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Become a Personal Trainer
Getting qualified, start to finish. What Level 2 and Level 3 actually are, what they cost, how long they take, and the things nobody tells you before you have paid. FASTER qualifications are delivered through FOCUS Awards and recognised by CIMSPA.
What Muscles Work In A Single-Leg Overhead Reach, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A single-leg overhead reach is held up by the standing leg's glute medius and minimus stopping the pelvis dropping, assisted by the small muscles around the ankle and the obliques controlling the trunk, and supported by the deep core and the shoulder stabilisers holding the reach overhead. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What To Do After You Qualify As A Personal Trainer
Most people qualify as a personal trainer and then guess what comes next. On the FASTER route the qualification is Phase 1 of three, and each phase ends with a real conversation with John about what is next for your business. The Level 3 course asks you to build a personal development plan; the mentored route is that plan with a person attached.
What Muscles Work In A Bird Dog, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A bird dog is held together by the deep core and erector spinae bracing the spine, the extending leg's glute driving the hip straight, and the opposite-side obliques stopping the whole thing rotating. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
A New Client's Shaky Leg Is The Nervous System Learning The Movement
A client's leg shaking through a brand new movement is motor units firing out of sequence while the nervous system learns the pattern. One of the things you learn on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course is what's happening in that shake, and why the client gets stronger before any muscle even grows.
What Muscles Work In A Band Wood Chop, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A band wood chop is driven by the obliques resisting and then producing the rotation, assisted by the lats finishing the pull and the back leg's glute powering the diagonal from the stance. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Kettlebell Swing, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A kettlebell swing is driven by the glutes and hamstrings snapping the hip straight, assisted by the adductors closing the hip and the lats steering the bell's arc, and held together by the core bracing the hinge and the forearms gripping throughout. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Vertical Jump, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A vertical jump is driven by the glutes and quads firing out of the dip, finished by the calves through the ankle at the very top, assisted by the hamstrings and hip flexors, and held together by the core and the smaller ankle and knee muscles controlling the landing. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Medicine Ball Throw, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A medicine ball throw is driven by the rectus abdominis and the lats snapping the trunk and arms down from an overhead reach, finished by the triceps through the elbow, and held together by the legs and lower back absorbing the stop. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Sprint, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
Sprinting is driven by the glutes and hamstrings extending the hip at push-off, the calves finishing through the ankle, and the hip flexors and quads bringing the recovery leg through fast. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Suspended Plank, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A suspended plank is held together by the rectus abdominis and obliques resisting the sag, the hip flexors driving the moving knee in, and the shoulder stabilisers fighting the strap's wobble. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Loaded Carry, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A loaded carry is held up by the trapezius and the grip in the rack position, walked by the glutes and quadriceps, and kept level by the obliques and quadratus lumborum. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Shoulder Press, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A shoulder press is driven by the deltoids and triceps, assisted by the upper chest and the muscles that rotate the shoulder blade, with the core bracing the whole thing so the effort doesn't leak into the lower back. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Row, Worked Out Before You've Even Taken A Client
A row works the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, middle trapezius and posterior deltoid, with the core and glutes holding the body in one line. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Press-Up, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A press-up works the pectoralis major, triceps and anterior deltoids, with the core holding the plank line so the force actually reaches the arms. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Deadlift, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A deadlift works the hamstrings and glutes at the hip, with the lats and grip holding on for the whole lift. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
What Muscles Work In A Lunge, And How To Work It Out For Any Exercise
A lunge works the front-leg quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings, plus a hip stabiliser a two-footed squat barely needs. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
Why A Client Bounces At The Bottom Of A Squat, And What To Call It
The Level 3 Personal Training Certificate names the reflex behind a squat bounce, a jerk or a catch, so a new trainer can explain a normal reaction instead of guessing.
You Can Learn What Keeps A Client Coming Back, Before You Ever Take One
Before you take your first client, the Level 3 Personal Training Certificate teaches the actual list of strategies that keep someone motivated and coming back.
The Eight-Step System For Showing A Client Their First Exercise
Level 2/3 gives you an eight-step system for the first time you show a client an exercise, from the introduction to what you write down afterwards. No guesswork required.
Four Plain Checks Tell You If A Client's Test Result Means Anything
Level 3 names four checks on whether a client's test result can be trusted: retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, measurement error and observer bias. No statistics needed.
What Muscles Work In A Squat, And The Four Steps That Tell You
A squat works the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, adductors, erector spinae and calves. The four steps that produce that answer are taught on our CIMSPA-recognised personal training course, and they work on any exercise.
You Can Tell A Real Nutrition Claim From A Sales Pitch, No Degree Needed
Before you take your first client, the Level 3 nutrition unit teaches you to tell real nutrition evidence apart from a supplement company's marketing claim.
You cannot fit a leg press in the boot of your car. Here is how you still train a client properly in a park, a garage or a spare room
Training people outside a gym takes creativity, not a van full of kit. The Level 2 and Level 3 teach how to work in spaces that were never designed for exercise, and FASTER adds an exercise library built for exactly that.
10 No-BS Tips to Become a Successful Personal Trainer
Personal training is not all mirror selfies and motivational quotes. Here are ten honest habits that separate the trainers who last from the ones who quit.
Becoming a Personal Trainer in Canary Wharf
A practical guide to building a personal training career in Canary Wharf — from getting qualified to landing your first clients in one of London's busiest fitness markets.
The Benefits of an Online Level 3 Personal Trainer Course
Studying your Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification online means learning around your life, at a lower cost, with the same accredited certificate at the end.
Now Is the Time to Become a Personal Trainer
Changing career to personal training gives you a skill that earns a living you control. Here is a four-stage route from qualified to established.
The Importance of Continuing Education in Personal Training
Why continuing education keeps personal trainers competitive, renews certification, widens the clients you can work with, and improves the results you deliver.
Kickstart Your Personal Training Career: The Richmond Guide
A practical roadmap to starting a personal training career in Richmond — from getting certified and finding your niche to building a brand and winning your first clients.
Mastering UK Personal Training: A No-Nonsense Guide
Personal training in the UK is more than knowing your deadlifts from your burpees. Ten practical moves to build a business that actually lasts.
A New Career as a Personal Trainer
What it really takes to start a career as a personal trainer in the UK: the CIMSPA-recognised qualification, where the work is, and how much you can earn.
A Guide to UK Personal Training Courses
Thinking of training as a career? Here is a plain guide to UK personal training courses, from Level 2 and Level 3 to specialist and CPD routes.
UK Personal Training Courses: A Practical Guide
What a UK personal training course should actually give you, how to judge the accreditation, and which key components to look for before you enrol.
What Does a Personal Trainer Do?
Before you sign up for a course, know what the job actually involves: the different roles, the business side, and what you do once a client is in front of you.
What Do I Need to Do to Be a Personal Trainer?
The honest guide to becoming a personal trainer in the UK — the qualification you actually need, the industry myths to ignore, and what carries you through your first 90 days.
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