Health & Fitness Personal Trainer A-License

We educate the best trainers in the fitness branch. From start to finish of the education - and beyond!- we support and guide our students.

Functional anatomy is a foundation necessary for all trainers in exercise, fitness and sports. This subject provides a comprehensive introduction to the anatomy of the human body and a wellspring of important knowledge.

The course is constructed to present the information in an interesting and comprehensible manner and features different learning approaches appropriate for Fitness and Personal Trainers.
 
The goal is, to understand the relationship between movement patterns, the human body and relevant anatomical terminology.

Our participants are introduced to the basics of sports nutrition.

As a foundation the composition of general nutrition including macro and micro nutrients, as well as the water balance, are discussed. In order to understand various correlations, the energy metabolism are explained in detail.

In addition, the effects of individual food components in the human body, as well as their importance in sports are covered.

More and more companies are integrating Corporate Wellness and similar health initiatives into their employee benefits packages. By doing so they promote the health and well-being of their employees, reducing the incidence of sick-leave and building healthier, stronger team dynamics.

Exactly why such initiatives are important is discussed in this introduction to the concept, as well as challenges that such initiatives face including organisational dysfunction.

Participants also learn about the advantages of corporate wellness and some trusted approaches and tools for finding and working with a company.

We offer suggestions on how to approach companies about Corporate Wellness, how to develop a corporate wellness concept and important organisational points to consider.
Participants will be exposed to some practical examples and will have the possiblity to perform group work on the topic.

The unit on Marketing and Customer Interaction gives participants some insight into identifying, working with and marketing to their ideal customer. This is one of the most useful units for the aspiring trainer, as it helps them identify their place in the market, which makes for a more successful career start.

We begin by taking a look at Marketing itself to understand exactly what it is and of what relevance it has for personal trainers.
Important basic concepts such as USP, positioning, target market, etc. are introduced and different models from marketing such as the SMART Formula, marketing mix (7Ps) and more are explained.

The communication between trainer and client is also addressed in this unit. Various aspects of communication theory and some guidelines for successful communication are covered.

Upon completion of this subject, participants are able to develop marketing strategies for their product and/or services, ready to position themselves in a market rich in variety and full of possibility!

A working understanding of human physiology and therefore the relationships between the various functions of the human body is crucial for anyone working in the exercise and fitness field. It is a requisite knowledge for the sufficient practice of their profession.

This course makes the relationships within the human organism graspable for everyone. Take a deep-dive into the human body and learn the functions of our organism for your new profession in fitness.

In this subject you will get a close look at energy metabolism needed for muscle activation, the circulatory system and the pulmonary system.

Any high quality education in fitness and exercise begins with the foundations of anatomy and physiology.

In this unit participants are prepared for successful communication with their clients on every level. In addition, we take a look at how the trainer or coach can go about dealing with their own goals and motives, which will in turn help them better understand their clients.

The right goal-setting and the proper approach to feedback are an important parts of this unit.

The way we manage stress as trainers and with our clients and a variety of learning strategies are explored so these skills can be integrated into your professional approach.

The first part of training theory teaches the basics of training, such as training principles, principles of training design, training methods and the factors of athletic performance.
As performance, performance diagnostics, training and competition are closely interrelated, they are also taught accordingly in the course.

In the second part of training theory, training is defined and evaluated as a complex action process and in connection with planning, execution and evaluation.
An important part of training theory is still the design of training plans, which is taught in practice with examples of the possibilities of designing a training plan.

In order to delve even deeper into training science, we have worked with top international speakers such as Prof. em. Dr. phil. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Weineck, we have also developed a video workshop on the subject of altitude training.

The subject "Equipment-assisted strength training" is part of the fitness trainer B license training and deals with systematic strength training on stationary training equipment. The focus is on movement control, load control and the individual adaptation of training to different target groups.

Basics

In equipment-supported strength training, the muscles are loaded via mechanically guided movement paths. This enables targeted, controlled strain on individual muscle groups and offers a safe form of training, particularly for beginners, people with restricted mobility or in a rehabilitative context.

Aims of the subject

• Teaching the basic biomechanical principles of equipment training
• Correct equipment settings and exercise execution
• Load dosage according to training goal and performance level
• Recognizing and avoiding typical mistakes when using equipment

Contents

The following topics are covered as part of the course:

• Differences between free and guided strength training methods
• Training planning with stationary equipment
• Introduction to equipment parks and standardized equipment circuit systems
• Training control in terms of repetitions, intensity and regeneration

Application in everyday training

The content of this subject forms a basis for practical work in fitness studios or health facilities. Graduates are able to create and instruct individual training programs with equipment and implement them in a safety-conscious manner.

Performing practical training sessions is an essential component to achieving the Fitness Trainer B-License.

