Personal Trainer Online Schools Instruct Cutting-Edge Skills
Personal training online schools have upgraded the expectations for their student’s core education and skills. Only ten years ago a personal training student could earn a certificate with as little as 20 hours of instruction and receive a certificate that would be recognized and accepted by major gyms across the country. That practice has changed. The health and fitness industry has become big business and is, therefore, more vulnerable to lawsuits. These employers now expect more of the education system.Today the fitness Industry demands that their personal trainers have a certificate that is endorsed by major certifying institutions like The National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). Major gyms are setting new standards. Gyms do not want to be liable for misinformation, errors or dangerous practices by unqualified staff. Workout facilities expect that their staff acquire rigorous educational training, pass qualifying exams, receive accredited certificates and continuing education. The educational organizations and certifying institutions are actively responding to the employer’s higher expectations.Cutting-edge skills are required of the personal training students. They must be certified in CPR and AED (automated external defibrillation). They must be able to calculate target body weight. They must be able to perform a body composition assessment (BMI), muscular strength and endurance tests, assess radial pulse, measure blood pressure and provide safe strategies for weight loss. Trainers must be able to perform a health risk appraisal, a pre-exercise screening and provide clients with informed consent forms. The Informed consent form provides the client with awareness of assumed risks of participation, reasonably expected benefits, opportunity for inquiry, right of refusal and right of confidentiality. Individuals who present risks for exercise are sent to their physician for medical clearance.Online educational courses and brick and mortar colleges alike train and test their personal training students to qualify for the NCSF exams. The NCSF books and DVD’s provide current information that is cognizant of a wide range of risk management and liability issues. The NCSF Board of Certification sets competency standards to protect the public. It serves to identify qualified Personal Trainers to employers within the health & fitness industry. The public is safer and definitely served by more rigorous training and instruction in cutting-edge skills for personal trainers.