Are you a bit of a gym addict? Do you have a genuine passion for a healthy and active lifestyle? If you’ve been thinking about turning these passions into a successful and lucrative career, becoming a personal trainer could be the perfect move for you!
To learn more about earning your personal training certification and getting yourself qualified, keep on reading!
What Does a Personal Trainer Do?
Let’s begin by having a quick look at the typical role of a personal trainer and the key duties you’ll be expected to cover in your new career.
As a qualified personal trainer, you’ll:
- Hold one-on-one or group personal training sessions for your clients
- Help to motivate your clients, set personal goals and targets for them and develop training sessions adapted to their individual interests and aspirations
- Develop nutritional meal plans to help your client achieve their fitness goals and lead a healthy lifestyle
- Monitor equipment to ensure your clients are using them correctly
- If you’re working in a gym, run fitness classes as part of the gym’s class timetable
- Keep up to date with the latest fitness trends and developments
- Promote your business through social media marketing, local networking and website updates
- Maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle yourself
Become a Qualified Personal Trainer
With a rising interest in living healthier lifestyles, more and more people across the UK are being drawn to careers in health and fitness. Not only is this a great choice if you are already a bit of a gym junkie yourself, it also helps fill the demand for qualified personal trainers.
For the first time ever, there are now over 7000 gyms open across the UK, and a whopping 10 million of us are now signed up to a gym membership! And the fitness industry is only set to grow in the coming years too. It’s safe to say that beginning a career in this industry is not only rewarding, it’s a wise career move!
Your journey to becoming a personal trainer is exciting but you want to make sure you’re studying for the certification’s employers are looking for. You’ll need to find a training provider that offers nationally (or even better, internationally) recognised qualifications approved by an approved body, like
CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity).
Let’s take a closer look at your training options:
Level 2 Fitness Instructor Certification
To become a personal trainer, you’ll need to begin with a level 2 certification in fitness instructing. This course will teach you the fundamental skills you’ll need to get started in the industry.
You’ll cover the following modules on this course:
- Health, safety and welfare within a fitness environment
- Anatomy and physiology for exercise
- Principles of exercise, fitness and health
- Planning gym-based exercise
- Instructing gym-based exercise
- Client support
Once you’ve gained your certification, you can begin working as a fitness instructor in a gym. Although you won’t be able to train clients as a personal trainer just yet, you’ll still have an important role to play in the daily running of a busy gym.
There are many perks in beginning your career as a fitness instructor and you’ll gain invaluable skills that will continue to benefit you going forward.
Learn more about how to become a fitness instructor
However, if you’re eager to get qualified as a personal trainer and start recruiting your own clients, you’ll want to continue straight on to the next step and get level 3 qualified.
Level 3 Personal Trainer Certification
Once you’ve gained your level 2 fitness instructor certification, you can study for your level 3 certification in personal training. The two courses together make a diploma, so once you’ve graduated this course you’ll have a diploma in fitness instructing and personal training. This is an industry recognised qualification and will allow you to start working as a professional personal trainer!
The level 3 course will cover modules such as:
- Anatomy and physiology for health and exercise
- Applying the principles of nutrition to a physical activity programme
- Creating personal training programmes for clients
- Delivering personal training sessions
Once you’ve graduated this course you can work as a professional personal trainer. Whether you decide to work in a gym or go it alone and be your own boss, the choice is yours!
As a newly qualified personal trainer, it’s time to flex your creative muscles and come up with exciting new ways to recruit clients! Check out our guide on
how to boost your personal training business.
Getting yourself registered with CIMSPA will greatly improve your prospects too. This directory helps employers and potential clients identify qualified fitness professionals that hold recognised qualifications and who have been trained to a high standard.
Level 4 Strength and Conditioning Award
If you have dreams of really standing out and making a name for yourself in the fitness industry, it’s well worth studying for the level 4 award in strength and conditioning.
This course covers modules such as:
- Designing resistance training programmes
- Speed and agility training
- Plyometric training
- Phycology of sports performance
- Advanced training and programme design
- Nutrition and psychology for sports performance
- Long term athletic development
This course will enable you to become an elite personal trainer and once you’ve graduated, you’ll be qualified to work with professional athletes and sports teams! Currently in the UK only 10% of personal trainers hold a level 4 qualification so it’s the perfect addition to your skillset and will greatly enhance your career prospects and earning potential!
CPD courses
Go even further in your career by specialising in training areas such as bootcamp workshops, studio cycling (spinning), gym based boxing and metabolic circuit training.
Studying CPD (Continued Professional Development) courses not only helps to increase your earning potential, it also helps to open up your business to a wider range of potential clients and sets you apart from other personal trainers in your local area.
Ready to get your career in health and fitness started?