Fitness Qualifications? Who needs them?

The question about fitness qualifications came up on Twitter today. This quick (hopefully not too many typos) post aims to explain the state of play of fitness qualifications.

What many people do not understand is that the Fitness Industry has little, to no, regulation (I'm writing as UK based, but there are few differences worldwide). The official information from the UK government National Career Service agrees:

The same website lists the following for Personal Trainer.

So based on this you do not need any qualifications. However, it is unlikely that you would get insurance without being qualified. You wouldn't get car insurance without some form of drivers licence. But your clients don't ask you for proof of insurance......

The vast majority of gyms would not hire people without qualifications despite this lack of official guidelines. A general overview of the courses most gyms recognise is as follows:

Level 2 Fitness Instructor (FI)

This is the minimum qualification required for the vast majority of gyms/fitness companies. Courses cost from approx £300 to £700 depending on provider and format (residential, distance learning etc. Assessment is normally based on a practical session (showing basic exercises to a gym customer) and 2 multiple choice exams. 

With a FI qualification you can work in a gym. Normal tasks would include:

- Gym Inductions.

- Showing potential new members around the gym.

- Cleaning equipment.

- Tidying up when equipment is left out.

- Showing people how to use equipment

The bottom line is this is an easy qualification that leads to a limited role (when gym based). Sadly there is always mess and sweat to clean up in gyms and that can be a big part of the job. Most gyms will only pay minimum wage to FIs so not many people want to do this role for long. This is a shame because a good FI is worth their weight in gold and can make a huge difference to the gym and this role should be given higher wages and better support from gym companies.

A FI qualification is also a gateway to other jobs/roles. Once you have a FI qualification you get take separate, usually one day, Level 2 courses to become an instructor in disciplines such as Spin, Circuits, Kettlebells etc. These course normally cost £100-£300+ and although there is an assessment you would have to pretty bad to fail any of them.

With the relevant qualification you can teach whatever classes you like and there are many instructors who never go further than Level 2 and have successful careers. The problem for the industry is how do you define each class? Circuit Training is a blanket term which many people view as all inclusive, but is it? Mostly, yes. Are companies that design gym equipment just making up qualifications for their equipment for marketing/financial reasons? Probably. Is Exercise to Music a really a separate skill? Yes, but I don't think it justifies a separate course. It is a complete can of worms and although I support qualifications and standards I do not think the industry has got this area right. There are 'qualified' instructors teaching things badly and 'unqualified' instructors teaching things correctly so what has this system really achieved?

Level 3 Personal Trainer

This is the minimum qualification most gyms want to see for their Personal Trainers. You must (although the odd person sneaks through the net) complete a Level 2 FI qualification first. Courses can cost from £600-£3000 depending on company and format (residential, on-line etc) with many companies pushing out cheaper and cheaper courses or throwing in free Level 2 qualifications to temp customers. About 5 years ago you would be very hard pressed to find a course for less than £1500 and this would be a 3 week residential course adding further costs unless you were lucky enough to live near the course location. Prices have dropped, locations have expanded but I do not believe this has improved standards or the quality of PTs, quite the opposite actually.

Course will generally include modules along the lines of:

- Principles of Exercise and Fitness.

- Anatomy and Physiology.

- Sports Nutrition.

- Delivering Personal Training Sessions.

- Programming Personal Training Sessions.

- Health and Safety in the Fitness Environment.

- 2 x Multiple Choice Exams.

None of this is rocket science although learning all the muscles names, attachment and origin points can be challenging (but important). You will notice there is ZERO training in exercise technique as this is covered at Level 2 FI level. You won't get taught how do deadlift or squat properly but you will be expected to correct poor form. The problem being your 'acting' clients on the course will be trainee PTs on the same course who will generally (it isn't a given though) use correct form unlike the real world clients.

What does a Level 3 PT Course qualify you to do? I have never found any official direction nor seen anything written down at various gyms. The way I understand it (please comment if you understand differently) is that a Level 3 PT is qualified to train people over the age of 18 who are 'apparently' fit and healthy (think medically). That is pretty vague but in reality it is the majority of people who join gyms. Unless some one has diabetes, hypertension or arthritis etc you can train them. Having said that most gyms do not seem to care if PTs train people with diabetes or other medical conditions.

Just like with Level 2 Courses there are multiple further Level 3 Courses that PTs can complete. Examples are:

- Strength and Sports Conditioning.

- Outdoor Fitness.

- Exercise Referral.

- Lower Back Pain.

- Pilates.

Again, many of the courses can appear to be just a way of training providers making more money and many definitely are. The main limitation is they are too short to teach you the full range of skills needed but if the courses get longer the course price will be excessive! Another key part is the average gym customer doesn't understand what all the qualification are or what they mean so won't care that you don't have them. Finally, many, many PTs do not want to take time off from training clients (which earns them money) to spend money learning a new skill that 99% of customers (and gym companies) don't care that they don't have! 

f you go and read PT Profiles in your gym you will find many PTs claim expertise in areas they have no formal qualification in anyway. Does this mean they do not know their stuff? Not always, but often it does.

The bottom line is the industry is in a mess, there are no easy solutions but until enough people care about it all nothing will change.