiovascular Endurance
- Benefits and Risk of Flexibility Training
- Evaluating Flexibility
- Three Types of Stretching
- Static and Dynamic
- Rationale for Flexibility Training
- Flexibility Development Program
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 9
Personal Training and Advanced Session Components
- Client Safety
- Professional Conduct
- Session Components
- Warm-Up Phase
- Cool-Down Phase
- Neuromotor Training
- Advanced Training Program Design
- Quality Training
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 10
Special Populations and Risk Factors
- Programming for Children
- Programming for Older Adults
- Resistance Training Guidelines for Older Adults
- Programming for Clients with CVD
- Programming during Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Programming for Clients with Cardiovascular Disease
- Programming for Clients with Diabetes
- Programming for Obese Clients
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 11
Business Planning and Legal Issues
- Personal Trainer’s Position
- Business Success
- Training and Empowering Personal Trainers
- Fitness Management
- Starting a Business
- Administration
- Effectively Minimizing Risk
- Scope of Practice and Professional Collaboration
- Comprehensive Risk Management Program
**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**
Personal Fitness Trainer Level 2
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 1
Physical Activity and Preexercise Evaluation
- Physical Activity and Fitness Terminology
- Public Health Perspectives
- Sedentary Behavior and Health
- Health Benefits of Improving Muscular Fitness
- Exercise-Related Cardiac Events in Adults
- Preparticipation Health Screening
- Screening Algorithm
- Medical Fitness Facilities
- Preexercise Evaluation
- Physical Examination and Laboratory Tests
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 2
Clinical Exercise Testing and Interpretation
- Indications for a Clinical Exercise Test
- Conducting the Clinical Exercise Test
- Monitoring and Test Termination
- Heart Rate Response
- Electrocardiogram
- Exercise Capacity
- Interpreting the Clinical Exercise Test
- Diagnostic Value of Exercise Testing for the Detection of Ischemic Heart Disease
- Clinical Exercise Tests with Imaging
- Field Walking Tests
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 3
General Principles of Exercise Population
- Principles of Exercise Prescription
- Components of the Exercise Training Session
- Aerobic Exercise
- Muscular Fitness
- Flexibility Exercise (Stretching)
- Neuromotor Exercise
- Sedentary Behavior and Brief Activity Breaks
- Exercise Program Supervision
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 4
Exercise Prescription for Healthy Populations with Special Considerations
- Child and Adolescents
- Low Back Pain
- Older Adults
- Pregnancy
- Exercise Testing
- Exercise Prescription
- Special Considerations
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 5
Environmental Considerations for Exercise Prescription
- Exercise in High-Altitude Environments
- Medical Considerations
- Rapid Ascent
- Exercise in Cold Environments
- Clothing Considerations
- Cold Injuries
- Exercise in Hot Environments
- Exertional Heat Illnesses
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 6
Exercise for Cardiac, Peripheral, Cerebrovascular, and Pulmonary Diseases
- Cardiac Diseases
- Inpatient and Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs
- Patients with Heart Failure
- Exercise Prescription for Patients with a Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke)
- Exercise Training for Return to Work
- Pulmonary Diseases
- Asthma
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 7
Exercise for Metabolic Disease and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Benefits of Regular Physical Activity for Diabetes
- Dyslipidemia
- Hypertension
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Overweight and Obesity
- Bariatric Surgery
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 8
Populations with Other Chronic Diseases and Health Conditions
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Fibromyalgia
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus
- Kidney Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Osteoporosis
- Parkinson Disease
- Spinal Cord Injury
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 9
Brain Health and Brain-Related Disorders
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Anxiety and Depression
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Cerebral Palsy
- Intellectual Disability and Down Syndrome
- Parkinson’s Disease
Personal Fitness Trainer Module 10
Behavioral Theories and Strategies for Promoting Exercise
- Exercise Prescription
- Theoretical Foundations for Understanding Exercise Behavior
- Decreasing Barriers to Physical Activity
- Cognitive and Behavioral Strategies for Increasing Physical Activity Behavior
- Exercise Adoption and Adherence
- Special Populations
**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**
Kinesiology
**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**
All course materials included.
Upon successful completion of our Personal Fitness Trainer Level 1 and 2 courses, students will be prepared for an entry-level position as a Personal Fitness Trainer in a health & fitness setting and will be prepared to sit for the ACSM national certification exam to become a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT).
Note: This course is not affiliated with, nor has it been endorsed by ACSM.
Internet Connection
- Broadband or High-Speed - DSL, Cable, and Wireless Connections
*Dial-Up internet connections will result in a diminished online experience. Classroom pages may load slowly and viewing large audio and video files may not be possible.
Hardware Requirements
- Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher
- Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended
PC Software Requirements
- Operating Systems - Windows 7 or higher
- Microsoft Office 2013 or higher. Also, you could use a general Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
- Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended
- Cookies MUST be enabled
- Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
- The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
- PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
- Adobe PDF Reader
- QuickTime, Windows Media Player &/or Real Player
MAC Software Requirements
- Operating Systems - Mac OS x 10 or higher with Windows
- Mac office programs or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
- Internet Browsers- Google Chrome is highly recommended
- Cookies MUST be enabled
- Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
- The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
- PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
- Adobe PDF Reader
- Apple QuickTime Media Player