Fitness Frequently Asked Questions

When you become a BCRPA Registered Fitness Leader employers will know you meet the highest professional standards recognized across BC, Canada, and internationally.

If you have previous training or experience you may be eligible to transfer to BCRPA or explore bypass options. 

Already certified elsewhere? Visit our Transfer page to see what credentials you can carry over.

New to fitness? Visit our Become a Fitness Leader section.

Head to The Registry® of Fitness Professionals, and choose “Create or Activate a MyFitnessRegistry account.” 

After you submit your contact info, a confirmation email will follow.

The course is optional, but we recommend it—especially for new fitness professionals. 

A list of approved course providers is available under each specialty module’s detailed steps. 

Visit the Become a Fitness Leader page and choose your preferred module.

BCRPA doesn’t sell manuals. You can reach out to course providers directly to purchase them.

Once you have created an account on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals and paid for the Fitness Theory Exam, an e-mail will be sent to you with a link to an online booking platform. This link will allow you to schedule your exam time. 

You can purchase a Fitness Theory Exam under the Exam History tab on your account. 

Make sure to check your spam folder if you do not receive the exam booking instructions after processing your exam payment.

Yes. If you require any accommodations for writing the exam, reach out to our team.

BCRPA requires a minimum of Emergency First Aid and CPR-A. Higher levels such as Standard First Aid and CPR-C are also accepted.

First Aid/CPR must come from the following organizations or from companies that are authorized by these organizations to provide First Aid & CPR:

• Red Cross
• St. John’s Ambulance
• Canadian Ski Patrol
• Lifesaving Society, or
• Heart and Stroke Foundation.

All courses must be done partially in-person. 

Online-only training will not be accepted.

Log in to The Registry® of Fitness Professionals

• Open the “First Aid Certificate” tab or the “CPR Certificate” tab.
• Click on the “+ Assign Certificate” button. 
• Fill out the required fields and click “Save”.

If you took your First Aid/CPR together, select the “Check this if the certificate is for both First Aid & CPR” box under the First Aid Certificate tab. In this case you do not have to fill out the CPR Certificate tab separately.

Note: You are not required to submit copies of your certificates unless you are flagged for a random audit after inputting your details.

• Go to The Registry^® of Fitness Professionals login page.
• Click “Forgot your password or email?”  and you will be taken to an Advanced Search Page. 
• Enter your email on file and the system will send you an email with a link that will allow you to reset your password.

Your Professional Profile on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals is searchable unless you’ve chosen to hide it. Employers can find your name and registration status there.

Log into your account on The Registry® Of Fitness Professionals

At the top of your User Account page, click the “Download Registration Confirmation” button.

This document includes your name, registration expiry date, and fitness specialties.

You can earn Continuing Education Credits (CECs) through:

• BCRPA’s online workshops
• Pre-approved BCRPA workshops and modules 
• External professional development
• Post-secondary courses (1 university credit = 10 BCRPA CECs)

Full details can be found on the CEC page.

First-year registration (Fitness Students): No CECs are required in your first year of registration. You will be required to complete a specialty course within this period.

Fitness Leader: 6 CECs required

SFL/TFL: 8 CECs required

Follow these steps:

• Login to your account on The Registry® of Fitness Professionals.
• Click the “CEC log” tab.
• Click the “Submit CEC Petition” button.
• Fill out the required information, check the I understand box and submit.

Note: You are not required to submit copies of your certificates unless you are selected for a random audit. We suggest holding onto all of your workshop completion documents as a best practice.

There are a few reasons your CECs might be missing from your account after submitting them.

• You might be audited (status shows “Pending”);
• Your petition could have been declined;
• We may not have reviewed your submission yet;
• The credits may fall outside your current registration period. You can only submit courses that you have completed within your registration period.

To check, log into The Registry® of Fitness Professionals under the “CEC Log” section and click on the “Petition History” tab. You will be able to review the status of your CEC applications, including those that have been declined. An explanation will be provided for declined CEC petitions.

If you’ve earned more CECs than required for your renewal, you may be eligible to roll some over into the next registration year. Only one year of rollover is allowed.

Not sure what qualifies? Contact us, we’re happy to help.

If you need support to arrange a practicum, contact Jaimee Stokes and provide the following information:

• The module you’re completing
• Your preferred location(s)
• Your general availability
• Your desired completion date.

Learn more about the ICE requirements on our dedicated ICE Resource Page.

Trainers of Fitness Leaders (TFLs) and Supervisors of Fitness Leaders (SFL) in the designated specialty are qualified to complete your ICE with you. 

Find a list of our evaluators on the ICE Resource Page.

Each BCRPA registered Fitness Leader receives Commercial General Liability insurance coverage through SportBC Insurance Agencies Ltd. 

All specialties include the option of 2-million-dollars or 5-million-dollars of liability insurance with your annual registration payment.

This program ensures that you have adequate insurance coverage as long as you are:

• Currently registered with BCRPA and all credentials are up to date.
• Working within your Scope of Practice.
• Working at locations within Canada.

Find out more about the insurance policy and the Personal Training package.

All BCRPA Registered Fitness Leaders have the choice to renew their registration to include either $2 million or $5 million general liability insurance coverage.  

Fitness Leaders with a Personal Training specialty may renew either with or without the optional personal‑training insurance.

If you already hold your own Personal Training liability policy or aren’t currently practicing as a personal trainer, you may choose to waive the add‑on insurance—you’ll still retain general liability coverage for any other registered fitness specialties.

Log into The Registry® of Fitness Professionals and look under the “Invoices” tab. Here you will find a link to your policy in your last registration receipt

If you require your name to appear on the Certificate of Insurance or you require your policy to list an ‘additional insured’ organization, please complete this form.

Our insurance policy runs Feb 1–Feb 1 each year, so it probably won’t line up with your fitness registration period—but you’re still fully covered while your registration is active.

On February 1, the insurer issues the new annual policy.

When you renew your fitness registration, your coverage automatically rolls into that updated policy, no gaps.

As long as your registration is valid, you’re insured under the new Feb‑to‑Feb policy year.