Personal Trainer Courses

As soon as you’ve enrolled you can log onto our website and access your Student Desktop. Through it you’ll be able to complete the online course material and, depending on the study option you choose, either book onto assessment days, optional training days or a clinic.

Using the TRAINFITNESS app* you can also do all of this on the move via the Mobile Student Desktop.

If you’ve chosen our Distance study option, you’ll complete as home study the online course material, workbook and portfolios, and you’ll complete 20 hours of practicum (where you observe a qualified personal trainer in a commercial fitness facility). You’ll then attend the scheduled assessment days you’ve booked onto, at which time you’ll perform the relevant assessments and in most cases hand in your completed portfolios. You’ll send to us either by post, email or the Help Desk evidence of your completed practicum. You cannot hand in your completed practicum on an assessment day.

If you’ve chosen our Part Time or Full Time study option, you’ll complete as home study the online course material and specific sections of the portfolios, and you’ll then attend the scheduled clinic you’ve booked onto. In most cases you’ll complete and hand in your portfolios while on clinic.

Regardless of the study option you choose, there is no difference in the certificate you receive upon completion of the course: the certificate does not state the study option. Before you can request the certificate; however, you must satisfy and complete all course requirements. This includes, for example, the online course material which you will complete as home study before and outside of any attendance requirements.

A PDF copy of the portfolios, workbook, and static online course material is included in the course fee and which you can print directly from the Student Desktop. You may purchase a printed copy of the portfolios and workbook from our webstore for an additional charge.

Depending on the course you choose, if you’ve chosen Distance study you’ll need to book onto and attend a number of assessment days at one of our course venues during which you’ll hand in your portfolios*, sit your theory assessments and perform your practical assessments. You need to bring a client with you for the practical assessments. Rather than attend an assessment day, you can apply to us to submit a video for some but not all of the practical assessments (for which you’ll need three clients). Conditions and additional fees apply to the video assessment option, so please call the Learner Support team for more information on 0207 2929 140 option 2. You must complete the online material for at least the Gym Instructor component of the course before performing any of the Gym Instructor assessments, and complete the online material for the Personal Trainer component of the course before performing any of the Personal Trainer assessments. If you enrol on the Specialist or Master Diplomas, you must complete the online material for the remainder of the course before performing any of the Specialist unit assessments.

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Practitioner Diploma = 4 scheduled assessment days

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Specialist Diploma = 7 scheduled assessment days*

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Master Diploma = 7 scheduled assessment days*

Depending on the course you choose, if you’ve chosen to study Part Time you’ll need to book onto and attend a clinic scheduled at one of our course venues. We offer Part Time Saturday, Part Time Sunday, and Part Time Evenings clinics. Those that enrol on a Part Time Saturday course will book onto and attend either an 11-day or 15-day clinic (depending on the course option you choose) normally held on consecutive Saturdays; those that enrol on a Part Time Sunday course will book onto and attend either an 11-day or 15-day clinic (depending on the course option you choose) normally held on consecutive Sundays; and those that enrol on a Part Time Evenings course will book onto and attend either an 11-week or 15-week clinic (depending on the course option you choose) normally held on consecutive Monday and Tuesday evenings. You’ll perform the relevant training and assessments on these clinic days and also complete and hand in your portfolios*. You must complete the online material for at least the Gym Instructor component of the course (as well as specific sections of the gym instructor portfolio) before commencing a Gym Instructor Part Time clinic, and complete the online material for the Personal Trainer component of the course (as well as specific sections of the personal trainer portfolio) before commencing a Personal Trainer Part Time clinic. If you enrol on the Specialist or Master Diplomas, you must complete the online material for the remainder of the course before commencing a Specialist Part Time clinic.

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Practitioner Diploma = 11 scheduled Saturdays (Part Time Saturdays option), Sundays (Part Time Sundays option) or weeks (Part Time Evenings option)

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Specialist Diploma = 15 scheduled Saturdays (Part Time Saturdays option), Sundays (Part Time Sundays option) or weeks (Part Time Evenings option)*

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Master Diploma = 15 scheduled Saturdays (Part Time Saturdays option), Sundays (Part Time Sundays option) or weeks (Part Time Evenings option)*.

