Personal training qualifications come in different levels, with each level acting as a foundation for the next one. These are level 2 fitness instructor, level 3 personal training, and level 4 personal trainer course.
However, understanding these different personal trainer levels can prove to be a challenge, especially when you are first starting your journey to become a certified personal trainer.
There are many kinds of certifications that you can acquire as a personal trainer. They don't necessarily require you to take out a second mortgage, either. Rather, a lot of them, such as ACE, are actually pretty affordable.
But, we’ve done everything possible to make things easier for you. In this guide, we will break everything down for you, to help you understand the different personal trainer qualification levels.
1. Level 1 Gym Instructor
If you ask around, most fitness professionals will tell you that a level 1 personal training certification doesn’t exist. The reality is, a level 1 personal training certification is available, as much as most certifying institutions don’t offer. The reason why most personal trainer certifications don’t offer this level is that it’s almost useless.
If you've found a Level 1 trainer, you can learn more about them by searching their full name (e.g. Earth Donato) on a people search tool which will pull up all their profiles, background, etc.
A level 1 personal training course will only equip you with basic personal training knowledge. Simply put, it will do nothing to advance your career as a personal trainer. Furthermore, you don’t need to have completed a level 1 personal training course to proceed for the personal trainer level 2 course.
Also, this personal trainer level won’t qualify you to work as a fitness instructor in any shape or form. So, sitting for this course is considered more of a waste of time and money in the industry. And this explains its unpopularity in the fitness industry as well as why most certification programs don’t offer it.
Therefore, when you are starting your personal trainer journey, you can decide to complete this course or not. It all comes down to personal preferences. But, it will not be required anywhere or contribute much to your personal training career.
2. Level 2 Personal Trainer
A level 2 personal trainer certification is the prerequisite of working in the fitness industry. It lays the foundation of your career as a fitness coach. With this qualification, you can work in a health club, gym, leisure center or other environments that may require a fitness coach.
But, it’s worth mentioning that you can’t work as a personal trainer. Some of the tasks that you can perform with this qualification include offering general health and wellness tips to gym members, conducting gym inductions, making sure that the gym floor is in tip-top shape, and checking equipment to ensure they are in order, among others.
It will take approximately two weeks to a couple of months to complete a personal trainer level 2 instructor course. The duration will mainly depend on various factors such as the certification program you choose, your mode of learning as well as how much time you can manage to dedicate to your studies.
For instance, if your schedule is free and you can manage to be studying full time, you can manage to complete this course within a couple of weeks. On the other hand, if you are studying part-time, then you can expect this course to take a couple of months.
2.1 Certification Requirements
As mentioned above, the level 2 gym instructor course is the basic requirement for entering the fitness industry. And as you may expect, it doesn’t come with strict entry requirements. You only need to be above 16 years to undertake this course.
2.2 Topics Covered
This course will equip you with all knowledge and skills needed to work as a gym instructor. You will also learn how to communicate, interact and motivate fitness clients. Some of the topics covered at this personal trainer level include:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Functional training
- Health safety and welfare
- Designing exercise programs
- Principles of fitness and exercise
- Running a personal training business
While different certification programs may offer different modules for the level 2 personal training course, the differences are minimal. Regardless of the program that you choose, this program will open doors for you to work in a fitness center.
The most important thing is to ensure the certification program you choose is accredited by the relevant bodies. So, take your time, do your research and then choose a program that aligns best with your budget and study preferences.
3. Level 3 Personal Trainer
As we mentioned above, you can’t practice as a personal trainer with a level 2 personal trainer qualification. And this is where the level 3 personal certification comes in. This certification meets all the requirements and standards needed for someone to practice as a personal trainer.
The level 3 personal trainer course is aimed at preparing fitness professionals for a career in personal training. It will equip you with all the training, skills, knowledge and expertise needed to develop and deliver successful personal training programs.
This personal training qualification will also open more job opportunities. It also offers more flexibility, as to where you can work or how you can deliver your personal training services. Also, it opens up more income opportunities compared to the level 2 personal trainer qualification.
With a level 3 personal training qualification, you can work one-on-one with your clients, in your gym, at their home or anywhere else. You also have the option of offering online personal training services to clients who may not be outside your location or time zone, meaning you can diversify your income streams as much as you want.
Similar to level 2 courses, the amount of time it will take you to complete this course will depend on the study mode that you select. You can go for a full-time study mode, part-time study mode, or online study mode.
If you decide to go for the full-time study mode, you will have face-to-face learning that will take a couple of weeks or months. Different course providers have different methods of learning and assessment.
Once you’ve completed the course, you will then sit for the exam. And if you manage to pass this assessment, you will have qualified to become a level 3 fitness instructor, meaning you can now practice as a personal trainer.
3.1 Certification Requirements
To be allowed to complete the personal trainer level 3 course, you will first be required to have completed the personal trainer level 2 course.
3.2 Topics Covered
- Anatomy and physiology
- Health and safety
- Nutrition and weight management
- Planning and delivering workout programs
- Communication skills
- Legal and professional requirements of a personal trainer
- Personal training marketing
4. Level 4 Personal Trainer
While some personal trainer certification programs may claim that they offer a level 4 personal trainer course, there’s nothing like a standalone level 4 personal trainer course.
A level 4 personal trainer qualification is mainly designed to enhance your skills or knowledge. It can also help to separate you from other fitness coaches out there since you will be more skilled and knowledgeable.
Besides giving you a competitive edge in the market, a level 4 qualification may also lead to higher earnings as well as a bigger target market. For instance, if you complete a level 4 qualification and specialize in nutrition, you are allowed to create customized meal plans and diet regimens, depending on the client’s fitness goals and needs.
Also, your qualification allows you to recommend diet supplements, which can help the client achieve their fitness goals. But if you only have a level 3 personal trainer qualification, you can only provide basic nutritional advice to the client such as advising them to change their diet. As you can see, if you have a level 4 qualification, you will be offering more services and charging higher rates, compared to those who only have a level 3 personal trainers certification.
Some of the available specializations in this level include sports massage, obesity and weight management, sports and conditioning, diabetes control as well as advanced sports nutrition, among others.
Today, level 4 is the highest standard for professional personal trainers. Therefore, no personal trainer certification program offers a level 5 qualification. You can only continue adding more certifications to your level 4 qualification.
4.1 Certification Requirements
You will need to have completed a personal trainers level 3 course to be able to complete a level 4 personal training course.
4.2 Topics Covered
As highlighted above, the level 4 course entails specializing in different fields within the health and fitness industry. Therefore, the topics that you will learn during your course will depend on the specialization that you choose. For instance, if you decide to complete a level 4 nutrition for sports course, then the topics covered will mainly revolve around nutrition and diet.
5. Wrapping It Up
Overall, a level 2 personal trainer qualification will open doors for you to work in the fitness industry. A level 3 personal trainer qualification will make you eligible to practice as a personal trainer while a level 4 personal trainer qualification will equip you with advanced skills and knowledge, which will give you a competitive and boost your earning capacity.
So, whether you decide to stop at level 2, level 3 or level 4 will depend on how far you want to take your personal training career. But, if you want to establish yourself as a renowned fitness professional and build a successful personal training business, it will be advisable to go all the way to level 4.