There are many different routes into a fitness career and starting out as a level 2 fitness instructor is just one of them.
Beginning your career at this level gives you the perfect foundation to build your business upon within the health and fitness industry. If you’re keen to get started, here’s what to look for when searching for fitness instructor courses.
Fitting Learning Around Your Lifestyle
The first thing to consider is how the course will fit around your lifestyle. You may have the free time to study the course on a full-time basis or you may have other commitments that will require you to study a part-time course. If you have a very busy lifestyle or would just rather have the luxury of studying at your own pace, you may prefer an
online learning option.
This modern way of learning has many benefits, including freeing up time so you can still earn a living whilst you study!
Whichever learning option you choose, it’s worth remembering that a professional tutor will need to assess your skills and abilities to allow you to graduate from the course. All courses will have a practical assessment that will require you to attend a gym-based assessment. This is to ensure that you have learned, understood and can correctly and safely implement those skills to members of the public. When looking for the perfect course for you, find out about these assessment days and ask when and where they are held.
Career Support
Once you know how you’d like to study, you can begin looking for courses. Pay close attention to the training providers that will help get your career started with career support and introductions to gyms once you’ve graduated – you don’t want to put all that hard work in only to find yourself struggling to find the right role when you finish your course.
What you’ll learn as a level 2 fitness instructor
Formal qualifications are essential for your career in the UK fitness industry, and to work within gyms as a fitness instructor, you’ll need to obtain a level 2 certificate in fitness instructing.
This course will give you the essential skills you need to begin your career. The course will cover important modules such as:
- Anatomy and physiology for exercise
- Health, safety and welfare in a fitness environment
- Principles of exercise, fitness and health
- Planning gym-based exercise
- Instructing gym-based exercise
- Client support
Having a good understanding in these key areas will allow you to build your knowledge, confidence and skillset as a fitness professional!
If you choose to continue your studies and go on to become a personal trainer in the future, you’ll have lots of experience working with gyms and gym members – all of which will only benefit your fitness career!
Whilst working as a fitness instructor, you can use the opportunity to build and nurture relationships with clients, peers and gym companies to hit the ground running if you do decide to become a level 3 qualified personal trainer in the future.
Working as a fitness instructor gives you a unique opportunity to learn from the PT’s in the gym; find out
what a day in the life of a personal trainer is really like.
What does a level 2 fitness instructor course qualify you to do?
Having a level 2 fitness certification qualifies you to:
- Give gym inductions
- Oversee the use of machines when supervising a gym
- Write basic exercise programmes for gym members to carry out in their own time
- Lead group fitness classes
As a fitness instructor (sometimes also known as a gym instructor) your role is also likely to include the cleaning and maintenance of gym equipment and some admin duties.
What’s the difference between a level 2 certificate and Level 3 diploma?
A level 2 certification trains you to hold fitness instructor responsibilities only and does
not qualify you to:
- Recruit clients for regular one-to-one personal training sessions
- Offer professional nutritional guidance
To offer these things, you would need to hold a level 3 diploma in personal training (or above).
What else will I need to become a fitness instructor?
A career in fitness is extremely desirable, but it’s not for everybody. To really excel in this industry, you’ll need to have a few personal traits alongside the skills and knowledge gained from your certification.
To be a great fitness instructor, you’ll need basic some soft skills, including:
- Passion
- Industry knowledge
- Communication skills
- Listening skills
- Self-motivation
- Positive mindset
- Willingness to work hard
- The ability to lead by example
Interested in finding out more?
Here’s how to become a fitness instructor
Other benefits of taking a fitness instructor course
If you are passionate about health and fitness but aren’t quite ready to take the leap into becoming a personal trainer, a level 2 course in fitness instructing is a perfect introduction into the fitness industry.
Throughout the course you’ll be learning about a variety of topics, some of which may pique your interest and you can use the learning material as a starting point for further research and development.
You’ll find this particularly useful if you do choose to study a level 3 personal training course - you’ll have the experience of studying a fitness course and will know what to expect, which will help when studying for a more demanding course.
Ready to get your career in fitness started?
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