Also dependent on your chosen course, if you’ve chosen to study Full Time you’ll need to book onto and attend a clinic scheduled at one of our course venues Monday to Friday. You’ll perform the relevant training and assessments during this period and also complete and hand in your portfolios*. You must complete all of the online course material and specific sections of the portfolio before commencing a Full Time clinic.

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Practitioner Diploma = 11 days

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Specialist Diploma = 15 days*

Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Master Diploma = 15 days*

*The Sports Conditioning; Obesity and Diabetes Management; and Life Coaching units each include a portfolio as the assessment. If any of these units are included in the course you enrol on (e.g. Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer Master Diploma), you will complete the portfolio as home study and submit a copy of it to us for marking.

Learner Support – As well as the support you receive from your tutor on a scheduled clinic or optional training day (if applicable), you’ll also have access to our Learner Support team, dedicated to assisting you with study questions and queries. The team is generally available via phone, email or through the Helpdesk Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm; and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm GMT, excluding Bank holidays and office closures.

eClasses – This course includes optional eClasses to assist you in preparation for your theory assessment(s). There is an additional charge for these eClasses as they are not a requirement for completion of the course. You have the option of enrolling on one or more eClasses and once enrolled you can attend that eClass as many times as you like within the course term. To enrol on an eClass, simply go to the Paperwork & Portfolios section of your web-based Student Desktop (not the app version) and click the Enrol button next to the eClass you would like to enrol onto.

Feedback Service – During your Personal Trainer course you’ll be assessed in various ways, including via portfolio, and theory and practical assessments. If you’ve chosen the Distance study option, you’re able to send us a video of what you intend to do for your practical assessment and or what you intend to submit as your portfolio beforehand and one of our qualified assessors will arrange a time to call you to discuss feedback. You need to do this at least two weeks prior to the due date of the assessment or the submission date of the portfolio. Additional fees apply.

Optional Training Day – If you enrol on the Distance study option and would like extra help or guidance with the more practical elements of your course, we have optional training days scheduled around the country which you can book onto and attend. On these days you can receive valuable tutor feedback and a day of face-to-face practical training in a gym environment. An optional training day will also cover the Practicum (work experience) requirement of your course, if there is one. Optional training days are not included in your course, nor in the cost of your course. Additional fees apply.

No prior fitness qualification is required before starting one of our Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer diplomas.

A basic level of English and Maths will be necessary to understand the content.

The course requires physical exertion and individual participation is essential, therefore a degree of physical fitness is necessary. Relevant personal experience of the subject is helpful. For example, prior participation in gym sessions will be helpful for our personal training courses.

If you already hold a Level 2 Gym Instructor qualification, you might be exempt from some sections of the course. Please contact us on 0207 2929 140 to find out more.

So you’ve either heard from a friend or discovered for yourself that we offer the best quality training for the best price, and having shopped around you’re wondering how we can offer such value for money.

We’ve delivered personal training and fitness courses for 20 years, and in that time we’ve trained thousands of people. We’re grateful that many of our students go on to enrol on other courses with us and that they recommend us to their friends, family and colleagues. It allows us to spend less on advertising.

All of our courses are recognised by REPs and accredited by various awarding organisations around the world. Unlike some course providers who pay other companies to use their course content, we don’t have to because we own all of the course content we deliver.

Some training providers also have to pay other companies to use their eLearning platforms. We don’t. We own the eLearning system we use. Technology is in our DNA and as mentioned in our course delivery FAQ, we were the first to introduce online study to the UK fitness industry. With its videos, animations and podcasts, our online course material makes studying at home on your desktop or laptop so much more enjoyable than reading page after page of a text book in a classroom. We also provide our online course material via our app* through which you can study on your mobile or tablet when you’re out and about. And not only does our online course material reduce the time you need to spend in a classroom, it also links directly to our in-office administration system which is automatically updated as you progress through certain parts of your course. So while our use of technology makes for an enjoyable and convenient learning experience with us, it also allows us to reduce our costs on things like venue hire and administration.

We pass all of these cost savings on to you in the way of lower prices.

And our quest to make our courses more affordable doesn’t stop at the price. We were the first fitness course provider in the UK to offer our customers payment plans, so call us to find out more about our payment plan options and to learn more about the prompt payment discount we offer.

If you have any questions about the course you’re interested in, please email Enrolments or call 02072929140 option 1.