ADVANCED CONCEPTS
IN PERSONAL TRAINING

After completing the program, some students decide to work for an established gym, but others elect to start their own businesses. We prepare students for both options. With either approach, finding and maintaining clients is essential for all personal trainers.

• Outline steps for obtaining new clients effectively and developing relationships with professionals
• Identify methods to strengthen and grow client networks
• Understand the planning stages of a new fitness business and identify the hidden costs

Motivating clients is critical to their continued success. Personal trainers must understand what stage a client is in to keep them progressing toward their goals and notice when their behavior changes. When a client loses motivation, trainers need the skills to re-energize them.

• Describe behavioral theory models and the stages of behavior change
• Identify terms and theories regarding client psychology and behavior
• Discover behavior techniques and motivation strategies to increase adherence and prevent relapse

Many clients like to mix up their routines by following the latest fitness and dietary fads. Students learn how to analyze new developments so that they choose the programs that result in their client’s success. The content of this module is based on the current trends in the industry.

• Identify the benefits, drawbacks, and myths of a given class or trend
• Discuss the training concepts behind a given class or trend
• Describe the differences in skills required by personal trainers and group fitness instructors

Students dive deeper into working with young, pregnant, and elderly clients because they have different physical requirements and contraindications than the general population. Students learn the benefits and risks of exercising for these groups, as well as how to apply the appropriate exercise intensity.

• Analyze the benefits and unique concerns regarding youth populations
• Identify the current American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines for pregnant women
• Design safe and effective exercise programs for older populations

Roughly 40% of Americans have a chronic disease. Exercise can help prevent and/or improve many of these conditions. Whether it is diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or asthma, students learn the skills necessary to support clients through these challenging issues.

• Describe the effects of metabolic disorders
• Analyze characteristics and symptoms for given disorders, such as diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and pulmonary disorders
• Identify the structures and sequence of electrical conductivity in the heart

All employers require CPR training for personal trainers. A CPR-certified instructor provides hands-on CPR training, AED defibrillator use, and tests for CPR certification.

At some point, nearly every person has an injury, and clients are no exception. In this critical module, students first learn how to work with clients to avoid injuries. But when they have an injury or pain, students learn strategies for working around those issues while continuing to advance toward the client’s goals.

• Analyze the steps involved in obtaining a post-rehab client
• Develop safe and effective training programs to achieve client goals with various injuries
• Identify indications and contraindications based on a pathology

Improving mobility and flexibility means that we can do more work with every exercise. In this lecture and hands-on unit, students learn five stretching methods, self-myofascial release, and dynamic mobility drills.

• Differentiate between an active and passive range of motion and static, dynamic, and ballistic stretching
• Describe and execute an active and passive stretch for major muscle groups
• Develop an appropriate mobility program for a given client scenario

For most people, this is what personal training is all about – teaching people how to exercise. Students learn how to instruct clients in the following areas of specialization:

• Kettlebells
• Plyometrics and Speed, Agility, and Quickness (SAQ)
• Boxing and Kickboxing
• Strength Training
• Resistance Bands, Chains, and Cables
• Bodybuilding/Physique Training
• Olympic Weightlifting

Innovative research and new practices create an ever-growing body of knowledge. Students learn how to read the information to deliver the latest and best information to clients. Students also determine how to critically analyze scientific claims posed by the media, celebrity trainers, and new products.

• Demonstrate knowledge about recent research findings
• Identify strengths and limitations in a given study
• Discuss the justification for or against a given training method

In this module, the instructor provides a general exercise science review along with preparation for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).

Each student decides which test to take based on their professional goals. Focus Personal
Training Institute purchases the exam for each student and helps facilitate registration, but an outside agency administers and proctors the exam to comply with regulations set forth by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). We encourage students to take the exam within one month of graduation.