Personal Training Studies

Anyone know of any part time International personal training courses, and that wont cost an arm and a leg?

eta (exercise teachers academy)
HFPA (Health and Fitness Professional Academy)
IFP (International Fitness Professionals)
IIFT (International Institute of Fitness Trainers)
ICK (International College of Kinesis)
FIT PRINCIPLES

Stay away from the ones in SA, they're shit and behind the times.

Try ISSA - www.issaonline.com i think - about R6000, you can pass within a few months. Everything is online, take the test anytime, open text book obviously as it is online.

They also do a very good nutrition course put together by John Berardi.

At the end of the day, none of these qualifications are fantastic, they cover the bare essentials, the international ones do it better than the SA ones.

If you're looking at becoming a PT then sign up for the course and start offering to do interns at proper training facilities, not a Virgin UnActive or a Planet Fatness.

I have to second DC here.. I did mine through HFPA, cost a shite load and to be honest I came out of the course with very little additional knowledge.

Nevertheless it was interesting and is a means for earning some cash so its all right. From what i have heard ETA and HFPA are both just equally kak.

Considering there is no governing body for PT's in South Africa you could just start personal training tomorrow, so on that basis go with the quickest, cheapest (probably ISSA) and get that internship going in the meantime. If you're in Cape Town let me know and I can probably help you out

Tell me about ETA, there is one in my hometown and all the youngsters that qualify there inevitably come work at my gym for a few months... They know SHIT

ya i know a guy who was a back up lecturer at ETA. He used to go in so often it was a joke.

Do the ACE personal training course. If you're going abroad they prefer this. Fit Principles.

Hi Guys

I know this topic is a bit old but i am looking at getting into this industry before the end of this year. I to have been looking at HFPA and ETA fuck are they expensive R16000+ for a personal trainer course. I have seen ISSA on the net and would like to know if anybody knows a bit more about them and if I was to do this would a big gym like virgin active or planet fitness hire someone with this behind them. I am so confused as I have spoken with a few PT at virgin and they all reckon the hfpa is the best and then the eta is a close second. Then I see you guys reckon they are all shit. Do you guys think it is better working at a big gym like virgin or a medium to large private gym?

HFPA and ETA are shit - as someone who has been through ETA and continuously has ETA students "shadowing" at my private PT gym I would say a close 95% of them are shit.

ISSA and ACE make you retake certain exams I think every year and keep current with certain merit marks. HFPA and ETA is a "no fail" system and once they have your money that's it, you stroll through a very very basic course where they teach you very outdated theory, very limited practical and the practical they do teach is shocking.

I haven't had one student come through who can perform any basic compound exercise with good technique.

As for working at Planet Fatness or Virgin UnActive it really depends what kind of person you are. If you can stick to the rules, work in a tiny space, watch complete morons around you all day, and just be like every other Joe Bloggs trainer out there then yes it is good.
Oh and if you can't make money by finding enough clients at a big gym like the above then you will fail as a PT.

In my opinion which is a strong one, there are a few smaller gyms opening and that have been open for a while that would be a lot better to go to. Rather study ISSA or ACE long distance online and spend the spare time doing an internship, learning from a decent facility.

Not only will you learn a lot, you will get exposed to that gyms clientele and the more you're there and showing willing the more chance you will get clients from that gym and group when you qualify.

Ok got to go my next client is here!

DC EVO

nail on the head. Especially the part about money.. Went through HFPA and i would rather shit on them than recommend them to anyone. Excuse the vulgarity but it is true.

Hey DC Evo thanks for the info I see your from cape town. Did you perhaps know dylan sarkis at all?

sorry mate, dont know him, although there are a lot of gyms, trainers and people in cape town. only been here for 6 years so havent met everyone yet

No Worries bro he used to live in cape town was a mate of mine went to school with him he was big into the fitness scene also used to do PT but he pased away last year in a freak accident thought you might have known him no sweat.

getting big wrote: No Worries bro he used to live in cape town was a mate of mine went to school with him he was big into the fitness scene also used to do PT but he pased away last year in a freak accident thought you might have known him no sweat.

ye dylan was my mate from school and i lived with him on the coast... before i moved away and he moved to cpt..

Does anybody know a decent book I can read regarding bodybuilding? Not in too much detail that I will not understand it. Perhaps a book that PT learn from?

arnolds encyclopedia to bodybuilding, or chris aceto's championship bodybuilding.

DJ wrote: arnolds encyclopedia to bodybuilding, or chris aceto's championship bodybuilding.

Arnolds book is great!

@ 00pump and DJ

So it's not too hectic? Will try to get it somewhere at book store

the chris aceto book is very cool.

00pump wrote:

DJ wrote: arnolds encyclopedia to bodybuilding, or chris aceto's championship bodybuilding.

Arnolds book is great!

i found mine for 30 bucks hahah, was at an old corner second hand book store in my area, has bad pen marks all over the front page but inside was like brand new, what a score for me! and its an amazing book!(someone must of pissed off there wife or mother for them to donate it to the store haha)

CHAPEL wrote: nail on the head. Especially the part about money.. Went through HFPA and i would rather shit on them than recommend them to anyone. Excuse the vulgarity but it is true.

and i have to say the same for ETA ... waisted a year and R24 000 of my hard earned cash! just to drive 90kms a day there and back, watch movies there all day and have collage only 3-4 days a week till 12... was a joke

Second hand book stores for the win!
I visit a new one every week

Just thanking you guys for telling me about chris aceto's book. It's really cool, I even read it in class time. haha