Studying the anatomy of the human body, especially the muscles with origin and insertion, is an important part of the preparation for the exam. Documenting the practical sessions are just as important. A training record is used to get an overview of the performed session, the achieved goal and the personal experience of the participants.

There are 30 training units, in which the participants can put their acquired knowledge into practice. Each of these units has to be recorded by the participants on their own responsibility, so they can show that they are able to prepare, perform and evaluate a training session independently.

The Fitness Trainer B-License is one of our smaller training courses to gain basic knowledge on topics of strength training with machines, anatomy, physiology, training theory and much more. It is important to structure the training in a way that the participants understand the exercises and are able to perform them safely. For the practical sessions a guide will be provided to the participants, which they can use to write down the training record.

For the evidence of completed sessions, a written confirmation from a trainer or screenshots from a training app must be provided.

In training science, endurance describes a person's resistance to fatigue, i.e. how long a certain resistance can be withstood. A distinction is made between different forms of endurance, for example short-term endurance and long-term endurance.

One popular endurance sport is running. The sport has become more popular, especially due to COVID-19-related lockdowns. The advantages are obvious: you don't need a lot of equipment, you can run anytime and anywhere and different training methods can provide plenty of variety. However, many people are not aware of these training methods. They run just for the exercise and not with the aim of improving their own performance. Yet so much more is possible.

In order to achieve an adaptation, i.e. to last longer, withstand higher speeds, etc., a "training-effective stimulus" is required. Because we will only develop physically if we expose ourselves to stimuli that we are not yet up to. But where exactly is this effective training stimulus? Various performance tests, which are discussed in this subject, are suitable for finding out. The UKK Walking Test is one of them, which is primarily aimed at beginners and less able individuals and provides future fitness trainers with the basis for efficient endurance training planning.

In addition, the learning materials list various endurance training methods and their benefits so that anyone interested in endurance can put together the right training program. These include the endurance method, the cycling method, intensive and extensive intervals, and much more. The five load norms of duration, volume, intensity, density and frequency play an important role in triggering the training stimulus mentioned above.

Free weight training describes training with dumbbells and barbells and is an integral part of weight training. Health athletes, bodybuilders, team athletes, martial artists and all other exercisers have one thing in common: they benefit from training with free weights. This is the great relevance of the topic for all fitness trainers and personal trainers.

The main difference to guided strength training on large machines lies in the degrees of freedom of movement. As a result, not only is the coordinative effort greater, but a large number of auxiliary muscles, so-called synergists, are also activated in addition to the main muscles used. This increases the strain on the muscles and has a positive, stabilizing effect on the joints involved. As a result, the transfer of strength training to everyday life or sport-specific movements is greater, which subsequently leads to a lower risk of injury and a better performance result.

A practical example for comparison: the chest press on the machine primarily trains the pectoralis major muscle, the large chest muscle. Due to the predetermined direction of movement and the stabilized torso through the backrest, hardly any auxiliary muscles are activated. The muscle is therefore trained in isolation. Although this has a positive effect on the growth of the muscle, it has little effect on the transfer to everyday life. This is because in our daily lives we never use one muscle in isolation, it is always an interplay of several muscles, so-called muscle chains. The dumbbell bench press as a counter-example also primarily trains the pectoral muscle, but also requires the interaction of many other muscles in the surrounding area to ensure stability in the shoulder. As a result, the transfer to everyday or sport-specific movements is significantly better.

The disadvantage of free weight training is the risk of injury. To avoid injury, free strength training exercises must first be mastered perfectly before high loads are applied.

During the lectures of this course, various exercises with barbells and dumbbells are practiced and consolidated and supplemented with important coaching points to ensure both safe execution and correct instruction.

In functional training several muscles are strengthened at the same time. Entire muscle groups/muscle chains are worked out. It is mainly focused on the coordination of the muscles, the interaction of the muscles with each other, the economization of the movements and the stability of the core.

Functional strength training is highly important because it can be integrated into daily life and is applicable to all sports. It is used in recreational and leisure sports, in competitive sports, in rehabilitation training and in preventive training. In addition, it can be practiced at any age.

Functional strength training involves training with unstable equipment and with the own body weight.

In this unit, our participants learn how to work with various equipment, such as the sling trainer, the pezzi ball, etc. and how to use them in functional training. They are shown different body weight exercises, different muscle chains and they are taught and how to train them selectively.

The human body is a complex system of muscles, tendons, joints and bones that is constantly in motion.

Every movement initiates a reaction that affects other areas of the body. Sensorimotor training is a method that trains exactly such reaction chains in the body. Through specific training of the senses (such as the sense of balance, touch, sight and hearing) and motor skills (muscle strength, coordination, mobility), the interaction of body and mind is improved.

