Reach more people at once as a Group Fitness Instructor

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Scale your time and impact by getting Certified in Group Fitness. earn how to manage groups of people and help them reach

With the ISSA Group Fitness Certification, you'll master the art of creating fun and effective class formats, whether you are leading small or large groups. Learn the magic of creating a fun class that pushes your members to success and brings an energy to the room that keeps them coming back from more. Again. And Again. And Again.

What You'll Learn From This Course

Our course material is continually updated so you can be sure you're receiving the most accurate and up-to-date information available. You'll learn everything you need to know to start helping clients start moving better and feeling less pain:

Identify the major structures of the body.
Describe joints, their common injuries, and how they function as complete kinetic chains.
Identify how basic principles of biomechanics, balance, kinesthesis, and proprioception relate to muscle and strength balance.
Review the physiology of muscle contraction, muscle fiber types, energy production pathways, mechanisms of fatigue, and training adaptations.
Recognize Newton's Laws of Motion and their relationship to the biomechanics of strength and movement.
Apply exercise adaptations, program periodization, and training cycles within a training period to program design for a given group.
Identify strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular training, and conditioning, as well as training modalities for each.

Evaluate clients, including body composition, flexibility, mobility, and performance nutrition.
Identify essential considerations for designing a specific group exercise program, including useful information gathering, strategies for flexible programming in less than ideal conditions, approaching nutrition effectively in a group setting, safety and injury prevention, and strategies for coaching, motivating, tracking progress, and building relationships.
Select, scale, modify, and blend exercises, repetition schemes, workout tempos, and group workout formats.
Identify the most effective blend of equipment and exercises to provide a full-body, balanced approach to achieving the desired training effect for the group.
Recognize basic elements of managing and marketing your group exercise business, including professionalism and pricing.

Your New Career as a Specialist in Group Fitness Starts Here

This distance education course will show you how to use your knowledge and experience as an ISSA certified fitness trainer to design and lead safe and effective group training sessions. The course begins with the scientific foundations for group training design, including training-essential anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics, as well as how training elicits various physical adaptations. Material then advances to the practical application of these concepts as they apply to group training program design and implementation. Advanced concepts include programming, assessment, safety, exercises and equipment, class formats, performance nutrition, and marketing your classes.

Study at your own pace with flexible, online learning to fit your busy schedule.
Pass your certification exam online wherever you're most comfortable.

How the ISSA Specialist in Group Fitness Works

We know that balancing your studies with an already busy schedule can be a challenge, which is why we designed a flexible, self-paced online course schedule that allows you up to 12 months to finish the program so you can study when, where, and how often you'd like. Here's how the program works:

1

Get Instant Access and Start Studying Right Away

Study online or with the included textbooks. With 1-2 hours of studying per day, most students finish in just 8-10 weeks. Feel free to study at your own pace.
2

Complete Quizzes and Test Your Comprehension

We offer multiple online practice quizzes throughout the course to completely prepare you for the final exam and for real life coaching and helping.

3

Take the Open-Book, Untimed Final Exam from Anywhere

You read that correctly - the final exam is online, open-book, untimed, and can be completed over multiple sessions! You can even go back and change any answer, at any time, before you submit your exam. If you don't pass the first time, we even allow you to re-take the exam.

What You'll Get With This Course

Hardcopy & Online Main Course Text

Group Fitness is a 265 page book that includes everything you need to earn an ISSA Specialist in Group Fitness. The course material is continually updated with new information so you can be sure you're receiving the most up-to-date information available.

View Table of Contents

Preview the first chapter

Meet the authors, Sara Fleming and Scott Dyck

Study Guide and Workbook

This handy reference guide walks you through the course unit-by-unit, allowing you to gain a better understanding of personal trainer concepts.
Online Exercise Lab

ISSA and Hyperstrike provide you with an exclusive online exercise lab with over 250 animated exercises. 3D animation and three different angles ensure that proper form and technique are a breeze!
Practice Exam and Section Quizzes

The practice Exam and quizzes test your understanding of the materials; so while you're reading you're preparing for the exam at the same time.

Online and Home Study Exam

ISSA's certification exam solidifies your proficiency as a fitness professional. Choose a paper-and-pencil exam or utilize our secure online testing portal. One No-cost Retest (if necessary).
Online Student Forum

Our online forum is where you can post client or business challenges and receive guidance from our on-staff Master Trainers and members of the ISSA family worldwide.

Plus Bonus Support After Your Exam...

Free Professional Website

All ISSA members get a free website to support their personal trainer careers online. Five pages of professionally designed, easily editable, fully hosted content is included. Choose from nine designs and put your best face forward online!

Unlimited Educational Support

All ISSA students have access to unlimited educational support. If you have questions about the course materials, our on-staff professors can guide you through. This support continues even after you earn your personal trainer certification.