Fitness instructor courses are a great way to build up your skills and become more competitive in the fitness industry. These short courses are designed to help you learn specific skills.
ACE offers a group fitness instructor prep course, available to ODU students and Student Recreation Center members. This course includes all study materials, live instruction and a one-on-one call/email with an ACE trainer.
Education and Training Requirements
Fitness instructors are responsible for leading group fitness classes in a variety of formats. They may work in gyms or recreational facilities, or even at homes or studios. They must be well-versed in the most popular fitness styles, such as yoga, HIIT, Zumba(r) and indoor cycling.
Depending on the facility, certifications might be required to teach certain classes. Getting a widely recognized certification, such as that offered by the American Council on Exercise, makes it easier to find employment in different locations or pursue a career as a personal trainer.
Many professional fitness instructor courses include an initial course with a combination of classroom theory and on-the-floor practical training. Then, candidates must pass a closed book proctored exam to become certified. Some fitness instructors also have to obtain cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) certifications, and obtain liability insurance. Additional specialty courses are available for instructors looking to grow their career opportunities. These include functional fitness, which focuses on exercises that help with everyday life; yoga; Pilates, which teaches flexibility and posture; and human performance, which trains competitive athletes.
Continuing Education
Continuing education courses, or CECs, keep fitness professionals current with their skills and knowledge. While many PTs see these courses as an inconvenience and unnecessary, they serve a larger purpose that helps them better train clients, grow their business, stay informed about new trends, and become the expert their clients come to trust.
For example, one popular continuing education course is on cueing frameworks, which help trainers teach movements and provide effective results for their clients. Another is a course on resistance training for youth, which takes special considerations such as a child’s developmental stage and motor functioning ability into account.
Other courses cover topics such as coaching and behavior change, strength and conditioning training, weight loss, core training, group exercise programming, equipment use, and special populations programming. Many of these courses have flexible schedules to meet the needs of busy personal trainers. Some even provide online learning options for those who prefer that route.
Liability Insurance
Fitness instructors are in a unique position to work with clients who may be physically vulnerable. This makes liability insurance an essential part of your certification package.
Whether you are teaching at a gym or your client’s home, you need to protect yourself against claims that can devastate your business. General and professional liability coverage will help with expenses related to accidents, injuries or property damage.
Hiscox offers a comprehensive fitness instructor insurance program with multiple options for coverage. It also allows you to pause or cancel your policy at any time.
With ACE, you’ll earn a fully accredited group exercise instructor certificate. It requires completion of a course that includes 24+ hours of classroom theory and practical training. You’ll learn class choreography for more structured classes, as well as methods to get creative in less-choreographed group exercise sessions. This certification includes CPR and AED certification, as well as liability insurance. You’ll also receive access to online continuing education and a resource platform.
Lifelong Learning
Whether it’s pursuing knowledge to stay relevant at work, exploring new hobbies or simply wanting to improve soft skills, lifelong learning offers numerous benefits. It can boost confidence, enhance critical thinking abilities and help you develop a growth mindset that empowers you to challenge yourself.
Incorporating lifelong learning into your daily routine can also provide you with a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Ultimately, it’s about you and what you envision for yourself. Although it may not make a perfect world, investing in educating yourself can strengthen your community and create a healthier society.
If you’re considering becoming a group exercise instructor, start by trying as many classes, formats and instructors as possible at your local gym or other fitness facilities. This will give you an idea of what types of classes and programs interest you most. From there, you can decide if you want to focus on one area of expertise or pursue the “hybrid” fitness professional path.
