ACE Personal Trainer Curriculum Syllabus
Instructor: Telephone: E-mail:
Course Description This course is designed to give students the knowledge and understanding necessary to prepare for the ACE Personal Trainer Certification Exam and become effective personal trainers. This course presents the ACE Integrated Fitness Training® (ACE IFT®) Model as a comprehensive system for designing individualized programs based on each client’s unique health, fitness, and goals. The information covered in this course and the ACE IFT Model will help students learn how to facilitate rapport, adherence, self-efficacy, and behavior change in clients, as well as design programs that help clients to improve posture, movement, flexibility, balance, core function, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular endurance and strength, and sports performance. Key topic areas include:
Human anatomy, exercise physiology, applied kinesiology, and nutrition Principles of adherence, motivation, behavioral change, and health psychology Communication and teaching techniques The ACE Integrated Fitness Training Model Building rapport Health and exercise history information assessment Functional training: assessments, programming, and progressions for posture, movement,
core, balance, and flexibility Physiological assessments Resistance training: programming and progressions Cardiorespiratory training: programming and progressions Performance training: programming and progressions Professional and legal responsibilities, scope of practice, and business strategies for
personal trainers Special exercise programming topics: mind-body exercise, special populations, and
exercise implications of common musculoskeletal injuries
Required Texts/Readings American Council on Exercise (2014). ACE Personal Trainer Manual (5th ed.). San Diego, Calif.: American Council on Exercise. American Council on Exercise (2014). ACE Personal Trainer Manual Study Companion. San Diego, Calif.: American Council on Exercise. American Council on Exercise (2010). ACE’s Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals. San Diego, Calif.: American Council on Exercise.
Andrew Jones270-745-6543
8-week Course Overview Pre-class Assignments:
Read ACE’s Essentials of Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals (EE Manual) Chapter 1—Human Anatomy—and complete the study guide (SG) at the end of the chapter
Read EE Manual Chapter 2—Exercise Physiology—and complete the SG Read EE Manual Ch 3— Fundamentals of Applied Kinesiology—and complete the SG View DVD (attached to the back cover of the EE Manual): ACE’s Essentials of Applied
Anatomy and Kinesiology *Note: PT Manual = ACE Personal Trainer Manual, 5th edition †Note: SC = Study Companion
Week 1 In-class Lesson Out-of-class Assignments Resources EE Manual Ch 1
Human Anatomy EE Manual Ch 2 Exercise Physiology EE Manual Ch 3 Fundamentals of Applied Kinesiology
Quiz EE Manual Ch 1 Quiz EE Manual Ch 2 Quiz EE Manual Ch 3 Read EE Manual Ch 4 Read EE Manual Ch 5 EE Manual SG Ch 4 EE Manual SG Ch 5
www.winkingskull.com or www.getbodysmart.com
Week 2 In-class Lesson Out-of-class Assignments Resources EE Manual Ch 4
Nutrition EE Manual Ch 5 Physiology of Training
Quiz EE Manual Ch 4 Quiz EE Manual Ch 5 Read PT Manual* Ch 1 Read PT Manual Ch 2 Read PT Manual Ch 3 SC† Ch 1 SC Ch 2 SC Ch 3 Lab Activity #1: Social-support Strategies Lab Activity #2: Developing Active Listening Skills Lab Activity #3: Increasing Your Cultural Competence
www.choosemyplate.gov
Week 3 In-class Lesson Out-of-class Assignments Resources PT Manual Ch 1
Role and Scope of Practice for the Personal Trainer PT Manual Ch 2 Principles of Motivation and Adherence PT Manual Ch 3 Communication and Teaching Techniques
Quiz PT Manual Ch 1 Quiz PT Manual Ch 2 Quiz PT Manual Ch 3 Read PT Manual Ch 4 Read PT Manual Ch 5 Read PT Manual Ch 6 SC Ch 4 SC Ch 5 SC Ch 6 Lab Activity #4: Decisional Balance Worksheet Lab Activity #5: Replacing Irrational Thoughts Lab Activity #6: Facilitating Behavioral Change Lab Activity #7: Asking the Right Interview Questions Lab Activity #8: The Investigation Stage
Week 4 In-class Lesson Out-of-class Assignments Resources
PT Manual Ch 4 Basics of Behavioral Change and Health Psychology PT Manual Ch 5 Understanding the ACE Integrated Fitness Training Model PT Manual Ch 6 Building Rapport and the Initial Investigation Stage
Quiz PT Manual Ch 4 Quiz PT Manual Ch 5 Quiz PT Manual Ch 6 Read PT Manual Ch 7 Read PT Manual Ch 8 Read PT Manual Ch 9 SC Ch 7 SC Ch 8 SC Ch 9 Lab Activity #9: Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Lab Activity #10: Static Postural Assessment
Free 1-hour recorded webinar: http://www.acefitness.org/ift/ Math tips handout
Week 5 In-class Lesson Out-of-class Assignments Resources
PT Manual Ch 7 Functional Assessments: Posture, Movement, Core, Balance, and Flexibility PT Manual Ch 8 Physiological Assessments PT Manual Ch 9 Functional Programming for Stability-Mobility and Movement
Quiz PT Manual Ch 7 Quiz PT Manual Ch 8 Quiz PT Manual Ch 9 Read PT Manual Ch 10 Read PT Manual Ch 11 Read PT Manual Ch 12 SC Ch 10 SC Ch 11 SC Ch 12 Lab Activity #11: Movement Screens Lab Activity #12: Flexibility & Muscle-length Testing
Week 6 In-class Lesson Out-of-class Assignments Resources PT Manual Ch 10
Resistance Training: Programming and Progressions PT Manual Ch 11 Cardiorespiratory Training: Programming and Progressions PT Manual Ch 12 The ACE Integrated Fitness Training Model in Practice
Quiz PT Manual Ch 10 Quiz PT Manual Ch 11 Quiz PT Manual Ch 12 Read PT Manual Ch 13 Read PT Manual Ch 14 Read PT Manual Ch 15 SC Ch 13 SC Ch 14 SC Ch 15 Lab Activity #13: Anthropometric Measurements Lab Activity #14: Assessing Heart Rate at VT1 and VT2 Lab Activity #15: Muscular-strength, Muscular-endurance, and Sport-skill assessments
Located in Study Companion
Week 7 In-class Lesson Out-of-class Assignments Resources PT Manual Ch 13
Mind-body Exercise PT Manual Ch 14 Exercise and Special
Quiz PT Manual Ch 13 Quiz PT Manual Ch 14 Quiz PT Manual Ch 15 Read PT Manual Ch 16
Special populations summary
Populations PT Manual Ch 15 Common Musculoskeletal Injuries and Implications for Exercise
Read PT Manual Ch 17 Read PT Manual Ch 18 SC Ch 16 SC Ch 17 SC Ch 18 Lab Activity #16: Self–myofascial Release Lab Activity #17: Functional Programming for Stability-Mobility and Movement Lab Activity #18: Overhead Press Movement
handout Musculoskeletal injuries summary handout
Week 8 In-class Lesson Out-of-class Assignments Resources PT Manual Ch 16
Emergency Procedures PT Manual Ch 17 Legal Guidelines and Professional Responsibilities PT Manual Ch 18 Personal-training Business Fundamentals
Online diagnostic sample test available for students through the ACE store at www.acefitness.org
