Certified Personal Trainer Course

The goals of the Certified Personal Trainer program are to provide students with the skills necessary for a career as a personal trainer, and to prepare students to take the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) certification exam.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Understand how fitness affects physical and mental well-being, assess current fitness, plan goals, and recognize opportunities in the fitness field
• Distinguish how root words, prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms function to form meaning in medical terms, and recognize the basic structures of the human body and their functions
• Identify the anatomy of, and the work done by, various muscles and muscle groups; recognize tests that determine overall fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility; and identify the typical components of a fitness workout
• Recognize the functions of the digestive, urinary, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems, and identify the major organs and their functions within each system
• Recognize the functions of the endocrine, circulatory, and respiratory systems, and identify the major organs and their functions within each system
• Identify how carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fluids, vitamins, and minerals fit into a healthy eating plan
• Distinguish the ingredients needed to prepare healthy menus; analyze recipes and menus for calories, fat, protein, carbohydrate, sodium, and fiber content; and identify special menus, such as low-salt, low-cholesterol, 1,200-calorie, high-protein, and macrobiotic
• Identify muscles, connective tissues, bones, and joints, and identify their roles in movement; understand the physiology of muscle contraction and the relationship between muscular fitness and overall well-being
• Understand why good posture helps the body to be fit and how fitness professionals can assist clients in attaining good posture
• Recognize the structures of the pulmonary circuit, including arteries, arterioles, veins, venules, and capillaries; determine target heart rate and heart rate range, and identify information resources for developing and maintaining a healthy heart and lungs
• Recognize the advantages of cardiorespiratory fitness, and understand the design of cardiorespiratory exercise programs
• Recognize the benefits of resistance training, and determine safety concerns and appropriate weight loads
• Identify how core muscles help to keep the entire body fit, and recognize exercise routines for core fitness for functional training
• Identify the major structures of the upper body, understand the advantages of having a fit upper body, and identify various programs and exercises to enhance upper-body fitness
• Identify the major structures of the lower body, understand the advantages of having a fit lower body, and identify various programs and exercises to enhance lower-body fitness
• Recognize the benefits of increased flexibility, compare individual flexibility needs, and ascertain the components of a flexibility training program
• Become aware that sports injuries may hurt for a lifetime, compare and contrast the safety requirements for specific activities, know how to exercise an injured body, and recognize symptoms of common injuries
• Know the difference between eustress and distress, recognize the symptoms and stages of stress, and understand how to reduce stress
• Know how to determine appropriate short- and long-term fitness goals, suggest methods for tracking progress and promoting lifetime fitness
• Identify fitness program designs based on warm-up, cool-down, aerobic, and strength-training components, and know how a fitness instructor can cue clients during and between workouts
• Identify common risk factors, signs and symptoms of disease, limitations to exercise, and appropriate tests for measuring the components of physical fitness; and know how to use the findings and data from the screening and evaluation process to develop a needs analysis
• Supply information about the benefits of lifelong exercise for people with conditions such as diabetes and asthma; suggest exercise parameters for pregnant women, older adults, children, and people with lower-back pain; and identify medical conditions that prohibit exercise
• Recognize leadership characteristics that fitness professionals should have in order to be role models and keep clients motivated
• Recognize liability issues facing fitness professionals, identify legal sources information, and assess risks for potential for injury and litigation
• Achieve nationally recognized professional certification as a personal fitness trainer

The advantages of learning at home; types of study materials; types of examinations; accessing and using the features of our website; determining what kind of learner you are; establishing a study schedule; using study tips; preparing for and taking examinations.

Taking charge of your health and lifestyle; assessing your present lifestyle and its effects on your well-being; the benefits of managing your health; the importance of a weight maintenance program; job opportunities for fitness leaders; the personal qualities needed to become a fitness leader.

Understanding common suffixes, roots, and prefixes used to form medical terms; determining the meaning of medical terms; identifying the basic structures and functions of the human body; understanding anatomical position, directional terms, planes of section, quadrants, and regions.

Major muscle groups and the work they perform; anatomy of a muscle; aerobic versus anaerobic exercise; training thresholds and recovery periods; tests for overall fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility; typical components of a fitness workout; training methods for different fitness levels.

The overall function of the digestive, urinary, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems; the major structures within each system; the functions of the structures within each system; related terminology.

The overall function of the endocrine, circulatory, and respiratory systems; the major structures within each system; the functions of the structures within each system; related terminology.

The relationship between calories and energy; balancing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in a healthy eating plan; suggesting foods for individuals with allergies; selecting healthy ingredients and preparation methods; the importance of vitamins and minerals; daily water and fluid intake; nutritional needs for men and women; taking herbal supplements; selecting healthy foods using nutritional tools.

