Nutritional Fitness Professional

Hours: 420 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Online, Self-Paced

Course Overview:

The purpose of this course is to equip the student with knowledge and understanding about the importance and health benefits f proper nutrition, exercise, fitness, and healthy living.  In this course, the topics of diet, exercise, nutritional elements, supplements, disease prevention, and weight management are explored.  The goal is to prepare the student to use this understanding to facilitate healthy living in others.

The fitness industry is booming, and there is a growing need for certified personal fitness trainers.  Personal fitness trainers work with individuals to help them develop the skills necessary to successfully engage in physical activity.  The specific role of the personal fitness trainer will depend on the needs and abilities of each client, but regardless, the personal fitness trainer will play a vital role in the physical health of each client.  This course will provide a comprehensive overview of personal fitness training.  Through a variety of practical and theoretical applications, the student will learn how to assess each client and develop programming that incorporates different fitness methods, with the goal of providing the client with a comprehensive approach to fitness.  Upon completion of this course, the student will be prepared to sit for the ACSM Personal Trainer certification exam, and will also be able to begin working with clients immediately.

Curriculum Developer Biography:

Laurie Gilbreath holds a Master of Arts in Education and has 15 years' experience in K-12, higher education, and continuing education. She has also worked for 10 years as a professional development facilitator and designer and an educational trainer. She has developed courses, training manuals, and educational ebooks in topics ranging from healthcare to business to administration and quality management. In addition to her educational experience, she has worked as a freelance writer and editor for 10 years. Her publications include scholarly articles, training and educational materials, web content, and fiction.

Willow Nolland is an expert in education and eLearning, with more than ten years of experience in curriculum development and instructional design. She has worked in higher education for over twelve years, and has developed numerous courses and has been involved in curriculum development across disciplines. She has experience with academic program development and coordination, curriculum development, student learning outcomes, educational partnerships, and student development. In addition, she has developed and administered professional development programs for various groups, including teachers, counselors, healthcare workers and members of private industry. She is a certified Quality Matters Reviewer and has taken graduate courses in online course development. She designs and teaches online courses at the college level and is proficient in a variety of course management systems. She has helped educators redesign their courses to transition them from a face-to-face format to an online format, and has provided course editing assistance to others. As a freelance instructional designer and curriculum developer, her projects have included course editing and redesign of online continuing education courses for nurses, CEU curriculum development for healthcare workers and teachers, and course review and editing for various colleges and universities.

Course Outline:

Nutritional Consultant Career Prep:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Nutrition for Health, Fitness, and Sports Performance

In this lesson we will begin a discussion of the importance of proper nutrition and exercise in overall health.

Lesson 2: Healthful Nutrition

In this lesson we will discuss classes of nutrients, guidelines for healthy eating, a balanced diet, food labeling, and food allergies and intolerance.

Lesson 3: Human Energy

In this lesson we will become familiar with the energy storage, production, and usage functions in the human body.

Lesson 4: Carbohydrates - the Main Energy Food

In this lesson we will discuss the function of carbohydrates in the body

Lesson 5: Fat - Exercise Energy Source

In this lesson we will discuss the role and dangers of fat in the body

Lesson 6: Protein - the Tissue Builder

In this lesson we will discuss proteins, sources of protein, and the importance of protein

Lesson 7: Vitamins

In this lesson we will discuss the types of vitamins and the benefits of vitamins

Lesson 8: Minerals

In this lesson we will discuss types of minerals and the importance of minerals

Lesson 9: Water, Electrolytes, and Temperature

In this lesson we will discuss body temperature regulation and the importance of water and electrolytes

Lesson 10: Body Wight and Composition

In this lesson we will discuss healthy body weight

Lesson 11: Weight Management

In this lesson we will discuss approaches to weight loss and weight management

Lesson 12: Food Drugs and Supplements

In this lesson we will discuss the types and benefits of food supplements and drugs

Personal Fitness Trainer Career Prep:

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Field and Profession of Personal Training

In this lesson, you will learn about the field of personal training.  You will learn about the general profession of personal training, as well as the specific career tracks available to professional trainers. You will learn about general educational requirements, and will have the opportunity to explore different educational options offered to those interested in becoming professional personal trainers.  You will also learn about the specific functions and job duties of professional personal trainers.  Upon completion of this lesson, you will have a thorough understanding of the personal training profession.

