As a writer on a fitness mag, I like to think I’ve got a reasonably sound knowledge of all things fitness. I can tell my clean and press from my deadlift, strike a fair few yoga poses and bore my friends silly with the benefits of high-intensity training over steady state cardio. Added to that, I’m a gymnastics coach and have spent years working in and around the fitness industry.
However, while I’ve always fancied taking the plunge and becoming a fully fledged personal trainer, I’ve never quite found the time. So when I was offered the chance to do a distance learning Fitness Industry Education Personal Training qualification, I jumped at the chance.
Why do it?
This qualification has a double benefit for me. Firstly, I’d love to be a personal trainer, so I can put all the things I write about for the magazine into practice, to help people achieve their goals. Secondly, the experience and insight I’ll gain through doing this course will give me the confidence to talk knowledgeably about a wide range of fitness-related topics. It’s a real winner for me.
What does it involve?
The course has a time limit of two years, but you can work at your own pace. Plus you do the vast majority of the learning online, through the website. So it’s amazingly flexible and the perfect option if you’re studying alongside a full-time job. There’s also an app you can download to your iPad, which is really handy if you do a lot of travelling. The distance learning set-up also includes five days of face-to-face Saturday assessments, which you can book in whenever suits you.
How’s it going?
I kicked off with the introductory section of the course, which talks you through the various modules and gives you some great tips for keeping your learning on course. One of the best pieces of advice they offered was to set aside a specific time every week in which to do your studying. I started this course at a very busy time – and just as I was going away on holiday! – so it took me a little while to get going. But, when I settled back into a more regular routine, I decided to commit my Tuesday evenings to cracking on with it – and that’s been a real success!
I’m just finishing up the introductory section and I’m really excited to get going on the real bulk of the course now. I’ll let you know how I get on!
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