Creating low-fat menus and recipes for clients; identifying ingredients needed to prepare healthy meals; analyzing recipes and menus for caloric, fat, protein, carbohydrate, sodium, and fiber content; interpreting nutrition labels; demonstrating healthy techniques for energy balance and weight loss.

Different types of muscles and their structures; voluntary and involuntary muscle movement; mechanism and chemistry of muscle contraction; bones and joints and their function in movement; performance factors and fatigue; muscular fitness and its relationship to health; muscle soreness and injury.

Health benefits of good posture; poor posture and its effects on breathing, digestion, and other bodily functions; proper posture techniques; assisting clients in attaining good posture and developing good posture habits; exercises that improve strength and flexibility for the spine and core; techniques to alleviate tension and anxiety.

The pulmonary circuit; comparing and contrasting arteries, arterioles, veins, venules, and capillaries; determining your target heart rate and your heart rate range; physical advantages of regular cardiorespiratory exercise; the relationship between lifestyle and blood pressure; factors that contribute to heart and lung disease; information resources for developing and maintaining a healthy heart and lungs.

Exercise mode, duration, frequency, and intensity; advantages of cardiorespiratory fitness; comparing and contrasting cardiorespiratory exercise regimens; calculating resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, heart rate reserve, and training intensity; exercise plan progression; designing cardiorespiratory exercise programs.

Advantages of resistance training; traditional resistance training routines; practicing safe training methods; the role of genetics, gender, and age in resistance training; determining appropriate weight loads; effects of muscle overload and hypertrophy.

Core muscle groups and their relationship to overall fitness; exercise routines for core fitness; practical applications for core fitness; basics of functional training; comparing and contrasting posture and stretching exercise routines.

Advantages of upper-body fitness; assessing your level of upper body fitness; practical applications for achieving and maintaining upper body fitness; fitness routines and exercise techniques for the neck, shoulders, arms, chest, and upper back.

Major structures of the lower body; advantages of achieving and maintaining a fit lower body; exercises that enhance lower body fitness; designing and implementing lower body fitness programs.

Defining flexibility and range of motion; benefits of increased flexibility; relationship between poor flexibility and increased injury; identifying individual flexibility needs; structural limits to flexibility; stretching techniques; major components of a flexibility training program.

The importance of safety in exercise; the five commandments of injury prevention; lifelong impact of sports injuries; responding to serious injuries and emergency situations; recognizing symptoms of common injuries; safety requirements for physical activities; designing plans to prevent or decrease injury.

Distinguishing between eustress and distress; the impact of stress on physical health; physical and psychological symptoms of stress; common stressors in daily life; the three stages of stress; the importance of fun and relaxation in relieving stress; reducing stress through exercise and adequate sleep; visualization, meditation, and breathing techniques.

The need for self-assessment; determining appropriate long- and short-term fitness goals; methods for measuring and tracking progress; setting flexibility, endurance, strength, nutrition, and stress-reduction goals; promoting lifetime fitness; proposing a rationale for starting a fitness program; fitness prescriptions for individuals at various stages of fitness.

Planning health assessments, setting goals, and designing fitness programs for clients; creating fitness programs based on aerobic and strength-training components; evaluating fitness workout formats; the six basic body positions; safety considerations for designing new fitness programs; interacting with clients during and following workouts.

General and specialized health assessments; the importance of informed consent; roles of fitness assessment team members; appropriate tests for measuring strength, endurance, and flexibility; active and passive fitness testing.

Partnering with healthcare professionals to provide fitness instruction; exercise guidelines for clients with diabetes and asthma; designing exercise programs for pregnant women; exercise parameters for children and the elderly; typical exercise limitations for individuals with lower back pain; medical conditions that restrict or prevent exercise.

Leadership characteristics of fitness professionals; responsibilities of being a role model; methods for capturing and keeping clients’ attention; selecting appropriate props for exercise classes; creating an environment that reflects the varying pace of workouts; establishing a rapport with clients; communicating with clients at different fitness levels.

Common liability issues facing fitness professionals; forms and contracts required for fitness professionals, facilities, and clients; sources of legal information; identifying situations with potential for injury and/or litigation; minimizing risk within a fitness facility; ethical issues related to the fitness profession.

• Advanced Concepts of Personal Training Textbook
• Advanced Concepts of Personal Training Study Guide
• Advanced Concepts of Personal Training Lab Manual

DVD: Personal Training Technique and Assessment

Supplement: Exam Registration Form for NCSF Certification Exam

Note: Prior to the shipment of the NCSF Certification Package, the total program price must be paid in full. The Exam registration Form that is included with the NCSF Certification Package serves as a voucher for you to write the NCSF exam. When you are ready to write the NCSF exam, simply fax a completed Exam Registration Form to the fax number that appears on the Form. Subsequently, NCSF will provide you with an Eligibility Number and testing instructions.