Lesson 2: The Science of Personal Training

In this lesson, you will learn about the science of personal training.  First, you will learn about anatomy and Kinesiology so that you develop a solid understanding of the human body and the mechanics of how it works.  From there, you will learn about the biomechanical principles of training and the basic components of exercise physiology.  Once you have a solid understand of how exercise works, you will learn about nutrition and human performance.  Upon completion of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of how the human body works, the role of exercise on the human body, and the importance of adequate nutrition during exercise.

Lesson 3: Behavior Modification

In this lesson, you will learn about behavior modification and personal training.  As a personal trainer, you will be working with clients who need to make significant changes to their daily activity and eating habits.  It is important to have an understanding of how these behavior changes are encouraged and supported through coaching and counseling.  Therefore, this section will cover topics such as theories of behavior change, helping clients adhere to changes and stay active, and coaching and counseling clients through behavior change.  These topics will provide you with a thorough understanding of the role of the personal trainer in the client's behavior modification process.

Lesson 4: Initial Client Screening

In this lesson, you will learn about the screening and assessment process you will use when you begin working with new clients.  This initial assessment is crucial, as you will use it to help determine the specific needs of your client and develop programming that is specific to them.  Therefore, this lesson will focus on the initial client consultation, screening and risk classification, and the client fitness assessment.  This lesson will fully prepare you to provide a thorough initial assessment for each client you work with.

Lesson 5: Comprehensive Program Design

In this lesson, you will learn about comprehensive program design and the many physiological and psychological benefits it provides.  This section provides Personal Trainers with insight into the range of physical and mental health benefits possible with a regular exercise program.  A well-rounded fitness plan follows a general format including a warm-up, the conditioning phase, such as cardiorespiratory exercise or resistance exercise, a cool-down, and flexibility exercise, and, when indicated, neuromata exercise training.  Upon completion of this lesson, you will have the skills necessary to develop comprehensive exercise programs for your clients.

Lesson 6: Types of Training

In this lesson, you will learn about the different types of training.  You will learn about the role of resistance training, cardiorespiratory training, and flexibility training in comprehensive training programs.  The benefits of resistance training are numerous and include increases in strength, muscle mass, and bone density. Cardiorespiratory endurance training refers to the ability of an individual to perform large muscle, repetitive, moderate- to high-intensity exercise for an extended period.   Flexibility contributes to an overall improved quality of life in athletes and the general public alike general stretching exercises emphasizing the major skeletal muscle groups at least 2 to 3 days a week.  A thorough training program should include elements of each type of training.

Lesson 7: Program Components and Working with Special Populations

In this lesson, you will learn about the various programming components.  You will learn how to tailor programming to meet the specific needs of your clients, and you will learn how to identify which components will help your clients meet their fitness and lifestyle goals.  You will also learn about advanced programming options for clients whose fitness needs extend beyond basic physical activities, such as competitive athletes and those with advanced training goals.  Finally, you will learn how to develop training programs for special populations.  Upon completion of this lesson, you will be fully prepared to develop programming for all types of clients.

Lesson 8: Business and Legal Components

In this lesson, you will learn about the business and legal components involved in being a personal trainer.  You will learn how to sell and market training services to potential clients, how to price training sessions, and how to maintain professional standards that will protect a business reputation. You will also identify the legal risks and responsibilities of the profession, as well as the importance of conforming to industry standards.  An understanding of the business and legal components of personal training is crucial to the success of a personal trainer.

All necessary materials are included.

Certification(s):  

This course prepares the student to take the ACSM Personal Trainer certification exam.

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:

• Cable, Fiber, DSL, or LEO Satellite (i.e. Starlink) internet with speeds of at least 10mb/sec download and 5mb/sec upload are recommended for the best experience.

NOTE: While cellular hotspots may allow access to our courses, users may experience connectivity issues by trying to access our learning management system.  This is due to the potential high download and upload latency of cellular connections.   Therefore, it is not recommended that students use a cellular hotspot as their primary way of accessing their courses.

Hardware Requirements:

• CPU: 1 GHz or higher
• RAM: 4 GB or higher
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher.  1920x1080 resolution is recommended for the best experience.
• Speakers / Headphones
• Microphone for Webinar or Live Online sessions.

Operating System Requirements:

• Windows 7 or higher.
• Mac OSX 10 or higher.
• Latest Chrome OS
• Latest Linux Distributions
  

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:

• Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
• Latest Mozilla FireFox
• Latest Microsoft Edge
• Latest Apple Safari

Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):

• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
• PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
• Courses may require other software that is described in the above course outline.