Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training and Sports Coaching

There has been a growing trend of obesity reaching epidemic proportions in the UK. With people of all ages having inactive and unhealthy lifestyles of current times have had effects on health effecting both the young and the old. Diabetes, heart disease and some cancers are related to being overweight. Chances of these aliments affecting an individual are greatly increased if people are obese.

People leading inactive and unhealthy lives have meant that there has been a demand for people to train and coach people into a fitter, healthier lifestyles. This diploma (level 3) is ideal for those who want to train friends and family. It is also ideal for those wishing to become a professional personal trainer or coach. For those interested in becoming a professional personal trainer this course, in addition with a professional certification, will equip with the knowledge needed to become a professional personal trainer.

Students will be initially introduced to the role of a personal trainer/ coach in the first unit. Then will be introduced to the anatomy and physiology of the body to understand how the body responds to exercise. In later units the course will cover nutrition and specialised groups that as a trainer you may come across like the young and participants and older people. This will also be complimented with a unit on how to develop a business.

Included within the course will be a range of Independent Study Activities and case studies designed to encourage students to develop their knowledge and underpin understanding of the subject.

The guidelines and protocols mentioned in this course are UK based.

Syllabus and Module Specification

Module 1: Becoming a personal trainer or sport coach

In this unit students will look at the role of a personal trainer or coach. It also talks about professionalism in this role including the importance of getting certified and obtaining insurance, which is an important aspect for those who wish to become fully fledged personal trainers. This unit also has activities embedded to help you evaluate your performance as a personal trainer like evaluating your communication skills. This unit also takes you through valid information on how to start work as a personal trainer.

Module 2: Knowing about anatomy and physiology.

As a personal trainer it is important to know how the body responds to so that you can effectively train your clients to reach their fitness goals whether it would be losing weight or strength training. In this module students will learn about structures and the functions of joints, muscles and tendons that make up the human body. Muscles that support the lumbar spine commonly known as core stability will also be explored. This module will look at the effects of exercise on the heart, the circulatory and the respiratory system and the effects of smoking on the respiratory system.

Module 3: Knowing about nutrition.

As a personal trainer it is important to advise people on what to eat in order for clients to reach their fitness goals. This module takes you though the digestive system and will look at how the body processes food. This module will also look at the problems associated with the digestive system. In this part of the module the course guide will take the learner through information about nutrition and the importance of including carbohydrates, proteins and fats in. This module will also look at the relevance of the diet and nutrition journals.

Module 4: Knowing about exercise.

This part of the module will go through the important information that is needed from a client before they start exercise. The consultation is an important aspect of personal training not only does this help to get to know clients, but it will also build an exercise programme that is based on their current fitness levels, their goals and also their likes and dislikes. A personal trainer would need to gather personal information about their clients before they start exercise including information regarding their medical fitness. As a personal trainer you have to ensure that your clients are medically fit to exercise. The learner will go through what happens before an initial consultation. The learner will look at the importance of completing fitness assessments and medical screening. Fitness assessments/test are completed during this important stage of meeting clients. This unit takes you through how to carry out measurements like blood pressure, heart rate and body composition. There is further information about body composition assessments and how to carry out cardiovascular testing and flexibility testing.

Module 5: Knowing about exercise.

Once you know your client, you will look at how to train your client. This part of the course looks at the basis of planning an exercise programme to help you achieve this. This module will look at ways to train your client looking at the advantages of doing exercise in different locations and different types of training. Aerobic training is commonly an important part of an exercise programme and this part of the diploma will take the learner though the different ways of improving cardiovascular fitness. Training zones are good way of making sure that your client is working at the right level for their fitness and for their exercise goals. This module will look at heart rate training zone to help you and your client working at the right exercise intensity. This module will also look at exercise frequency for clients to follow depending on their fitness. Resistance training is another important component of an exercise programme. This will look at the advantages of resistance training and the advantages and disadvantages of free weights and machine weights. This module explores the importance of pushing you client to the next level and amending workouts. This part of the module also has handy running long distance information.

Module 6: Training groups with particular requirements.

There are many things to consider when training young people or coaching a group of young people. There are many differences when training young people and theses are explored and these will be explored in this module. The module will look at the suggestion of carry out resistance training on youngsters.

Module 7: Training for different events.

Module six helps you to prepare for working with different clients who have particular requirements namely women and older adults. This module goes into depth in regards to how women may experience the female triad and the learner will explore the different signs and symptoms of this. Exercise is also beneficial for women who are pregnant . In this part of the course the leaner will learn how to exercise this client group with sample exercise programmes. Exercise for older people is also beneficial in this model we will look at the benefits of strength training. This module also provides suggestion of aerobic exercise that you could give an older client.

Module 8: Advising about weight management.

Many people want advice on weight loss. This looks at strategies for weight loss and to look at the different type of diets that people may go on so that you can advise appropriately as a personal trainer and give informed knowledge on exactly what these diets are doing to the body. Food and fitness diaries will be looked at in this module as well as weight gain tips, disordered eating and the issues surrounding obesity.

Module 9: Advising about fluid management.

This talks about what happens when we are dehydrated and the importance of being hydrated before, during and after exercise. This module will also look at the function of water as well as sports drinks. This module will look at alcohol consumption and how to drink alcohol sensibility.

Module 10: building and maintaining a successful personal training business.

This last module will look at creating a business and marketing plan to develop your personal training business. This part of the module will look at important legal aspects including insurance cover for your clients and accident reporting forms. This part of the module will also give you information about how to crate an image of your personal training business. This module will also look at the business in more detail including charging clients, producing invoices and paying taxes. This module will also look at how you can retain clients. The learner will also look at developing a personal training business and employing staff for your business

This course is Quality Assured by the Quality Licence Scheme

At the end of this course successful learners will receive a Certificate of Achievement from ABC Awards and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the details of all the units the learner has completed as part of the course).

The course has been endorsed under the ABC Awards Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Oxford Learning College has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet certain quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to an Ofqual regulated qualification but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills towards regulated qualifications in the future.

The unit summary can be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this sector. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 3 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner.

The course itself has been designed by Oxford Learning College to meet specific learners' and/or employers' requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. ABC Awards endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

ABC Awards is a leading national Awarding Organisation, regulated by Ofqual, and the Welsh Government. It has a long-established reputation for developing and awarding high quality vocational qualifications across a wide range of industries. As a registered charity, ABC Awards combines 180 years of expertise but also implements a responsive, flexible and innovative approach to the needs of our customers. Renowned for excellent customer service, and quality standards, ABC Awards also offers Ofqual regulated qualifications for all ages and abilities post-14; all are developed with the support of relevant stakeholders to ensure that they meet the needs and standards of employers across the UK.