Program Info
Program Description
Designed to help students respond to the increasing demand for highly-trained, certified exercise instructors and personal trainers in national fitness clubs, corporate fitness centers, area-wide recreation facilities and hospitals. To become a successful fitness trainer, an individual needs to be knowledgeable in exercise science, skilled at motivating individuals to make lifestyle changes, and aware of current and future trends in the profession. This programs offer a wide variety of courses including Exercise Physiology, Nutrition, Methods of Teaching Exercise, Advanced Strength Training, Wellness, and Assessing Fitness and Sport skills all designed to give the student experience in the field that will lead to job opportunities.
Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:
- Devise the appropriate exercise prescription for a variety of populations (e.g., obese, athlete, diabetic) following the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines.
- Demonstrate procedures for assessing skill and health-related components of physical fitness based on guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine.
- Diagram the facility requirements for a wellness center as defined by the American College of Sports Medicine.
- Perform the appropriate response to the injury situations that are likely to happen in an exercise setting.
Following completion of the certificate program, many students move into the Associate of Applied Science program in Fitness Leadership. Attaining the certificate first, enables the student to begin working in the field and collecting valuable work experience. HFC has an articulation agreement with Eastern Michigan University (EMU) allowing for a smooth transition to the University without a loss of credit hours. Additionally, many students transfer to Wayne State University (WSU) which has excellent programs in exercise science, nutrition, health, coaching, and physical therapy.
A third party independent study funded by the American Council on Exercise completed a study of salaries on people working as personal trainers and group exercise leaders in 2013. The study reported a 12% increase in salaries since 2010, the time of the last study. Currently, the average national salary for personal trainers and group exercise leaders working full-time is $52,537 and for those working part-time in north central United States, exercise instructors are averaging an hourly rate of $26. The survey can be accessed at http://www.acefitness.org/salary/docs/ACE_SalarySurvey.pdf.
A future exercise leader who can work one-on-one with people wanting to improve their health as well as teach classes in aerobics, yoga, or water exercise can find an exciting career path with the Fitness Leadership program. This program provides the student with the credentials and experience to become a leader in the fitness industry.
Many students are interested in taking the American Council on Exercise (ACE) or the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) industry certification exams at the completion of the program. The certificate/associate’s degree from HFC serves as a much higher level of certification than the various industry certification exams. Even though this is the case, many students take the industry certification exam and do very well. The classes that will specifically prepare students for the various industry certification exams are HPE 270 -Exercise Physiology and HPE 151-Methods for Teaching Exercise.
Statistics provided by ACE and ACSM have shown that students who have received training from a college perform well on certification exams.
The Fitness Leadership certificate serves as an excellent foundation for students entering other careers such as nursing, physical therapy, community health and business. Students may find that having two complementary areas of concentration and expertise makes them more marketable.
Admission Requirements
There are no special requirements to the program. You simply need to claim Fitness Leadership as your course of study when you apply to the college or register for classes. It is best to follow the suggested sequence of classes listed for the program.
Program Requirements
| Course name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| AH-105: Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers | 0.50 |
Biology: Complete BIO-131 or BIO-134 or BIO-233 and BIO-234. |
4.00 |
| HPE-141: Introduction to Health and Wellness | 3.00 |
| HPE-151: Methods for Teaching Exercise | 3.00 |
| HPE-200: Exercise Facility, Equipment, and Safety | 3.00 |
| HPE-212: Measurement and Prescription of Fitness and Sport | 3.00 |
| HPE-253: Nutrition for the Professional | 3.00 |
| HPE-258: Advanced Strength Training | 3.00 |
Exercise Physiology: Complete one: |
4.00 |
| HPEA-155: Relaxation Techniques for Stress Management | 2.00 |
| HPEA-122: Yoga-Based Fitness | 2.00 |