This series of FitBit CEU tests is designed
to act as a refresher course for all those things you should be
planning, doing and thinking about in order to be a safe and effective
Personal Fitness Trainer. Personal fitness training is not only a
profession, it is a calling, a calling to help every man, woman and
child within your sphere of influence to lead a healthier, fuller life.
This series, “How to Become a Personal
Fitness Trainer” is a necessary reminder of the critically important
knowledge, skills and abilities you must have to meet your clients’
needs.
...........................................................
You must understand your job as a
personal fitness trainer and plan on becoming the best personal fitness
trainer you can be.
Congratulations on your decision to enter
the personal fitness training career field! You are entering a career
that can earn you tremendous rewards; not just financial, but emotional
as well. As is often documented, personal fitness trainers can earn
tremendous incomes, all the while working in beautiful fitness settings
in country clubs, spas and resorts, cruise ships and well decorated
health clubs. But what is not often documented is the high
degree of job satisfaction personal fitness trainers can derive while
helping their clients achieve healthier and happier lives. While the
material rewards often attract individuals to the personal fitness
training career, many of the best personal fitness trainers remain in
the industry not because of the GOLD, but because of the
GOAL! The best personal fitness trainers love the
challenge and rewards of helping their clients achieve their fitness,
health and nutrition goals. The best personal fitness trainers love
helping their clients live healthier, happier and more successful
lives. It is a by-product of the personal fitness trainer’s value to
society that they make such highly lucrative incomes.
Everything in this manual, this course, this
IFPA Personal Fitness Trainer Certification Program is designed to help
you become the best personal fitness trainer you can become. You will
find that there are few wasted words here. You will also come to find
that on a variety of levels, you have been very fortunate to discover
this program. You will soon learn why the IFPA has become the leader in
practical fitness sports and nutrition, education and certification.
You will learn that the IFPA has developed the very best programs in the
world to teach all our students precisely what they need to know to
become highly successful personal fitness trainers. You will find no
academic fluff in these pages. The sciences you are required to learn
here are what you must know to do your job in personal fitness training
safely and effectively.
In order to demonstrate in the clearest
possible manner the precise nature of your job as a personal fitness
trainer, the IFPA went through great time, effort and expense, utilizing
the finest minds in the fitness industry to construct the most realistic
and detailed job description for personal fitness trainers available
anywhere in the world today. The entire project was a painstakingly
detailed process, and while it is not important that you know every step
that was involved in the process, it is critical that you learn the
following summary of the process so you can be assured that you have
chosen the IFPA wisely, that you understand the need to learn everything
contained in this course, and that you clearly understand the knowledge,
skills and abilities (KSAs) needed by the personal fitness trainer to do
the job in the safest, most effective manner.
The IFPA Personal Fitness Training
Certification process was begun with the fitness industry’s most
thorough job analysis. The finest minds in the industry were asked to
develop an extensive Job Analysis Survey (JAS) to determine the precise
KSA needed by the personal fitness trainer. The JAS was sent throughout
the industry to be evaluated. The data collected from the JAS was sent
to the IFPA Consulting Psychometrician, Dr. Michael Brannick, for
analysis. NOTE: Psychometricians have extensive knowledge in
educational and psychological testing and study, as well as psychology,
statistics, and other areas used to set standards for testing and
learning.
The information obtained from the JAS was
used in creating the extensive job description and documenting the
critical KSAs to be taught in this course and manual. A panel of
experts was convened to identify the essential job duties of a personal
fitness trainer and provide input and the KSAs needed in performance of
personal fitness training sessions.
The first task of the panel was to create a
survey that outlined the KSAs needed by a personal fitness trainer. The
second task was to develop a rating scale for the KSAs. The third task
was to identify the population to which the survey would be administered
to, and the fourth task was to determine the format in which the survey
would be administered.
