On day one you will learn how to assess your client’s fitness levels, understand their goals and be able to competently prescribe correct cardiovascular exercises and intensities to suit their needs. You will learn how to plan, prescribe, and deliver cardiovascular sessions including, warm-ups, main sessions, and cool-downs, covering how to introduce and instruct correct techniques as well as how to monitor intensity effectively. In addition, you will also learn how to apply a variety of stretching techniques including dynamic, static, and developmental stretching.

Towards the end of day one, we will start to explore the benefits and theory of resistance training. This includes topics such as understanding the importance of exercise choices, exercise sequence, and the prescription of reps and sets, as well as other key topics such as progression and overload, to ensure you can competently prescribe resistance training to your clients.

Day two of your level 3 fitness instructor course contains the completion of a series of practical sessions. You will learn how to perform, instruct, and correct all major exercise techniques, such as squats, deadlifts, rows, and presses, as well as be able to prescribe suitable alternatives, progressions, and regressions, to ensure you can support all types of clients. You will learn the principles of safe and effective lifting techniques and spotting, allowing you to perform the techniques and support a variety of clients in the gym.

On days 3 and 4 of the level 3 fitness instructor workshop, we will cover the principles of group instruction. This is a key role of a fitness instructor and ensures you are competent in the delivery of exercise both one-to-one and to a small group. Following this learning, you will be assessed by delivering a group induction on your peers, which fulfills your assessment for Step 1 of your Unit 5 Planning and instructing gym-based exercise unit.

Finally, at the end of day three, you will have an opportunity to practice your one-on-one programme delivery on your peers while under assessor guidance, to help you prepare for your final assessment on day 4.

On day 5 you will deliver your one-on-one programme to a client of your choice. A client can include either a friend or a family member who will be required to attend the final assessment day for a period of 2 hours. This assessment will help you fulfill your assessment for Step 3 of your Unit 5 Planning and instructing gym-based exercise unit.

By following the curriculum and learning pathway set out by FAE, you should have completed all assessments for all five units of your level 3 fitness instructor qualification by the end of the final workshop day.

Unit 1 is called ‘Principles of Anatomy, Physiology and Fitness’ and covers all the foundational knowledge about the human body a certified personal trainer should know. We will then build on this knowledge in later units. You’ll learn about the cardiorespiratory system, the structure and function of the skeleton joints, the muscular system, energy systems, digestive system and nervous system will also be covered.

This unit is externally set and assessed through multiple choice theory exams which you will sit at the end of the unit.  This assessment can be sat remotely from the comfort of your own home.

Unit 2, ‘Professionalism and Customer Care for Fitness Instructors’ and Unit 3, ‘Health and safety in the fitness environment’, is where we move onto maximising the customer experience in the exercise environment. This is all about putting the customer first and where we learn about those smaller details to become the highest quality gym instructor or personal trainer. We cover customer service skills, how to engage and communicate effectively, understand professional practise and how to maintain a safe gym environment.

These units are assessed through a series or written assignments.

Unit 4 is ‘Conducting Client Consultations to Support Positive Behaviour Change’. You will begin to learn how to lead a consultation as a fitness instructor or personal trainer and the value of exercise adherence by personal training clients, which is why we also teach you the principles of behaviour change which is fundamental in helping personal training clients achieve their long-term goals.

This unit is assessed with a combination of written assignments and video submissions of you leading a personal training client consultation and health assessment. We will provide you with recorded examples and guidance on how to record this evidence.

Unit 5, ‘Planning and Instructing Gym-Based Exercise’ and Unit 10, ‘Programme Design and Delivery for Personal Training’ are where you learn how to plan and then deliver gym and personal training programmes. These are the core skills you need to learn as a certified personal trainer and you will be building on and utilising the knowledge you have learnt in the previous four units. Our expert tutors will be walking you through the important steps you need to take in building an effective and appropriate personal training programme for any personal training client.

These units are assessed through a combination of written assignments, video submissions programme cards and self-reflection documents. Please note: Students will be required to bring a participant to two of the assessment days.

Your video submissions need to be recorded in a suitable environment. This requires you and your personal training clients to remain in view of the camera and to be always heard. This can be difficult in a busy public gym with background music. But don’t worry, if you do not have access to a suitable environment in order to record your practical assessments, we also allow you to attend our own gym facility in Batley, West Yorkshire. Alternatively, a member of our assessor network will be able to attend a facility of your choosing to conduct your practical assessment in person.

Unit 6 is called ‘Applied Anatomy and Physiology for Exercise, Health and Fitness’ where we expand on the knowledge learnt from unit 1 and learn how to apply it to exercise and health as a certified personal trainer. We will discuss the same topics as the foundation anatomy and physiology unit but this time delves deeper into their specific impact, risks and considerations when applied to exercise as a personal trainer.

This unit is set in the same way as unit 1 within the multiple choice theory exam at the end of the unit. This assessment can be sat remotely from the comfort of your own home.

Unit 7 is called ‘The Principles of Nutrition and their Application to Exercise and Health’ here you learn all the nutritional fundamentals that you will need to provide accurate and appropriate advice to your clients as a certified personal trainer. You’ll learn the principles of macro and micronutrients, how to find credible sources of information, how to make use of nutritional tools and technology and how to effectively educate personal training clients about their nutrition.

This unit will be assessed via a multiple-choice theory paper and an assignment.

The theory paper is set and assessed in the same way as Unit 1 and 6 with the multiple-choice theory exam sat at the end of the unit. This assessment can be sat remotely from the comfort of your own home.

Unit 8, ‘Understanding lifestyle, health, wellbeing and common medical conditions, covers how lifestyle factors such as dietary intake, stress, fatigue, alcohol and levels of physical activity affect a personal training client’s health and wellbeing. You will also learn how commonly occurring medical conditions such as hypertension, obesity, cardiorespiratory disease, diabetes and stress and how may impact a client’s lifestyle. We will also cover when to refer personal training clients with common medical conditions

Unit 9, ‘Encouraging Positive Health and Fitness Behaviours in Clients’ covers understanding the importance of communication skills to effectively communicate and engage with clients, evaluating and adapting your own communication styles.

You will learn techniques used to effectively communicate and engage with personal training clients to support them in making positive lifestyle behaviour changes to meet their desired goals. You will learn how to establish rapport and engage personal training clients in conversations about their health and fitness while collecting meaningful information and assessing their readiness to change behaviour. This includes knowing how to provide relevant information to personal training clients and close sessions in a way that encourages ongoing motivation and goal achievement.

You will learn how technological advancements can help personal training clients increase their activity levels and stay motivated and focused in line with legislation and professional standards.

This unit is assessed via a worksheet and written assignment. It is also partially assessed via your practical observations or recorded submissions.

Unit 11, ‘Professionalism and Business Acumen for Personal Trainers’, is where you learn the core business skills for becoming a certified personal trainer. We will go through the basics of creating a business and marketing plans, how to manage your finances, the importance of social media and so much more.

This unit is assessed through an internally marked business project