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How to become a gym instructor: A comprehensive guide
September 26, 2023
If you’re passionate about helping people to improve their fitness and reach their performance targets, you may be considering a career as a gym instructor. In this role, you lead exercise programmes and give people advice to support their physical health and overall wellbeing. It’s a good time to work in this industry as more people become interested in their health and fitness, seeking out advice and training from qualified professionals.
You could work at a gym, in a leisure centre or for a sports club. The benefits of being a gym instructor include a flexible schedule outside of 9-5 hours, nurturing people’s self-confidence and helping them to enjoy healthier lives. Working on shared goals with people in a dynamic environment can be extremely rewarding. This can increase your own happiness through feelings of professional fulfilment and social connection, as you build strong relationships with clients and fellow instructors. Naturally, you’ll also reap the benefits of good physical health, as the role requires you to be consistently active and lead by example, adopting the good fitness habits you teach to others.
If you’re wondering how to become a gym class instructor, there are specific requirements you’ll need to be aware of. In this blog, we’ve outlined everything you can do to become certified and start practising as a gym instructor. Find out more about the desired skills, the necessary qualifications for different roles and levels, and the length of time it takes to qualify.
How do I become a gym instructor?
To become a gym instructor, you’ll need certain qualifications, people skills and a personal interest in fitness. When pursuing work, it will help you to have practical experience in relevant settings, so you could start out by working as a fitness assistant or another role within a gym. You could do this while you study for the necessary certifications to work as a gym instructor. You’ll also have to pass background checks before you can do this work.
Gym instructors looking for roles can also opt to become certified in CPR and first aid. This isn’t always essential but it is often desired, so it could increase your employability as it shows your commitment to safety, which is an important aspect of the role. You could also be filling a vital gap in the gym you’re applying to work in, if they’re in need of more people with that kind of training.
To be able to lead a variety of fitness classes, you can also follow industry trends and attend conferences, taking additional training in specific types of exercise. You could create videos of yourself leading classes with consenting participants, to demonstrate your abilities to prospective employers.
The required skills of gym instructors
Gym instructors need to possess certain skills and qualities, so it will help your prospects if you have these attributes. They include these core areas:
Good communication
You’ll have to clearly explain exercises to clients, with step-by-step instructions and guidance around health and safety. The role requires you to help people understand their own health and fitness, and clearly share details about the progress they are making in various areas. You’ll also have to listen to what clients tell you and trust that they know their own bodies and capabilities best.
Knowledge of fitness
You’ll need a good understanding of areas such as science, anatomy, physiology, and nutrition. This will help you to design targeted workout plans and give informed, relevant advice to people. Your qualifications will give you a good grounding in the required knowledge. If you take up an apprenticeship, it will provide you with on-the-job training and real-world experience as you learn. It will also help you to continuously expand your expertise and skills throughout your career.
Motivational abilities
You’ll have to inspire clients to push themselves and strive to hit their objectives, keeping them accountable and helping them to remain committed to the goals they’ve set. You’ll need to be empathetic and help them remain positive on more difficult days, giving them encouragement and empowering them to push their limits.
Good observation
This is a crucial skill to have, as you’ll not only help people to become fitter, you’ll also be responsible for their safety. This means you’ll observe everything from changes in their appearance to developments in their physical health, their capacity to perform activities at each stage of their training to whether they are safely carrying out instructions and protecting themselves.
Strong organisation skills
You’ll have to balance the training programmes, records and appointments of numerous customers and clients at any one time. This means keeping on top of paperwork, being meticulous in your note taking and constantly reacting to change, adapting your plans and updating your files. You’ll have to be punctual and help clients to remain on track with their goals.
What qualifications are needed to be a gym instructor?
The guidelines for how to become a gym instructor in the UK vary according to the stage you’re at. Everyone needs to take the same qualification when starting out in their career. As you grow your skills and move into particular areas of interest, you can pursue various training routes.
How to become a level 2 gym instructor
A level 2 qualification is the minimum requirement you’ll need to qualify as a gym instructor. The Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing will formally permit you to practise, once you’ve enrolled on the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) and gained your membership.
There are no entry requirements for acceptance and 16 years is the minimum eligible age. You can take the course with a traditional educational institution, such as a college, or with an online learning provider.
Do you need to be qualified to give an induction in a gym?
Once you have your Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing and are working as an instructor, you’ll be able to induct new members. Gym inductions involve showing new customers how to use the equipment, informing them about health and safety procedures and obtaining a completed medical questionnaire.
How to become a gym instructor assessor
If you want to become a fitness tutor, this usually incorporates being both a gym instructor assessor and a teacher, supporting other professionals to develop their careers. This can require you to create lesson plans, teach groups of people starting out in the industry, give feedback on people’s work and invigilate exams.
You’ll usually need a couple of years’ experience before you can become an assessor. This role will also require you to have passed a Level 3 Ofqual-accredited teaching and assessing course.
How to become a personal trainer
If you want to advance beyond your gym instructor role and become a personal trainer, you’ll need to take the Personal Training Level 3 Certificate. This is in addition to your level 2 certification. It will teach you to work with people more closely, giving targeted advice around health and nutrition, and creating and delivering personalised fitness programmes. You could then find your own clients and become self-employed in your personal training.
How to become a fitness coach
If you’d like to move into coaching, you can take the Sports Coaching and Development Level 3 National Diploma. This is a vocational, practical-based BTEC qualification, which qualifies you to become a professional coach. You’ll be eligible to undertake this diploma once you’ve obtained your Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing. You’ll usually need at least five GCSEs too.
Sports Coaching and Development teaches you how to support people with specific areas of their health and wellbeing, with modules on subjects such as nutrition and physiology. You’ll learn detailed techniques for helping people with their performance goals. The course content also prepares you for building your career as a self-employed fitness professional.
How long does it take to become a gym instructor?
The timeframe for becoming qualified as a gym instructor can vary, depending on where you gain your qualification. However, the Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing usually takes up to six weeks on a full-time basis; longer if you study part-time.
Get gym insurance with Protectivity
If you’re a self-employed gym instructor or running your own fitness business, you’ll need to take out comprehensive gym insurance that covers a range of possible risks. Whether it’s a customer injury or damage to your premises that prevent you from operating, we have a range of cover that can be tailored to your needs.
Protectivity, offers a gym insurance policy that gives you peace of mind for unexpected situations that may arise. It’s been designed to support your company and your career success, while protecting your professional reputation, workplace and finances. This great-value specialist cover protects you from a range of potential pitfalls that can come with working for gyms and fitness clubs.
Explore our trusted gym insurance product further and request a tailored quote. Our friendly and experienced team members are on hand to assist with any insurance related queries to help you protect your business.
This blog has been created as general information and should not be taken as advice. Make sure you have the correct level of insurance for your requirements and always review policy documentation.
