Fitness Training Courses

Fitness Instructor Course, Career Details

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional and mental state. Fitness is not about being thin, having a small waist or having bulging muscles. It is a combination of qualities that enable us to be at our full potential in performing vigorous physical activities. Physical Fitness involves the performance of the heart, lungs and muscles of the body. Specifically, it takes into account our cardio respiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility. To some extent, fitness also influences our mental and emotional development since what we do with our body also has an effect on what we can do with our minds. This is taught in fitness training courses.

Eligibility: The eligibility criterion to become a fitness instructor is HSC. There are bachelor courses in physical education. Many private institutes conduct their own fitness training courses.

Career Options: Fitness training course can be divided into four categories. You can work as a fitness instructor, group fitness instructor, exercise specialist and personal trainer. A personal trainer has to train people in different aspects of physical fitness, helping them get into shape and stay fit. He can instruct an individual or a group in exercise routines such as weights, aerobics or the various machines available in gym. He has to give them basic advice on health and nutrition, including posture, change in lifestyle if required. He is also involved in designing specific programs for people keeping in mind their age, lifestyle, fitness levels and health parameters.
Fitness trainers work in gyms, big hotels, health clubs, fitness centres, spas, tourist resorts, housing societies and big companies. After gaining some experience you can also start your own centre. You can specialize in a variety of exercise routines such as weightlifting, aerobics, karate, kick boxing, spin cycling, yoga, pilates and be a specialist trainer.
With increasing stress in our day to day lives, people don’t have enough time to keep their body in shape. Due to sedentary life in home and at work; people don’t have enough time to exercise. Therefore need for fitness trainers have arisen. As the clientele is growing from working executives to housewives, top bosses and youngsters there is an increase in demand for professionals like yoga instructors and personal and corporate trainers.

Job Prospects:

1. Physical Education Instructor
2. Coaches
3. Umpire/Referee
4. Sport and leisure club managers
5. Administrative and sports duties
6. Sports journalism
7. Sports photojournalists
8. Sports administration

List of Fitness Training Institutes in India:

1. Laxmibai National College of Physical Education, Gwalior.
2. BFY Sports and Fitness provides certification and workshops for the fitness professionals at Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune.
3. Reebok India Co. offers research based programs that are developed by Reebok University especially for professional sports and fitness instructor. These programs are conducted in all the metros.
4. The U.S. based American Council on Exercise (ACE) also offers training and certification for fitness instructors valid for two years.
5. Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Delhi
6. Gujarat Vidyapeeth.
7. Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, Trivandrum.
8. Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune.