What Do You Learn in a Personal Training Course?

Are you considering a PT course to become a certified personal trainer? Whether you're looking to advance your career or improve your personal fitness knowledge, understanding what you’ll learn in a personal training certification course is essential before you enroll.

Types of People That Take a Personal Trainer Certificate Program

People who pursue their personal trainer certificate generally fall into one of two categories:

1. They want to begin or advance their career in the fitness industry.

2. They don't want to become a fitness professional but they would like to learn how to create or improve their own exercise program.

A majority of people who enroll in a personal trainer certification course do so because they want to work as a fitness trainer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that most employers require certification to work in this type of role (1). (Some only hire professional trainers who, in addition to being certified, also have an associate degree or higher.)

Personal training can be a rewarding career. It feels good to help others get in better physical shape. It’s exciting to see them improve their health or boost their sports performance. The money isn’t bad either. As of May 2023, the median personal trainer salary was $46,480 per year according to the BLS. (2)

However, not everyone who takes a personal training course wants to work as a personal trainer or fitness instructor. Some people only want to improve their own personal fitness. A personal training certificate course provides the information they need to develop an effective exercise program for themselves. This can help them start their fitness journey. If they’ve already been working out, the knowledge they gain in the course can be used to tweak their current regimen to get better results.

What You'll Learn in a PT Course

On a big-picture level, a personal trainer program teaches you how to help yourself or others reach a specific fitness goal. You learn exercise strategies that work best for weight loss or to gain muscle, for instance. You also become more knowledgeable about what type of training can help improve speed, agility, and flexibility.

Before any of these can be pursued, a fitness assessment is a must. This assessment helps determine what level of exercise is safe. It also identifies any areas of dysfunction or weakness. How do you properly assess fitness levels? This is covered in a trainer certification course. 

At its core, a personal trainer course teaches you more about exercise science. If you’re unfamiliar with this term, exercise science is the study of physical movement and how our bodies respond to it. It seeks to better understand how we adapt to a cardio or weight training program. This helps us continue to progress our training regimen. Exercise science also tells us how to overcome fitness plateaus.

Sample Personal Trainer Certification Course Curriculum

If you want more specifics about what you’ll learn in a trainer certification course, it’s helpful to look at its curriculum. This tells you the topics the course will cover. And they’re usually presented in a way where each section of information builds upon the one before it.

Here’s a look at what a typical personal trainer course curriculum might look like in terms of progression:

• Human anatomy and physiology

• The kinesiology and biomechanics of exercise

• Physical fitness methods (cardio, strength training, flexibility, etc.)

• Exercise program development

• Nutrition and supplements

• Fitness considerations for specific demographics (older adults, youth, people with health conditions)

Some trainer certification courses provide business advice as well. They discuss how to market yourself or differentiate your brand, for example. This is helpful if you want to build and grow a personal training business.

Different Types of PT Course Options Available

If you want to work in a gym, your employer may dictate which training course you need to take. Some prefer that you obtain your certification from a specific agency. Others provide training in-house. Before signing up for any course, reach out to that employer. Ask which certifications they accept. 

If they have no preference or you’re taking the course simply to increase your fitness knowledge, several options exist. Choosing a course that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is a good first step.

NCCA-accredited certifications are widely recognized within the fitness industry. NCCA certification providers must meet this organization’s standards before they’re able to offer the designation of Certified Personal Trainer. This helps ensure that you’ll receive a quality education versus finishing a fitness training program only to find that it didn’t provide the information or qualifications you need.

You aren’t limited to a certified personal trainer course either. One benefit of the fitness field is that it is incredibly wide. So, several certification options exist, enabling you to choose the one that interests you most. 

Maybe you want to know how to improve strength training results. You could take a strength and conditioning specialist course. If you currently train individuals but want to work with groups, you could take a group fitness instructor course. The possibilities are numerous.

What’s the Difference Between Various Personal Trainer Certifications?

There are several types of PT certifications, each offering different levels of expertise and career opportunities. Here's a breakdown:

1. Certified Personal Trainer (CPT): This is the foundational certification and ideal for beginners. It teaches essential topics such as human anatomy, exercise physiology, fitness assessments, and creating customized exercise programs. It includes online learning, an exam, and a personal success coach to ensure certification preparation. At ISSA, this certification can be completed at your own pace, and ISSA offers a money-back guarantee for job placement upon completion.

2. Certified Elite Personal Trainer: For those serious about advancing in the fitness industry, this program builds on the CPT certification and adds specialized training. In addition to the core fitness knowledge, you'll also complete a nutrition certification and one additional course, like yoga instruction, powerlifting, exercise therapy, or corrective exercise. These additional specializations deepen your expertise in fitness, nutrition, and advanced areas, making you more competitive in the industry.

3. Certified Master Trainer: This is an even higher level of personal training certification, combining the basic CPT, nutrition, and four specialty courses. This comprehensive program covers various fitness disciplines and includes a free CPR certification. The Master Trainer program is a cost-effective way to obtain multiple certifications, significantly enhancing your qualifications as a fitness professional.

How to Choose the Right PT Certification Course for Your Career Goals

Again, if you want to work in the fitness field, your employer may dictate the personal trainer course that you need to take. But if they don’t, here are some questions to ask to help you pick the best trainer certification program for you:

• What topics does it cover? Look at the course curriculum. Does it cover the topics that you want or need to learn more about? Are any important fitness or training topics missing?

• Does it come with certification? At the end of the course, are you able to take a certification exam? Many courses offer this option. If one doesn’t, this means that you have to find and take a certification exam on your own if you want to earn the Certified Personal Trainer designation.

• Is the course online or in person? An online personal trainer course offers flexibility and convenience. And you get to learn at your own pace. An in-person course requires that the training fits into your schedule. 

• Does it offer additional learning options? Can you take other certification courses if you want to expand your knowledge further? What about continuing education courses? If you can satisfy all of your learning needs with one organization, that’s a bonus. It keeps you from having to learn how different providers work.

• Does it provide adequate support? If you develop questions along the way, do you have an instructor or mentor you can reach out to? This person can be a sort of career coach. They can help guide you when deciding your path as a fitness trainer.

• Is it financially viable? A certification course generally costs several hundred dollars. If you can’t pay this as a lump sum, do you have payment options? Can you spread the cost out over several months, for instance?

• What do others have to say about the course? Check out the program’s reviews. What themes jump out? If one person has a complaint or compliment, it may be a personal thing. But if several people have the same comment, it carries a bit more weight.

Enroll in ISSA's Certified Personal Trainer Course

If you’re ready to take the next step, the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) offers a Certified Personal Trainer Course. This training program can help build your fitness knowledge, no matter how you intend to use it. 

References

1. Fitness trainers and instructors. (2024, August 29). Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm#tab-4

2. Fitness trainers and instructors. (2024, August 29). Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm#tab-5