Step 8: The 20 Beginner Program Pre-Requisite to the Personal Training Course

Many Weight Training Leaders teach beginner-level programs to new fitness facility users while employed as Fitness Attendants or Weight Room Supervisors. If you are not teaching these programs as an employee of a facility, you must secure permission of a fitness facility owner or manager to teach your friends and/or family members in that facility, and then have that owner or manager sign off on each of the programs after you teach them. A sample tracking sheet designed for that purpose can be found here. You can use it, or design your own version of it so long as your version contains the same amount of information as in the sample form.

You can submit resistance training programs, flexibility training programs and/or cardio training programs (but no more than one of each per client) to satisfy this Personal Training course pre-requisite. It is recommended, but not required, that you teach 20 programs that have a mixture of all 3 program types.

Once the 20 programs have been completed, the Weight Training Leader is to present a copy of the completed tracking sheet, AND copies of all 20 programs, to their chosen Personal Training course provider before then registering in the Personal Training course.

Please note: It is your responsibility to complete the 20 programs, as well as all other previous registration steps, and to provide documentation to the Personal Training course provider, whether or not the course provider requests it.

Some course providers allow all members of the general public to enroll in their courses without checking for prerequisite training, but if you are seeking BCRPA registration, you must ensure that you have met all BCRPA prerequisite requirements – if not met as outlined in this document, you will not be permitted to become registered as a Personal Trainer with the BCRPA.

If you have any questions about how to complete the 20-program requirement, please contact the BCRPA at bcrpa@bcrpa.bc.ca