HPE 7855 or PEC 855: Fitness Instructor I: National
9-12
Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified
Personal Trainer
The purpose of the Certified Personal Training elective
course is to provide students with the knowledge, skills,
and experience needed to become certified in personal
training, strength and physical conditioning, group
fitness, or in other health fitness specialty areas.
Students will learn to develop individualized programs
with goals that are based on a variety of factors that
affect one’s overall health, to include genetic and
chronic health conditions, sports injuries, age and
gender, level of fitness, and lifestyle factors. Students
will gain knowledge and skills to help improve posture,
movement, flexibility, balance, core function,
cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular endurance and
strength. Students will learn a variety of business skills,
to include effective communication, leadership skills,
marketing strategies, consumer advocacy, résumé
writing, and interviewing skills. Students will also earn a
certification in CPR and AED.
Fees:
$200 testing fee per student
SOLs
Motor Skill Development
FI.1 The student will demonstrate mastery of the
movement skills and patterns used to perform a variety
of strength-training, conditioning, and fitness activities.
a. Demonstrate correct movement skills and
patterns for strength-training, physical
conditioning, and fitness activities.
b. Analyze movement activities for component skills
and movement patterns.
c. Describe and demonstrate activities specific to
improving the skill-related components of fitness.
d. Define and identify activities of daily living (ADL)
as the tasks of everyday life.
e. Apply movement skills and patterns to functional
fitness activities that support ADL.
f. Identify and describe advanced resistance-training
techniques.
g. Apply principles of exercise progression to
improve fitness.
h. Demonstrate correct and safe techniques and
form when performing strength-training, physical
conditioning, and fitness activities and exercises.
i. Demonstrate the proper use of fitness equipment,
selectorized weight machines, and free weights.
j. Demonstrate safety protocols and procedures for
strength-training, physical conditioning, and
fitness activities.
k. Identify contraindications to advanced resistance-
training techniques.
l. Identify and describe factors that influence
participation in physical activity and adherence to
an exercise program.
m. Explain principles that result in behavior change.
n. Describe psychological factors that may influence
a person’s adherence to an exercise program.
o. Identify and apply strategies to increase
adherence in an exercise program.
p. Explain the role of the personal trainer in
promoting an individual’s adherence to an
exercise program.
q. Identify and explain considerations for special
populations.
Anatomical Basis of Movement
FI.2 The student will apply knowledge of anatomy and
movement principles and concepts to skill
performance in strength training, conditioning, and
fitness activities.
a. Identify the planes of motion and types of
movement that occur in the frontal, sagittal, and
transverse planes.
b. Define common anatomical terms.
c. Identify the major bones of the skeletal system.
d. Identify and describe the types of joints, including
hinge and multiaxial (ball and socket).
e. Explain muscle structure and function, including
major muscles of the body, terms related to
muscles, and muscle origins and insertions.
f. Explain movements that result based on muscle
origin and insertion.
g. Explain how muscles contract, including agonist
and antagonist movements in relation to muscle
contraction.
h. Identify and explain curvatures of the spine.
60Virginia Beach City Public Schools Student Guide
i. Perform and analyze postural evaluation of
another individual.
j. Perform and analyze movement evaluation for
stability and mobility of the joints of another
individual.
k. Perform and analyze flexibility evaluation of
another individual.
l. Perform and analyze balance and core-strength
evaluations of another individual.
m. Identify contraindications to assessments of
movement.
n. Perform assessments to evaluate the health-
related components of fitness.
o. Perform assessments to evaluate the skill-related
components of fitness.
p. Identify contraindications to health-related and
skill-related fitness assessments.
q. Identify and explain different methods for
determining body composition.
r. Explain the benefits and challenges of different
methods for determining body composition.
s. Differentiate between recommendations for
physical activity and training principles to meet
goals for general health benefits, weight
management, fitness improvements, and athletic
performance enhancement.
t. Explain the effects of acute and chronic exercise
on aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.
u. Explain the body’s response to cardiorespiratory
exercise.
v. Explain the body’s response to resistance training.
w. Explain the body’s response to warm-up and cool-
down.
x. Explain blood-pressure response related to acute
exercise, chronic exercise, and changes in
posture.
y. Explain reversibility or deconditioning and the
effect on fitness and performance.
z. Define common musculoskeletal injuries.
aa. Compare and contrast muscle fatigue and delayed
onset muscle soreness (DOMS) with
musculoskeletal injury/overuse.
ab. Explain inflammatory response and the healing
process.
ac. Identify and describe upper-extremity injuries.
ad. Identify and describe lower-extremity injuries.
ae. Identify and explain exercise modifications
appropriate when participant is injured.
