Advanced Fitness Trainer Award (Level 3)

The Advanced Fitness Trainer Award is for you if you already have the Level 2 qualification and want to progress in your career as a personal trainer. When you successfully complete the course, you will be able to enrol on the Register of Exercise Professionals as a Level 3 instructor, which allows you to work as a personal trainer.

As well as learning about dealing with clients, developing programmes and health and fitness instruction, you will also be taught nutrition and lifestyle management. The coures gives you the preparation needed for your career in personal training, whether that's as an employee or being self-employed.

Topics Covered
Unit 1 – Knowledge of Instructing Physical Activity and Exercise

• Anatomy and physiology
• Skeletal, neuromuscular, neuro-endocrine and cardio-respiratory systems
• Energy systems
• Functional kinesiology
• Concepts and components of fitness (muscular strength, muscular endurance, power, flexibility, periodisation)
• Behaviour change strategy

Unit 2 – Health and Fitness Appraisal and Lifestyle Management

• Medical screening
• Health appraisal
• Medical referral
• Lifestyle analysis (diet, activity patterns, stress, smoking, alcohol, sleep patterns)
• Stress management
• Static health assessments (blood pressure, body composition, lung function)
• Dynamic fitness testing (cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility)
• Goal-setting techniques
• Barriers to activity
• Data protection and client confidentiality

Unit 3 – Principles and Practice of Personal Training

• Code of ethical practice
• Principles underpinning personal training
• Programme design guidelines
• Core training
• Training females
• Using alternative resources
• Health and lifestyle analysis techniques
• Record keeping
• Health and safety at work
• Communication skills

Unit 4 – Plan, Instruct and Adapt Physical Activity

• Planning and preparing resources necessary to deliver a programme of activity
• Planning programmes to meet short, medium and long term goals
• Methods of collecting, analyzing and recording data
• Special populations (diabetes, hypertension, orthopaedic conditions and asthma)
• Teaching and learning styles
• Risk assessment

Unit 5 – Building Relationships through Effective Communication During Physical Activity

• Communication skills (listening, motivational verbal and non-verbal)
• Individual learning styles
• Customer service
• Complaints
• Professionalism
• Communicating with other health care professionals

Unit 6 – Nutritional Advice for Physical Activity

• Nutrient groups
• Function and metabolism of nutrients
• Popular diets
• Eating behaviours and disorders
• Weight management strategies
• Pre- and post-exercise nutrition
• Hydration
• Barriers to achieving nutritional goals
• Client referral

Unit 7 – Manage, Evaluate and improve Performance in Physical Activity

• Goal setting techniques
• Time-management skills
• Career progression routes
• Reflective practice/self-assessment
• Register of Exercise Professionals
• Creating a career plan
• Client feedback
• Fitness industry job specification

Unit 8 – Plan, Market and Sell Personal Training Services

• Business planning
• Goal setting
• Accounting and tax
• Direct selling to customers
• Customer care
• Marketing/branding
• Competitor analysis
• Government targets
• Research and statistics on fitness, illness and obesity

Assessments

• Anatomy and Physiology Theory Paper
• Writing a client lifestyle report
• Practical Assessment of Static Fitness Tests
• Performance of a personal training session including consultation with client followed by oral questioning
• Weekly program designed for a client
• Case study Exam
• Nutrition Theory – 80-minute multiple choice test

Qualification

• Qualification Accreditation Number 100/5850/3
• 240 hours guided learning
• A vocationally related qualification (VRQ), at Level 3 on the National Qualifications Framework