Personal Trainer Qualification with Infofit

Here’s why I’m taking my Personal Trainer certification, and why I chose Infofit!

I’ve always loved the fitness industry. I worked on the front desk at two of my universities’ gyms, first in Calgary, Canada, and then in Nottingham, UK, while I studied. I had so much fun in those jobs!

I completed a BA in Communications and Media, and then a MA in Creative Writing. Then I worked my way up the ladder within the field of communications, marketing and PR, before more recently going full-time with blogging.

During our time living in London, I became involved in the fitness blogger scene, and I felt so ‘at home’! I loved attending workouts, meeting new friends, and collaborating with activewear brands. (You can see my review of Be:Fit London – now called Hearst Live – here).

But I never quite knew my place in the industry. I could attend and talk about fitness classes and events across the city as a ‘fitness enthusiast’, but that was about it. I was just a girl who enjoyed working out. 🏋🏼‍♀️🧘🏼‍♀️

This meant I swayed away from answering DM’s on workouts. I never wanted to show people the specific fitness routines I did, in case I showed them the wrong positioning or didn’t explain something well, and they ended up injuring themselves. And I didn’t want to publish anything along the lines of ‘what I eat in a day’, or any kind of in-depth fitness or health advice really, because I wasn’t qualified. I always believed there were far more knowledgable Personal Trainers and Nutritionists out there – and they’re the people who know their stuff!

All too often, I see unqualified influencers demonstrating a workout, or preaching a new diet, and in my option it can cause a lot of harm, as they don’t really know what they’re talking about. I never wanted to follow in those footsteps and mislead people.

So after thinking about it for a while, I started researching different options for learning more about fitness. I thought it would be cool to improve my own workout technique and build my fitness knowledge, so that I knew more about fitness in general, and potentially, so that it could open up further opportunities to work with fitness brands. It would also mean I could answer people’s fitness questions better, and feel more comfortable replying to queries.

Therefore my goal is not to work as a Personal Trainer, but to be able to blog about fitness topics from a more informed stance.

I came across Infofit, and saw how highly they were regarded. They are the most established fitness education facility in Western Canada, and their courses are recognized by ACE (the American Council on Exercise) and the BCRPA (the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association). They basically teach you all you need to know so you’re fully prepared to take your chosen exam, to become a Certified Personal Trainer!

Infofit is a member of the National Association of Career Colleges, as well as the Private Training Institutions Branch, so their courses meet the highest regulatory standards.

For the final exams, you can choose to become certified through ACE, BCRPA, ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), or the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association).

I’ve selected to prepare myself for the ACE exam. This is because the ACE Personal Trainer Certification Program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which is the gold standard in the U.S. for assessing fitness certification programs. And the great thing, is that your certification will be recognized globally, including within the USA, Canada, the UK and Europe.

I noticed Infofit offered a Personal Training Home Study Course, which appealed to me as its flexibility suited my hectic schedule (and I was also first enquiring during Covid lockdown, so couldn’t go in person anyway!).

This home study course is the one I ended up going with, and I’d really recommend it to others. Their online personal training program is divided into three courses: Fitness Theory, Weight Training, and the Personal Trainer’s course. Everything starts to make more sense and slot together in your mind as you progress through the course material.

I’m currently working my way through the fitness theory section, and I’ve been appreciating Infofit’s commitment to making learning as fun and as interactive as possible. For example, there are course books to read and take notes on, there are lectures to stream online and videos to watch, plus things to help the information sink in, such as a ‘bone bonanza’ dance to learn (you betcha I’ve been practicing that while curling my hair 😂) and an anatomy colouring book!

The course also includes four hours with a lecturer over Skype to help guide you through the learning process. Plus, Infofit staff are always on hand to assist if you’re struggling, or if you think you’d benefit from some in-person study time. They are really supportive, friendly and approachable, and their goal is to help you succeed!

Truthfully, there are a few things I have found difficult so far – all things from my end, not Infofit’s – including that this is all completely new to me. I’m 30 now, have worked within the creative industry for my whole career, and haven’t studied anything to do with biology since I was 16. And as this is diploma-level, it’s a step up from GCSE’s! I’ve found it tricky to learn all the new lingo, but it’s also really rewarding once it sinks in! It feels good to be using that brain!

I also had to adjust to getting back into ‘study mode’, as it had been a while since I’d been a student! Studying is so different to working, where you probably do a lot of tasks on auto-pilot, perhaps sat in front of Netflix. Learning new things requires your undivided attention, and this has meant that I’ve found myself re-reading the same page several times just to ensure I’m really taking it all in. I’d recommend trying to structure your day, making to-do lists, and holding yourself accountable. 📚

Then there’s my schedule – and I’m sure lots of you can relate to this! Right now I work as a content creator, but I’ve also been setting up two small side businesses since the summertime, and dealing mentally/emotionally with all the uncertainty of this year (like we all have!)…plus we take off on adventures most weekends. Oh, and now I’m becoming immersed in wedding planning – a full-time job in itself! So, as you can imagine, squeezing in study time, where I’m totally focussed, has proven quite tricky.

That’s why I love the Infofit home study course, where you can cram in your study time at 6am or at 11pm…or spread little bits over the week, or have a longgg study session all in one day – whichever suits you best! This means the course can work for all of us, no matter if you’re juggling work, kids, hobbies, and everything in between. (I even take my anatomy colouring book with me on road trips!)

I am really hoping I can complete everything in the suggested one year time frame. Fingers crossed!

Have you always wanted to learn more about fitness, for your own knowledge, or perhaps so you can work as a Personal Trainer? If so, you can check out the Infofit Personal Trainer Certification course list, here. And if you’re already a certified Personal Trainer, you can continue your education and stay up-to-date with Infofit’s comprehensive online fitness and nutrition workshops.

Also, feel free to reach out to me if you’d like to ask anything more specific about the Infofit Personal Training Home Study Course! You can follow me on Instagram to see updates on my course progression too.

Good luck to everyone currently studying. There’s always more for us to learn! ❤️