HFI Course Category / Level

Degree level.

Qualification Introductory Information

The ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist (HFS) is a degree level health and fitness professional qualified to pursue a career in university, corporate, commercial, hospital, and community settings. The syllabus is much more scope in terms of depth and range than the Level 3 as degrees are at Level 5 on the national framework of qualifications. The HFS is skilled in the following:

• Conducting risk stratification.

• Conducting physical fitness assessments and interpreting results.

• Constructing appropriate exercise prescriptions.

• Motivating apparently healthy individuals with or without medically controlled diseases to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviours.

Read more about ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist scope of practice.

Summary of ACSM HFS Assessment:

Become an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist

Are you a personal trainer ready to step up to the next level? Or are you a sport, exercise, health graduate wanting the perfect vocational supplement for your degree?

Would you like the ability to work with a wider variety of clients, including those with health risks? Then the ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist Certification is for you. 

ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialists are qualified to work with special populations with medically controlled diseases who have been cleared by their physician for independent exercise.

Requirements for becoming an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist

To become an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist you must meet all of the minimum requirements.

Current Minimum Requirements

• Associate**or Bachelor Degree in a health-related* field from a regionally accredited college or university (you are eligible to sit for the certification exam if you are in the last term or semester of your degree program)

• First Aid qualified

NB: if you are a degree graduate and are intending to go into the UK fitness industry but don’t have work experience already then you are advised to take the Level 3 Personal Trainer as the preferred qualification for practical personal training in the UK.

**in the UK we don’t have an Associate degree but this would be equivalent to a Foundation degree.

*Examples: Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Physiology, Physical Education, Human Performance, Movement Science, Kinesiotherapy, Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, Nutrition, Nursing, Physician Assistant, Health Care Administration, Sports Management, Health Science, Recreation Management/Science, Community Health, Public Health, and Health Promotion, Occupational Therapy, Biology.

Minimum Requirements as of July 1, 2011

Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, Exercise Science or other exercise-based degree.*

* Candidates must have course work in anatomy, physiology, and a minimum of 18 credits in exercise science course work including courses in exercise physiology, biomechanics (kinesiology), exercise prescription, and fitness testing.

• First Aid qualified

Where Next?

HFI Exercise Motivator
HFI Eating Behaviour Motivator

ACSM Clinical Exercise Specialist

MSc Degree

Course format options

ACSM HFS is an assessment-only. Candidates can attend the ACSM Gold Standard Workshop to assist their preparation for this and the ACSM HFS certification exam (this workshop covers the ACSM CPT syllabus as well).

ACSM study guides can be purchased from HFI

Course content summary

The ACSM HFS Syllabus is comprised of the following topic areas:

• General population/core: exercise physiology and related exercises science

• Pathophysiology and risk factors (HFS only)

• Health appraisal, fitness and clinical exercise testing

• Electrocardiography and diagnostic techniques (HFS only)

• Patient management and medications (HFS only)

• Exercise prescription and programming

• Nutrition and weight management

• Human behavior and counseling

• Safety, injury prevention, and emergency procedures

• Program administration, quality assurance, and outcome assessment­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

• Clinical and medical considerations

• Cardiovascular: pathophysiology and risk factors (HFS only)

• Pulmonary: pathophysiology and risk factors

• Metabolic: pathophysiology and risk factors

• Orthopedic/musculoskeletal: pathophysiology and risk factors

Venues

ACSM HFS is an assessment. Refer to the ACSM Gold Standard Workshop to assist in your preparation for this assessment.

Assessment

On demand, anywhere in the UK through HFI

• home study from ACSM study package

• 3.5 hour computer-based assessment

Awarding body and recognition

ACSM

UK and Internationally recognised

CPD

20 CPD