Continuing Education in Fitness for Coaches

The  fitness  industry  is  no  different  from  many  others. It has a never ending stream of new research mixed in with the renewed interest in old techniques and the endless supply of fads. Continuing education in fitness is an opportunity for trainers and coaches to help their clients better.

Professional bodies certifying personal trainers require continuing education in the form of Continuing Education Credits (CECs). Continuing education points however do not need to come from fitness related activities. Most personal trainers can earn enough CECs through short courses which add little to no new knowledge of fitness or health. An example of this is a personal trainer in Australia could earn more than half their required points studying “Social Media Essentials” or “Business Bootcamp”.

When you as a client are comparing trainers it is worth asking “What type of continuing education in fitness have you done? “.

Good sources of continuing fitness education

Books: A good trainer or coach will spend time reading, fitness books come in all types. Books dedicated to listing a wide variety of exercises showing how to do them correctly and which muscles each exercise targets. An example of this is “Strength Training Anatomy” by Frederic Delavier. Books on body science and bio-mechanics provide a good base of understanding. Functional training books for specific sports and Nutrition books also fill potential knowledge gaps.

Keep up to date with current scientific studies. There is a continuous flow of new studies and many of them are relevant to improving health and fitness. As a result of so many studies it can be hard  and they are not all easy to understand. However it is worth making the effort even if they do not earn the trainer much in the way of CECs.

Articles and seminars from respected coaches and scientists. There are many high quality trainers and scientist who either write articles or hold seminars. Articles and seminars make understanding all those studies easier. Therefore allowing them to be put into practice more easily. Metabolic Adaptation is a good example. While it is still has a heavy science content it is much easier to put into practice.

Tertiary Study. University study is the pinnacle of further education in fitness. Further study is time consuming but provides the opportunity for in depth learning. The improved ability to understand the studies you have been reading is a bonus.

As a Powerlifting coach, I have spent time continuing to learn. As part of that learning I have recently enrolled at University to study Sports and Exercise Science.