Intro to Personal Training: A Career Starter Course Specialization
Intro to Personal Training: A Career Starter Course Specialization
Fast-track your personal training career. Gain foundational skills in personal training, including exercise science, program design, client assessment, and professional responsibilities.
Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
Earn a career certificate from American Council on Exercise
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
Specialization - 3 course series
The ACE Intro to Personal Training Career Starter Course quips aspiring trainers with essential knowledge in exercise science, program design, client assessment, and professional responsibilities. The curriculum covers foundational concepts and practical skills needed to start a successful career in personal training. The course is supported by industry leaders, ensuring relevance and high-quality content.
Applied Learning Project
The ACE Intro to Personal Training Career Starter Course includes hands-on projects that simulate real-world scenarios, allowing learners to apply fitness assessment techniques, program design principles, and client interaction strategies to solve authentic challenges. By working on these projects, learners gain practical experience in developing personalized fitness plans and addressing client needs effectively, preparing them for real-life personal training roles.
Together, we move people to live their healthiest lives! As the leading non-profit education and certification provider for health coaches and exercise professionals in the world, ACE equips you with evidence-based learning and long-term career guidance to impact the health and well-being of your clients, your community, and the world.
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Felipe M.
Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."
New to Basic Science? Start here.
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
This specialization should take a total of 15-20 hours of instruction time. However, we recommend taking these principles into your workouts to practice the application.
This is an introductory course. No background knowledge is necessary. By taking this course, you will attain foundational knowledge in exercise science and personal training skills.
We strongly recommend that you take these courses in the order listed.
This course is not eligible for university credit.
This course is ideal for anyone who wants to start a career in the fitness industry. After completion, you will be ready to work in member onboarding or as a personal training assistant in any gym.
Your next step will be to become Certified with ACE:
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.