Throughout this detailed process, it was
decided to focus on the skills needed for the “Entry Level” personal
fitness trainer. The entry level personal fitness trainer is described
as: a fitness professional capable of safely and effectively conducting
one-on-one personal fitness training sessions with a generally healthy
client, meaning no medical restrictions to exercise. Clients with
medical restrictions to exercise or with special needs are classified as
“Special Populations”. Special populations are restricted in terms of
the exercise frequency, intensity, type and/or amount of time/duration
of exercise. Examples of special populations are people with diabetes,
cancer, COPD, CAD, CHD, arthritis, osteoporosis, obesity, pregnancy, or
certain diseases and/or dysfunctions. Other special populations may
occur due to age (for example: children, senior citizens, frail elderly,
etc.). Personal fitness trainers must complete separate, more advanced
IFPA course work and certifications in order to safely and effectively
manage the health and fitness needs of these special populations.
Utilizing the process above, the panel of
experts created a job description to better describe the duties and
tasks of the personal fitness trainer. The duties and tasks help
communicate the content of the job.
Job Description
Entry-Level Personal Fitness Trainer
Establishes
ongoing appointments with clients for fitness training sessions. The
entry level PFT should have a clear understanding of exercise
physiology, exercise science, anatomy, nutrition, biomechanics and
exercise safety guidelines as they apply to the generally healthy (no
medical restrictions to exercise or fitness type activities) adult
population. Personal fitness training programs include all of the
following elements:
1. Client Consultation and
Assessment
2. Fitness Testing & Evaluation
3. Program Design (Exercise
Prescription)
4. Exercise Management
a. Exercise Physiology
b. Anatomy
c. Biomechanics
d. Safety
e. Instruction/Motivation
f. Tracking Progress of Client
5. Nutrition Education
6. Exercise Physiology and
Anatomy
Duties and Tasks
(1) Client
Consultation and Assessment
•
Establish client’s health and fitness goals
•
Interview client with Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
to identify if the client is physically ready to exercise-use in
combination with Health History Questionnaire (HHQ)
•
Interview client screening using a Health History Questionnaire (HHQ) to
identify medical conditions that may affect workout
•
Interview client with other forms to learn about diet, nutrition,
exercise, and health practices/habits that might be improved (example:
Lifestyle Profile Evaluation Form)
•
Determine the Client’s knowledge (or lack thereof) of nutrition
•
Prepare to consult, advise, educate client on the fundamental need for
healthy nutrition, nutrition planning and implementation
•
Nutrition education: the majority of clients have little knowledge &
understanding of proper, healthy nutrition. In order for the PFT to
guide their clients to achieve their health & fitness goals, PFT must
educate their clients on nutrition. As a minimum the PFT must be
prepared to educate the client on :
--Macronutrients:
Carbohydrates, Fats & Protein
--Micronutrients:
Vitamins & Minerals
--Hydration:
Healthy Water Intake
--Energy
Management: Caloric Intake vs. Outgo
--Meal Planning:
Frequency & Volume
--Nutrition for
Health Improvements
--Nutrition for
Body Composition Improvements
--Nutrition for
Optimal Performance
•
Explain Consent & Release forms
•
Explain policies and describe the program
a. What Client is to
Expect
b. Rules
c. Payment
Policies
d. Cancellation
Policies
e. Administrative
Forms
(2) Fitness
Testing/Evaluation
• Test
client to compile “resting” fitness data
--Resting Heart Rate
--Resting Blood Pressure
--Height
--Weight
--Body Composition Analysis
--Circumference Measurements
• For
active clients, test clients to establish
--Muscular Endurance
--Aerobic Endurance
--Flexibility
•
Evaluate 10 components of fitness of the client and determine if any
component is lacking:
1.
Strength
2.
Speed
3.
Power
4. Anaerobic
Endurance
5.
Aerobic Endurance
6.
Agility
7.
Balance
8.
Coordination
9.
Flexibility
10. Body
Composition
•
Other fitness assessments: Providing the Personal Fitness Trainer has
developed the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to safely and
effectively administer the following fitness assessments and determine
appropriate exercise prescription, the following tests are recommended:
--Postural
Analysis
--Muscle balance
testing to include strength and balance between agonist and antagonist
groups, upper and lower body muscle groups. The muscle balance testing
should determine muscles that are overly strong, hypertonic and/or
inflexible or muscles that are weak, overstretched and loose.
--Appropriate
testing to determine safe and effective exercise prescription for
current healing or previous injured areas.
