Become a Certified Personal Trainer Online in 6 Months or Less
Pursue a rewarding career as a Certified Personal Trainer with minimal investment and help clients transform their lives through fitness.
Why People Love AFPA’s Self-Study Personal Trainer Certification
Handouts & Real-Life Tools
Get ready-to-use exercise programs, client forms, worksheets, checklists, and questionnaires.
Flexible
Your full course and final exam an be completed online, from anywhere at any time.
Affordable
Enroll in an interest-free in-house payment plan with no credit check.
Unlimited Student Support
Email or chat with our educational advisors as you progress through your learning journey.
Digital Textbook Included
Get lifetime access to your digital textbook.
Trusted for 30+ Years
AFPA has certified 130,000+ professionals worldwide and has a 98.9% student satisfaction rate.
This Program is for You if…
You work in the health, fitness, or wellness industry and want new income opportunities
You are passionate about healthy living and considering a career change
You have a strong desire to become an expert in fitness, anatomy, nutrition, and exercise for any reason
You are entrepreneurially spirited and want the freedom to start a business
Learn Applicable Skills That Help You Each Day
The AFPA Personal Trainer Certification program provides unprecedented, evidence-based training in health, fitness, nutrition, and performance.
AFPA Certified Personal Trainers gain the knowledge, resources, and confidence to:
- Apply the principles of exercise science, human anatomy, and biomechanics to movement design and exercise instruction
- Assess cardiorespiratory function, body composition, muscular fitness, and flexibility to facilitate improvement
- Design educationally-based fitness programs to include cardiovascular training, resistance training, and flexibility
- Demonstrate proper use of commercial fitness machines and equipment
- Differentiate between appropriate exercise principles for adults, children, and seniors
- Perform exercise testing and modify training for special populations
- Incorporate the business fundamentals of administration, marketing, and management in personal training
- Operate with compassion and uphold the AFPA Code of Ethics
What Your Course Enrollment Includes
- Lifetime access to digital textbooks
- Chapter outlines and study guides
- Video presentations for each chapter
- Exercise video library
- Practice quizzes and self-assessments
- Descriptions and demonstrations of over 150 exercises
- Anatomical guides
- Ready-to-use exercise programs
- Forms, worksheets, checklists, and client questionnaires
- Online personal trainer final exam
- Personal Trainer Certificate (upon passing the exam)
- Bonus: Blueprint for increasing your potential income: “How to Start a Successful Online Personal Trainer Business”
A Look Inside AFPA’s Curriculum
Module 1: Scientific Foundations of Physical Activity & Performance Answer
Kick off with exploring functional anatomy and biomechanics as it relates to fitness performance, health, and longevity. You’ll also examine dietary intake and essential nutrients, energy requirements for activities, and physiology. Learn about metabolic, cardiovascular, and respiratory responses to exercise and understand muscle structure and function.
Module 2: Fitness Assessment Answer
Learn how to properly assess cardiorespiratory fitness and access graded exercise tests for future clients. You will learn to assess body composition, muscular fitness, flexibility, range of motion, and spinal function.
Module 3: Exercise Prescription for Health, Fitness, and Performance Answer
You’ll cover how to accurately prescribe exercise for a variety of needs and desired results, such as managing weight, increasing muscular fitness, enhancing flexibility and low-back function, and training for performance and events.
Module 4: Exercise Prescription for Special Populations Answer
Scientifically measure fitness levels and recommend appropriate exercises. Special populations include youth, older adults, women, people with heart disease, obese and/or diabetic clients, and those living with pulmonary disease.
Module 5: Comprehensive Exercise Program Considerations Answer
Dive into key coaching topics such as:
- How to spark behavior change and sustain motivation through health and fitness counseling
- ECG and exercise performance
- Preventing and treating injuries
Module 6: Bodyweight Training Program Design Answer
Begin developing programs that incorporate and/or isolate particular muscles. Learn to structure workouts for all major muscle groups and design metabolic training programs (ex. HIIT and MRT) featuring whole body exercises.
Additionally, learn to consider the full picture as you program. See how structural balance, training goals sport-specific training, strength hypertrophy body part specialization, fat loss training, split frequency, volume, and periodization all work together.
Module 7: Muscle, Strength, Speed, and Performance Program Design Answer
You’ll learn the key principles behind functional training and design programs that incorporate a wide range of exercises. Topics include:
- Types of resistance exercise, total-body power exercises, cross-body exercises, and compound and isolated exercises
- Movement-speed and movement-strength training
- Types of cardio conditioning and metabolic conditioning protocols
- Upper body, lower body, and core exercises
- Performance programming, muscle programming, and custom programming
130000+ students certified
30+ years of excellence in education
30+ certification programs offered
98.9% student satisfaction
What Other Students Are Saying
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FAQs
What qualifications are needed to enroll and get certified? Answer
Personal Trainer Enrollment Requirements:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Have a solid understanding of the English language.
- Have a high school diploma.
Certification Requirements:
- You need a minimum final exam grade of 85% to pass.
You will be able to retest with a $75 fee.
After successful completion, you will earn the title of “Certified Personal Trainer.”
What is the AFPA certification exam like? Answer
The AFPA final exam includes 260 multiple-choice questions. On average, it takes students 3 hours to complete.
You must earn 85% or higher to pass your final exam. However, if you don’t pass the certification exam on your first try, you may retake it for a retest fee of $75.00.
Pass rates for the final exam are 93%.
How fast can I get my Personal Trainer Certification? Answer
The speed at which you can obtain your AFPA Certified Personal Trainer certification depends on several factors, including your individual circumstances, educational background, study habits, and commitment. However, most individuals can achieve certification competence in less than six months when dedicating 7-10 hours of study per week.
The flexibility of the AFPA Certified Personal Trainer program allows candidates to progress at their own pace.
Are textbooks included in my enrollment fee? Answer
Yes! Your enrollment fee includes lifetime access to all of the digital textbooks you will need to complete this course.
Digital textbooks allow us to offer the most up-to-date curriculum, give you immediate access to the materials, plus offer portability across devices.
We understand that learning styles and preferences vary. If you are interested in purchasing physical textbooks in addition to the digital textbooks that are included in your course enrollment fee, you can find a complete book list within your online student learning platform.
Do you offer payment plans? Answer
AFPA offers flexible, interest-free payment plans without credit checks or added fees.
How do you train personal training clients online? Answer
To start, trainers need to establish a strong online presence through their website or social media platforms to attract potential clients. Consider offering virtual assessments through video calls to evaluate clients’ fitness levels, goals, and limitations. Based on this assessment, design personalized workout plans and nutrition guidance. Communication with clients is key, and trainers should maintain regular contact through video calls, emails, or messaging apps to track progress, provide feedback, and answer questions.
To ensure clients are performing exercises correctly, create instructional videos and ask clients to send recordings of their form. Additionally, trainers may use fitness apps and software to monitor clients’ progress and adjust their programs accordingly. Motivate and hold clients accountable through goal setting, tracking achievements, and providing encouragement.
What job opportunities will become available after certification? Answer
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most fitness trainers and instructors work at health clubs, yoga studios, and recreation centers. Additionally, many personal trainers start their own online businesses, training clients virtually or in-person.
What is a personal training degree? Answer
You don’t need a degree to become a personal trainer – a trusted online program will equip you with necessary skills and knowledge. However, a degree in exercise science or kinesiology will support your personal training career.
Flexible Payment Plans with 0% Interest — No Credit Check Required!
With AFPA’s in-house payment plans, you can pay as you go with no interest and no credit check. Spread the cost of your certification over time with the flexibility to choose a plan that works best for your budget.