Sensorimotor regulation is the ability of the brain to control motor function and perception. Sensorimotor training originates from the field of physiotherapy. It aims to train sensorimotor regulation and is used, for example, after a stroke. However, it can also be used in competitive sports and fitness to improve motor skills.

In this subject, sensorimotor skills are developed to be used in the fitness instructor training. Practical strengthening exercises are performed using unstable surfaces such as balance boards/foams, gymnastic balls, ropes and slings.

Training on unstable surfaces, such as the one of the BOSU Ball, trains the proprioception, i.e. the perception of the own body and its movements. Any such exercise is a challenge for balance, coordination and strength and is therefore particularly effective.

The planning of training is an essential tool for every instructor in the areas of fitness training, personal training, senior training, etc. Only a reasonable, goal oriented and individual planning of training can lead to the best possible results for the clients.

Efficient planning of training includes: correct setting of goals, choice of exercises and tools, frequency of training, and more. If just one of those aspects is not properly covered, the training goal can be missed completely. The right way to reach the training goal can only be found if all requests and expectations of the person to be trained are perceived, recognized and implemented.

The course "training planning" focuses specifically on the practical implementation of planning. However, theoretical background is also explained, for example, the four stages of adaptation of the human organism, the physiological effect of training and the interaction of load and stress. In addition, important contents of training theory are repeated and demonstrated with practical examples. Based on the practical exercises, it is shown: the correct choice of the load normatives (intensity, volume, density, duration, frequency), the importance of energy supply processes for different training areas and much more. The idea is to gain an understanding of the fact that there is no "golden recipe" for writing a training plan, instead, a high quality training plan can only be made by customizing it in detail to the requirements/wishes of each client.

For a crash course in training planning or to refresh the contents, it is worth taking a look at our online workshop 1x1 of training planning.

Back pain and shoulder pain are among the most common problems for practitioners of strength training. In order to make an effort to combat these issues, a personal trainer has to understand potential causes that can lead to these problems.

A precise diagnosis can only be provided by a medical professional, obviously. In that case, it is certainly important that the personal trainer understand any such diagnoses and develop an optimal strength training programthat is appropriate for any previous condition or injury, or for the explicit purpose of preventing or avoiding problems for which the client is predisposed.

• The infamous Shoulder Impingement Syndrome is a main topic. How can it be avoided and prevented, and what can be done when the symptoms are already being felt?
  
• Does a client experience lower back pain? What are the absolute "no-gos" when training with back or spine conditions?
  
• A rounding of the back and weak core can develop after years of poor posture - How can we train the upper back and strengthen the shoulder girdle in such instances, so we can work to correct the problem?

Theoretical content will revisit anatomy with these issues in mind and practical content will include exercises for practical application of knowledge. It will be carried out in two sessions.

This course subject is a continuation of Strength Training with Free Weights 1, which is covered in the Fitness Trainer course. Additional exercises will be introduced for back, chest, shoulder, arm that were not covered in the first part.

A special focus is placed on thebarbellin this group of exercises. In comparison with the first part, the exercises in part 2 tend to display increased complexity and require not only more strength but more developedfocus and coordination skills.

The higher complexity of the exercises mean that such training is more challenging, and variations can train multiple muscle groups at once.

For examples, theOlympic weightlifting movements such as clean and jerk and snatch are introduced.

In addition, some variations of exercises are explored with a methodoligical approach for building variations.

In this unit covering One2One training the focus is on stretching and mobilization, and how you as a trainer can use this opportunity to learn and make evaluations about your client during this time.

The functional movement analysis, known also as a screen or the FMS is introduced as one possible approach to gain some insight into a trainees current physical state. As such, it serves as one way to gather "actual state" metrics.

Mobility, flexibility and a healthy and balanced range of motion is an important component of every sport and physical practice, and it can have a huge influence on liklihood of injury or overall performance. An appropriate stretching session can increase range of motion during exercise during training exercises, leading to better training adaptations. A post-training stretching routine can aid in regeneration and the maintainance of existing flexibility levels.

The palette of stretching types are introduced in this module, with various stretching techniques and their practical application. The use of a foam roller for certain methods is included.

Additionally, the crucial concepts of spotting and manual assistance are explained and put in practice. A discussion of important considerations for this close work with clients is carried out.

In the subject"Training with small fitness equipment" from the Health Fitness Personal Trainer course, course participants will learn about the latest trends in small fitness equipment.

The unit has a practical structure and offers participants the opportunity to try out various exercises and learn how to use the equipment correctly.
Training with the fitness equipment improves coordination and balance skills. Body control and awareness are also trained.

For example, they can be used specifically for strength training or for endurance and coordination exercises. They are also very suitable for rehabilitation purposes.

You will also learn what you need to look out for with the respective equipment and how to use it. You will also be given tips on posture during exercise and the risk of injury.

This subject is ideal preparation for anyone working as a personal trainer.