MINOR PERSONAL TRAINER

As a (future) health professional you might already be accustomed to advising about a healthy lifestyle, human movement, or nutrition. This minor will give you more insight into how a piece of exercise advice is optimally tuned to the capabilities of your client and how you can assist your client as a personal trainer.

In this minor, you will be trained to give expert advice as a fitness guide as well as a personal trainer. The main purpose of this minor is to help clients achieve their physical and mental goals by means of working out. The minor will lead up to a Certified Personal Trainer Certificate from the National Strength and Conditioning Association of America (NSCA).  

The NSCA describes the work processes of a Personal Trainer as follows:  

NSCA-Certified Personal Trainers (NSCA-CPT®) are health/fitness professionals who, using an individualized approach, assess, motivate, educate and train clients regarding their personal health and fitness needs. They design safe and effective exercise programs, provide guidance to help clients achieve their personal health/fitness goals, and respond appropriately in emergency situations. Recognizing their own area of expertise, personal trainers will refer clients to other healthcare professionals when appropriate. 

[Source:   https://www.nsca.com/certification/nsca-cpt  ]

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

This minor is taught in English and consists of 30 ECTS. In the first seven weeks, you will get theory and practical skills lessons about training, after which you will apply this knowledge during a 15 weeks internship (approx. 3 days per week). The theory is based upon the book NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training. NSCA is the National Strength and Conditioning Association of America. 

Make sure you buy the 3rd edition. ISBN 978-1-4925-9672-1

During the first part of this minor, you will get enough theoretical and practical foundation to contribute in a meaningful way from day 1 at your internship. During the second part, you will be most focused on your internship.

There is a FAQ document available for further information: FAQ.

You will learn all the skills you need as a starting professional personal trainer; from the musculoskeletal system to motivational strategies and from training skills to medical issues such as obesity and diabetes in conjunction with training. The main learning outcomes of this minor are:

• To perform an intake with a client with the goal of receiving as much relevant information as possible which forms the basis of the design of a training program;
• To test and assess clients on their original starting point in relation to their goal(s);
• To develop or adjust an appropriate training schedule on an individual basis to enhance one or more performance factors like maximal strength, muscle endurance, or muscle hypertrophy;
• To take into account illness/complaints from customers with specific needs (e.g. obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, joint problems);
• To guide customers in a motivational and professional manner;
• To set up and lead small group training (4-10) for certain performance-determining factors like strength and endurance (also aimed at children, adolescents, and the elderly).

To achieve these goals, you first get an introduction to the theory, after which you will apply this knowledge during the internship.

Students are expected to live a healthy lifestyle and be familiar with exercise or training. 

Students should be comfortable in sport scenes in general and in particular the fitness scene.

In addition we expect students to have affinity towards coaching of their clientele.

You have obtained the required number of credits according to the OER of your own programme. 

NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training. 

NSCA is the National Strength and Conditioning Association of America. 

Make sure you buy the 3rd edition. ISBN 978-1-4925-9672-1

Within the time frame of twenty weeks :

• 7 weeks at school; both theory and practice
• 14 weeks internship 
• 1 week disclosure of the internship
• 1 week to prepare for the final NSCA-CPT test

Education:

Time spend on lectures: 158 hours

21 days devided over the whole semester on avarage  ± 5 hours per day

2 exams, first one 2 hours, second one 3 hours, in total 5 hours of exam time

Internship:

376 hours of internship devided over 13 – 15  weeks depending on start and end time internship

Within those hours on average ½  hour per week of guidance from the internship guide

Visit internship by lecturer/guide from school is on average 1 hour

Preparation:

The average student will spend an approximate of 300 hours on preperation time.

Within those hours are included: email contact, personal contact, phone contact and extra personal guidance when found necessary.

The lessons during the minor as well as the examinations are all in English.

Internship will be finalized with an assessment that can be held either in English or in Dutch.  

METHODS OF ASSESSMENT

• Mid-Term Exam: 5 ECTS [based on the first 16 chapters from the NSCA-CPT book]
• Internship: 15 ECTS [practical part of training at least 5 but preferably 7 clients at your internship place. Finalized by an individual assessment which is based on your portfolio in which you describe your development during the whole course of this minor]
• Final NSCA-CPT exam: 10 ECTS  [consists of 155 MC questions based on the complete NSCA-CPT book]

Resit opportunities:

This minor consists of three SiS parts on which students are tested and scored:

• Mid term exam, MC and open questions exam ; score at least a 5.5;
  A re-sit is available on location within the time frame of this minor.

• Internship (product + process, both score sufficient) + assessment (a minimum score of  5.5 is required);
  A re-sit possibility is available, but not within the time frame of this minor.
  A re-sit of the assessment is possible at the end of the next block.

• Theoretical final exam, NSCA-CPT (score sufficient to get your CPT certificate)
  A re-sit of this exam is possible after 100 days of the first attempt.
  Re-sits can be taken worldwide, however, there are extra costs involved.

If a student fails to successfully complete the minor in the period in which she took the minor it is possible to finalize the minor in a following period in which the minor is given.

If a minor is no longer offered or in case the minor is rewritten, the degree programme will offer students a further two opportunities to finalize this minor in the following year.

Questions about the minor?
Contact Nils Swidde, n.swidde@hva.nl

Questions about the Kies op Maat procedure?
Contact Yvonne Reuvecamp-van Zijl, sisfbsv@hva.nl

ADDITIONAL COSTS

Costs study book: approximate € 105,-.

The minor will lead up to an international standard and certification of the NSCA.
The theory and practice incorporated during classes specifically prepares you for this NSCA-CPT exam.

The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (school of sports and nutrition) delivers you a great opportunity to get one of the best-accredited certificates in the world in the field of personal training! This NSCA exam is recognized worldwide and can be seen as the gold standard.

There are costs related to becoming a NSCA member and sitting for the CPT examination:
Cost indication for 2023:

• 1 year NSCA membership as a student :  = $ 80
• To sit for the NSCA-CPT exam as a member = $ 300

 

Additional costs Medic First Aid, MFA:

Next to that, you have to have a VALID Medic First Aid (EHBO) certificate. Some of our students already have this certificate but most of you do not. You can get your own MFA certificate. 

We do facilitate this, but NOT during the time frame of the schedule. Other days will be planned for this separate MFA course. However, there are costs involved for those who do not have their MFA certificate just yet. We have kept these costs to a minimum: about 100 euros. In some cases, depending on your healthcare provider, you can claim most of these costs with them, and eventually pay hardly anything to get this MFA certificate.

Applications will be processed in the order of receipt of signed learning agreements.