Fitness Planning
FI.3 The student will plan and describe a personalized
fitness and conditioning program for others that
includes skill-related and health-related fitness
components to achieve and maintain a health-
enhancing level of physical fitness for a lifetime.
a. Identify the components of a health/medical
history.
b. Identify the limitations of a health/medical history.
c. Identify the common signs and symptoms of
cardiovascular, metabolic, or pulmonary diseases.
d. Conduct a health and exercise history with
another individual.
e. Develop SMART fitness goals with another
individual based on fitness assessments and
personal desired outcomes.
f. Apply the FITT (frequency, intensity, time, and type
of exercise) principles to improve or maintain
cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness in
healthy adults, seniors, youth, adolescents, and
pregnant women.
g. Develop functional programming for stability,
mobility, and movement.
h. Develop a resistance-training program with
appropriate progressions.
i. Develop a cardiorespiratory training program with
appropriate progressions.
j. Evaluate fitness programming for others to
determine effectiveness.
k. Identify contraindications of cardiorespiratory
exercise.
l. Define and explain exercises to improve range of
motion, including dynamic stretching, passive
stretching, proprioceptive neuromuscular
facilitation (PNF), and partner stretching.
m. Identify contraindications of range of motion
exercises.
n. Describe different forms of mind-body exercise
(e.g., yoga, Pilates, tai chi).
o. Identify indications for use of mind-body exercise.
p. Identify contraindications for mind-body exercise.
Social and Emotional Development
61Virginia Beach City Public Schools Student Guide
FI.4 The student will accept responsibility for taking a
leadership role as well as demonstrate the ability to
follow, in order to accomplish group goals.
a. Define and explain cultural competence and its
importance in developing rapport with another
individual.
b. Demonstrate effective teaching techniques for
working with individuals of different learning
styles, motivation levels, and physical activity
levels.
c. Explain learning styles and instructional
strategies, including visual, auditory, and
kinesthetic.
d. Demonstrate effective and varied teaching
techniques for a variety of exercises.
e. Demonstrate and explain how to respond in an
emergency situation.
f. Identify signs of cardiac emergency.
g. Demonstrate CPR and AED procedures for adults
and children.
h. Identify emergency situations requiring first aid.
i. Demonstrate first-aid techniques used in
emergency situations.
j. Identify and describe universal precautions and
personal protection used during CPR and first aid.
Energy Balance
FI.5 The student will explain energy balance.
a. Identify and explain dietary guidelines based on
USDA recommendations.
b. Identify macronutrients used by the body for
energy.
c. Identify the number of kilocalories found in
macronutrients that provide energy.
d. Explain energy balance and relationship to weight
gain, weight loss, or weight maintenance.
e. Explain lipid and lipoprotein profiles.
f. Explain the influences of nutrition and physical
activity on lipid and lipoprotein profiles.
g. Explain the importance of hydration.
h. Explain how to maintain hydration in a physically
active individual, including effective methods to
rehydrate after exercise.
i. Identify and describe common supplements and
ergogenic aids used by individuals in training
programs.
j. Explain potential risks, benefits, and
contraindications associated with use of
supplements and ergogenic aids.
k. Explain the relationship between body
composition and health.
l. Define terms related to body composition,
including body mass index (BMI), lean body mass,
and fat mass.
m. Explain influences on body composition, including
diet, exercise, and behavior modification.
n. Identify and explain inappropriate weight-loss
methods.
o. Identify and explain eating disorders including
anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
p. Explain the female athlete triad.
Professional Responsibilities
FI.6 The student will identify and explain professional
and legal responsibilities to manage a personal
business and be employed as a personal fitness
instructor.
a. Identify and explain requirements to become a
certified personal fitness instructor and maintain
certification, including certification requirements,
requirements to maintain certification, and
resources for professional development to
increase knowledge and skill and maintain
certification.
b. Identify and explain the role, scope of practice,
and code of ethics of a personal fitness instructor.
c. Identify and describe the professional
responsibilities of a personal fitness instructor.
d. Identify and describe necessary facility
maintenance.
e. Explain and describe appropriate inspection and
care of equipment to maintain safety and
maximize use.
f. Identify and describe appropriate facility
supervision to maintain safety of users.
g. Identify and describe legal considerations of
working as a personal fitness instructor.