•
Nutrition Education: All components of fitness may be affected by both
nutrition (optimal performance issues) and/or body composition (fat loss
vs. lean tissue [muscle & bone]). The PFT must be prepared to educate
the client on healthy, nutritional and lifestyle changes necessary to
guide their client to their health and fitness goals. In some cases, it
may be necessary to refer their clients to a registered dietician for
help in achieving their goals.
(3) Program
design--establish a workout plan
•
Needs analysis; establish a workout plan that fits the client’s goals,
and information obtained from initial consultation and fitness testing
•
Review fitness data to determine level of fitness of client: beginner,
intermediate, advanced, elite
•
Evaluate 10 components of fitness of the client (cardiorespiratory
endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, body composition,
agility, balance, coordination, joint flexibility, speed, power) and
determine any component is lacking
•
Review/Incorporate the goals of the client (example: weight loss, lean
muscle gain, general health improvements, strength and power gain,
flexibility, etc.)
•
Identify obstacles (example: pain, prior injuries, health and medical
issues-refer to advanced personal trainer for special populations) that
need to be considered when creating exercise program
•
Design exercise program incorporating level of fitness, level of each
component of fitness, goals of the client and obstacles that affect
training
•
Establish periodization for resistance training (utilize exercise
physiology principles [-GPO, FITT, SAID, etc.])
•
Professional Program Design requires a thorough knowledge in:
--Exercise Physiology
--Exercise Science
--Anatomy
--Biomechanics & Safety Guidelines
Example of
periodization - 3 phases for resistance training
1. First 4
weeks-hypertrophy-high volume, low intensity; goal-increase volume and
muscle size and strength (example: First 4 weeks-high reps 12-15, sets
1-2)
2. Next 4
weeks-strength phase-moderate volume and intensity; goal increase
strength (example: next 4 weeks moderate reps 8-12, sets 2-3)
3. Next 4
weeks-power phase-low volume and high intensity; continue increasing
strength along with peak power output (last 4 weeks, low reps more
weight reps 7 and below, sets 3 or more)
Variations can be
made by changing exercises, repetitions, weight, number of sets,
frequency of exercising a different muscle group, and resistance
training systems.
Establish a
routine for cardiovascular training
1. First 4
weeks-increased time, low intensity-30-45 minutes at 60-70% maximum
heart rate (MaxHR)
2. Next 4
weeks-moderate time and intensity-60 minutes at 70-80% MaxHR
3. Next 4
weeks-decreased time and high intensity-60 minutes at 80-90% MaxHR
(4) Exercise
Management
• The
entry level PFT must have a clear understanding of all ten components of
fitness: 1) Strength, 2) Speed, 3) Power, 4) Anaerobic Endurance, 5)
Aerobic Endurance, 6) Agility, 7) Balance, 8) Coordination, 9)
Flexibility, and 10) Body Composition
• The
Entry-level PFT must have the requisite knowledge, skills & abilities (KSAs)
to consult, assess & evaluate each client for each component of fitness
in order to determine the safest, most effective method for guiding the
client to achieve their health & fitness needs, wants, desires and goals
•
Instruct client in resistance training (with or without weights)
exercises, insuring proper breathing, timing, exercise technique (kinesiology
& biomechanics), safety guidelines, and spotting, warm-up, workout, and
cool-down
•
Encourage client to reach level of exertion needed to achieve goals
•
Instruct client on cardiovascular equipment for aerobic workout
• Move
weights and set-up equipment
•
Monitoring the client during exercise to insure proper breathing and
exertion level
•
Document exercises performed including type of exercise, amount of
weight used, repetitions, sets, cardiovascular endurance (exercise log)
•
Track changes-increases or decreases in performance
•
Modify workout to better achieve client’s goals
• Motivate clients to develop a
consistent exercise lifestyle
•
Knowledge of: anatomy, muscle physiology, cardiorespiratory physiology
•
Knowledge of: basic kinesiology and biomechanics
•
Knowledge of: primary exercises and muscle groups worked (example:
squat for the quadriceps, bench press for pectoralis major, pectoralis
minor)
•
Knowledge of: variations of primary exercise and their implications for
muscles worked (example: squat-sumo squat-emphasizes inner thighs,
vastus medialis; narrow stance squat-emphasizes outer thighs, vastus
lateralis)
•
Knowledge of: resistance training systems, different methods of strength
training to promote results (example: single set, multiple set,
superset, light to heavy, stripping etc.)
