Level 3 Diploma Practitioner Personal Trainer via RPL (for those with all required units already)

Summary

Welcome to the RPL (recognition of prior learning) Mapping Report for HFI Training’s (Focus Awards) Level 3 Practitioner Diploma in Personal Training. This is the qualification required for registering with CIMSPA at Practitioner (Personal Trainer) level. RPL Level 3 personal trainer means some people can get their certificate without taking any more assessments because they already have all the required units.

Please send us your units certificates you already have. if you have done a BSc degree please send the certificates, the content (transcript) and the module descriptors (module content) for the qualifications you have.

 HOW YOUR APPLICATION WILL BE EVALUATED

Your application will be evaluated to ascertain whether you have the knowledge, competence and skills that meet the awarding body’s requirements. As your actual knowledge and skills are not being directly observed, it is imperative that the evaluator is convinced that you have the knowledge and skills to meet the standards.  Our industry’s reputation depends on it.

• The evidence reviewed is in the form of your certificates, your previous written work with real clients, additional work requested by the reviewer (e.g. a personal training case study), and a virtual interview.
• Following this process, if there are unit omissions in evidence, then the full Focus Awards Level 3 Diploma Practitioner in Personal Training (RQF) certificate can be achieved by taking the relevant assessments for those units.

The difference between Level 2 (CIMSPA Affiliate) and Level 3 (CIMSPA Practitioner)

Please keep in mind the role of a gym instructor is that you are employed by the gym you work in and you are seeing clients for a screening and consultation appointment, writing them an exercise session to do for a few weeks, showing them how to do the exercises on the programme, how to monitor their exercise intensity, how to warm up and cool down and when to know when to book in for exercise programme review. The gym clients will use mainly fixed resistance exercise machines with some basic free-weights and body weight exercises.

The personal trainer can be employed by the gym or self-employed and be paying the gym for the hire of the gym space. They have their own personal clients who they train regularly. The trainer provides unlimited screening and consultations, follow-up consultations and exercise sessions. All are chargeable to the client. The trainer will plan an 8-week programme based on client information gathered and adapt this planned session as appropriate based on client’s actual progression and preferences. The personal training client can use all modes of exercise equipment including more body weight / functional exercises because there is a close supervision of sessions.

The required units for the Focus Awards Level 3 Diploma Practitioner in Personal Training (RQF) are:

Level 2 Units:

• Anatomy and Physiology
• Know how to support clients’ lifestyle management and enhance client motivation for exercise and physical activity R/617/8590
• Principles of professional practice and health and safety in a fitness environment Y/617/8591
• Planning professional practice with effective consultations and assessments for gym-based exercise sessions D/617/8592
• Principles of health and wellbeing for exercise, fitness and health Y/617/8588
• Instructing professional practice and effective exercise supervision in gym-based exercise sessions H/617/8593

Level 3 Units:

• Anatomy physiology and kinesiology for exercise and health K/617/8594
• Applying nutritional principles to personal training M/617/8595
• Consultation Skills for Personal Trainers.
• Planning exercise Programme design for Personal Training Clients T/617/8596
• Delivering exercise programmes for Personal Training sessions A/617/8597
• Business acumen and the use of information technology for a personal trainer F/617/8598

Your application will be evaluated to ascertain whether you have the knowledge, competence, understanding and skills that meet the Awarding Body (Focus Awards) standards. As your actual knowledge and skills are not being directly observed, it is imperative that the evaluator is convinced that you have the knowledge and skills to meet the standards.  Our industry’s reputation depends on it.  Please bear this in mind when you complete the form.

Aim:

1. To train learners to a professionally competent level, enabling them to prescribe, plan and deliver safe and effective exercise programmes developing their skills knowledge to pursue a career in personal training.

Objectives:

1. To provide learners with the knowledge of anatomy and physiology, functional kinesiology and concepts and components of fitness.
2. To provide learners with the knowledge and skills to successfully gather and analyse client information using the most accepted techniques.
3. To provide learners with the knowledge and skills to assess a client’s current health and fitness status.
4. To provide learners with the knowledge and skills to be able to plan and conduct a physical activity session, within a variety of environments using multiple resources.

Occupational Description

A fitness instructor/personal trainer’s role includes designing and implementing exercise programmes for a range of individual clients by collecting and analysing client information to ensure the effectiveness of personal exercise programmes. A personal trainer should also actively encourage potential clients/members to join and adhere to regular exercise programmes, employing appropriate motivational strategies to achieve this.

Occupational Roles

The personal trainer should be involved in:

1. Collecting information relating to individual clients.
2. Carrying out fitness assessments to establish client fitness and skill level.
3. Analysing information relating to individual clients.
4. Identifying, agreeing and reviewing short, medium and long term goals to ensure the effectiveness of exercise programmes.
5. Providing a range of exercise programmes in accordance with the needs of the clients by applying principles of exercise programming.
6. Making best use of the environment in which clients are exercising.
7. Providing clients with accurate information on the principles of nutrition and weight management.
8. Developing and applying strategies to motivate clients to join and adhere to an exercise programme
9. Acting as a positive role model for all clients.
10. Proactively interact and develop positive relationships with clients in order to facilitate client retention.
11. Promoting healthy activities and related strategies for daily living to clients/members.
12. Keeping up-to-date with health and fitness industry developments to ensure high standards of programmes that meet client needs in the short, medium and long term goals.
13. Making the appropriate decisions relating to clients and their programmes/goals and, where required, refer the client to a more appropriate professional.
14. Working within the parameters given at Level 3, recognising the standards and professional limitations that this provides, referring to appropriate members of staff for guidance and support.

Progression

Learners may broaden their knowledge and skills by progressing onto qualifications mapping to additional branches of the Level 3 Standards, such as Exercise Referral and then also be eligible for Level 4 modules.

The qualification will provide knowledge and practical skills to enhance provision alongside other academic courses such as: National Diploma in Sports Studies, A-level PE and HND in Sport and Leisure.

Occupational Competence

L3 Personal Trainers should:

1. Be aware of their professional role boundaries as listed.
2. Give guidance to encourage special population clients* to follow the key safety guidelines and discourage them from anything deemed to be potentially hazardous/contraindicated to enable them to take part in sessions.*Special population clients including:
   • 14-16 year old young people
   • disabled people
   • older people (50+)
   • ante and postnatal women.
3. Get advice from another appropriate professional if there are any objectives, physical activities or risks that fall outside their professional boundaries or that they do not feel competent to deal with and/or refer on to the appropriate person.

L3 Personal Trainers (who do not posses the appropriate special population qualification/s in older adults, ante/postnatal women and disabled people) should NOT

1. • Be a specialist instructor in the area of special populations, or advertise as such
   • Instruct special population clients 1:1 or in groups on a regular or progressive basis
   • Plan a progressive, long-term special populations exercise or physical activity programme
   • Play any role in exercise or physical activity programming or monitoring in condition management on a 1:1 or group basis. (For this, a Level 3 Exercise Referral qualification is required and for certain conditions, where national occupational standards are in place, a Level 4 qualification).
2. Prescribe any form of exercise session or individual exercise that they have not been trained to deliver/teach effectively.
3. Instruct exercise in disciplines in which they are not qualified or where they do not hold appropriate endorsed training (e.g. a Level 2 fitness instructor should not ‘cover’ an ETM class or a spinning class if they do not hold the appropriate certificates).
4. Provide prescriptive nutritional advice or develop bespoke individualised nutrition plans for clients.

Still Have Questions?

Contact Alison at HFI on 07799 621 456 or email