Fitness that once started as a trend in the late 70’s has become more of a
lifestyle than a fad today. Personal trainers are a good idea to help you on
your way to get fit, or stay fit. Anyone can be a personal trainer if they want
to; the only prerequisite is that you enjoy fitness and a healthy lifestyle.
Trainers have a wide variety of different certificates, which allow them to be
able to train people legally in B.C. There are four basic certificates that a
person must have in order to train in B.C. They are, British Columbia Recreation
and Parks Association (B.C.R.P.A), Fitness Theory, Individual Training and,
Personal Training Certificate. Being healthy has become very popular in
Victoria, and continues to grow every day. In fact it has become one of the
number one activities in Victoria. Every day thousands of people go to the gym,
or go for a run for exercise. It’s been proven by studies that the average
person whishes that they where in better physical shape, and working out is the
best way to change that. In order to exercise properly, and to achieve the maxim
results, you should have a personal trainer to show you the best way to
accomplish your goals. To become a personal trainer you must complete the
minimum requirements under lined your province. The B.C.R.P.A course is the
first course you must study and complete. After completing this you to be able
to instruct people how to reach their physical goals in B.C. The course is $215
dollars and can take from one week to three depending on whether you are taking
the course full time or not. It covers the basics of recreational leadership and
safety. The second certificate is Fitness Theory. The cost is $130 dollars; this
course teaches you about the different muscles in the human body. After learning
all of the different muscle groups you will learn how muscles and tendons heal
and how to prevent injury. This course will take three weeks to complete, and
will certify you to be a trainer nationally in Canada. The next step consists of
two different areas; it is recommended that you take both courses. The first is
the Individual training certificate. This course teaches you interpersonal
skills, and the best possible environments for personal training, and goes
further into safety. This course is $215 dollars and runs for two weeks. The
second area that is recommended to take is the strength-training course. This
course is closely related to the last one, that is why it is recommended. The
cost is the same as the last one, $215 dollars. This course goes further into
detail in how muscles grow and heal. The course also introduces new exercises to
promote strength and endurance. The final certificate you must complete, in
order to achieve the minimum requirements is the Personal Trainers certificate.
The cost of the course is $300 dollars and runs for 3 weeks. This course reviews
what you have already learned as well as teaching you how to write a program
that would best suit your client. After you have completed all of these courses
you will have to take a final exam which consists of a written part and a trial
session where a certified trainer will act as your client, and you will go
though all the stages of being a personal trainer to show the teacher that you
are a competent trainer and that you have proper safety techniques. The final
cost to be certified as a personal trainer in British Columbia is $1075 dollars,
and it will take around three months to complete depending on how fast you
complete the courses. After you have been certified you can continue to increase
your knowledge and upgrade your qualifications. It would be beneficial to your
career if you updated and took some other related courses that would improve
your knowledge of the human body. First aid is a recommended course that you
take so that you will be prepared for an accident if one where to happen. Also
taking nutrition course would be a good idea to help you with your clients if
they wish to lose weight. Not only that but being a certified trainer as well as
a certified nutritionist would look very good on a resume. The benefits of being
a personal trainer is that you don’t have to do it full time. Many trainers
have other fulltime jobs, or go to school and train on the side to make a little
extra money. Also it is very rewarding personally; helping other people achieve
their goals and becoming healthier will make you as the trainer feel very
appreciated. All of these courses listed above are offered at the YMCA in
Victoria.