•
Knowledge of: safety and injury prevention practices (e.g., proper range
of motion for exercise, proper spotting techniques, recognition of
errors in form).
•
Knowledge of: Nutritional considerations for the Personal Trainer
•
Knowledge of: adaptations to exercise
•
Knowledge of: energy metabolism
•
Knowledge of: CPR and First Aid certification, emergency procedures
•
Ability to: Create organized sequential workout plan for maximum results
(periodization).
•
Ability to: Apply exercise physiology principles (GPO, FITT, SAID, etc.,
obtained from certification and/or formal education).
•
Ability to: Integrate knowledge to develop effective exercise programs
•
Ability to: communicate clearly with clients
•
Ability to: In order to stay safe & effective the entry-level personal
trainer must continue his or her education and keep up to date on
current health & fitness information and to obtain knowledge on working
with special populations.
•
Nutrition education: Experienced and knowledgeable CPFT’s know that
nutrition can be 80% of the battle in helping your clients achieve their
goals. Knowledge in nutrition and the skill & ability to educate your
clients on nutrition is essential to helping your clients achieve their
health and fitness goals.
Machines and Equipment
Anaerobic
• Free
weights
•
Weight machines
--Fixed resistance equipment
--Variable resistance equipment
--Isokinetic resistance equipment
•
Nontraditional
--Body weight
--Elastic bands /rubber tubing
--Stability balls
--Medicine balls
--Other resistance training equipment not
mentioned
Aerobic
•
Treadmill
•
Stationary bicycle
•
Stepper
•
Elliptical machine
(Refer to “The
Book on Personal Training”, Dr. James Bell, Dr. Karl Dauphinais, 2006)
Special
Populations: The entry-level PFT can safely & effectively train the
generally healthy adult population (no medical restrictions to
exercise). Many special populations require advanced education and
training. The knowledge, skills and abilities that an entry level PFT
possesses may not prepare them for dealing with the higher risks of
special populations groups such as:
•
Frail Elderly
•
Pregnant Women
•
Prepubescent Children
•
Morbid Obesity
•
Diabetes
•
Cardiovascular Rehabilitation
•
Stroke Patients
•
Cancer Patients
•
Osteoporosis
•
Other Medical Conditions
Each of these
special populations groups can benefit greatly from professional
exercise prescription, program design and exercise management, but the
PFT must have the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to safely
and effectively deal with the special needs of each special population
group. This requisite knowledge, skills and abilities can be gained
through the numerous advanced courses offered through the IFPA.
NOTE: Due to the
advanced knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to deal with special
populations, the IFPA does NOT recommend entry level PFT’s attempt to
train individuals that fall into special populations without specific
written consent from the client’s doctor, exercise and activity limits
prescribed by the doctor and full disclosure of the limits of your
knowledge, skills and abilities to the patient and the patient’s doctor.
To do less puts the patient at risk, jeopardizes your career due to
violation of both ethical & professional guidelines, and makes you
susceptible to potential lawsuits. The IFPA Personal Fitness
Trainer Certification Exam WILL NOT have any special population type
questions.
(5) Nutrition
Education
•
Fitness professionals must have a functional understanding of the
healthy principles and practices of sports nutrition sciences in order
to educate their clients on a health and fitness lifestyle.
•
Fitness professionals must have the ability to communicate and educate
their clients on unhealthy and “faddish” nutrition trends.
•
Fitness professionals must be able to educate their clients on
supplementation.
•
Experienced and knowledgeable CPFT’s know that nutrition can be 80% of
the battle in helping your clients achieve their goals. Knowledge in
nutrition and the skill & ability to educate your clients on nutrition
is essential to helping your clients achieve their health and fitness
goals.
Best regards,
Jim Bell, PhD
CEO
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Special Thanks to the
IFPA's Sponsors:
Doctors Fitness Centers
Fitness Institute of
Technology
VORTEX
SCIFIT
A4M
ACASP
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James
T. Bell, PhD is the
founder and president of the International Fitness
Professionals Association, IFPA.
More
Books from Jim Bell, PhD
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