The danger for most of us is not that we might exercise too hard, but that we do no exercise at all.  More than 60 per cent of us are overweight, 25 per cent are obese and physical activity may be further compromised by disease or infirmity. In this case exercise takes on an even greater importance. Clinical personal fitness trainers are the consultants of the fitness world; they deal with special problems related to lifestyle, preventative healthcare and exercise.  This course is designed for those fitness trainers who not only want to help the able-bodied but also those with disabilities such as obesity, arthritis, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in order to enable them to achieve maximum fitness and wellbeing.

• Lesson One
  • What is Clinical Personal Fitness Training?
    • Introduction
    • Career Openings
    • The Role of a Clinical Personal Fitness Trainer (CPFT)
    • Clinical Personal Fitness Trainers and Preventative Health Care
    • Motivational Interviewing and the Fun Factor
• Lesson Two
  • Lifestyle Changes for Health and Fitness
    • Tension – Is it Good For You?
    • Getting a Life Balance
    • Control Your Weight
    • Vitamins and Minerals for a Healthy Diet
• Lesson Three
  • Reducing Body Fat for Good Health
    • Healthy Eating
    • Burning Calories
    • To Diet or to Train?
    • Loss of Body Fat and Physical Performance
    • How to Burn Fat through Exercise
    • Fact and Fiction
    • Some Rules for Fighting ‘Flab’
• Lesson Four
  • Major Health Challenges in the UK
    • Cardiovascular Disease
    • Obesity
    • Diabetes
• Lesson Five
  • Arthritis – Facing the Challenge/ Managing Disability and Fitness
    • How You Can Help Yourself
    • Your Fitness and How Arthritis Affects You
    • Motivation
    • Gentle Exercises
    • Exercise and People with Disabilities
    • Equal Opportunities in Fitness
    • What Can a CPFT Do to Help?
    • Setting Up a GP Referral Scheme
    • Looking at Fitness for Those with Special Needs and Conditions
• Lesson Six
  • Regular Exercise for General Wellbeing/ Systems of the Human Body/ Nutritional Need
  • Physiology of Exercise
  • Benefits of Exercise
  • Fitness Goals
  • Exercise Intensity
  • Carbohydrates
  • Cholesterol
  • Vitamins
  • Minerals

• Lesson Seven
  • Safety First Every Time
    • The Twelve Rules for Safe Training
    • Health and Safety Guidelines
    • Proper Safety Equipment
    • How to ‘Spot’ for Someone
• Lesson Eight
  • Designing an Exercise Prescription
    • Risk and Other Factors
    • Putting it all Together to Prescribe an Exercise Programme
    • Modes of Exercise
    • Energy Systems
    • Types of Training
    • Warm Up – Warm Down
    • Safe and Effective Training Practice
• Lesson Nine
  • Designing a Strength Training Programme for Beginners
    • Reps and Sets
    • Use of Weights
    • Weight Training Basic Guide Lines
    • Abdominal Training
    • Circuit Weight Training
    • Weight Training Exercises
    • Suggested Strength Training Programmes
    • Useful Training Tips
• Lesson Ten
  • Programmes for Improving Flexibility/ Clients’ Goals
    • Warming Up
    • Why Stretch?
    • Breathing
    • Basic Exercise Programme
    • Benefits of a Stretch Training Programme
    • Warming Down and Stretching
    • Stretching Rules
    • Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching Programme
    • Sit-and-Reach Test for Hamstring Flexibility
    • Finger-Touch Test for Rotator Cuff Flexibility

1 day of Practical Training is essential for this course. Practical workshops can be held in various locations around the UK and are available for an additional fee of £75 per day. Your practical training is a valuable opportunity to learn directly from an experienced practical training tutor with specialist skills.