Introduction

Welcome to Exercise Prescription: Part A! This module focuses on the application of training principles to achieve excellent results and a rewarding exercise experience for clients. This module expands upon your Level 4 New Zealand Certificate in Exercise course, where you learned about training principles, fitness components, and FITT principles, and applied them to various client goals. You also gained experience in delivering exercise programs to clients. Now, we will be learning more about specific training methods to help clients reach their goals.

The specific areas we will cover in this module include:

• A brief introduction to periodisation of resistance training.
• Training approaches to:
  • Muscular endurance.
  • Hypertrophy.
  • Strength.
  • Power.

You will learn:

• The scientific principles behind each training mode, explaining how they produce results.
• Different programming methods within each training mode and when to apply them.
• When and how to integrate each training mode into an athlete's annual periodised training plan.

This module will focus on approaches that are used by strength and conditioning coaches around the world to improve athletic performance. We will be expanding beyond the gym and looking at another vital component of physical conditioning – Cardiovascular training methods in Module 4- Exercise Prescription: Part B.

You should spend a total of 100 hours on this module. This includes time for reading and watching of course content, completion of assessment tasks, and self-directed practice and evidence collation.

The fine print

This module relates to numerous Graduate Profile Outcomes (GPOs) including:

• GPO 1: Design exercise programmes to the industry standard and implement advanced exercise options to enhance client performance.
• GPO 3: Integrate a broad range of health and wellness factors into an extended exercise intervention programme to meet client goals and objectives.
• GPO 4: Analyse and select from a range of advanced exercise options underpinned by exercise science to customise exercise assessment and programmes.
• GPO 5: Design programmes and apply exercise principles within scope of practice using understanding of the indications and contraindications for symptomatic or apparently healthy people.
• GPO 6: Develop networks with other allied health professionals to support exercise client outcomes.

It supports the following Learning Outcomes (LO):

• LO 1: Analyse and implement industry relevant training principles and training modalities in designing exercise programmes
• LO 2: Monitor exercise goals through fitness assessment and performance tracking
• LO 3: Apply exercise industry-relevant guidelines and behavioural techniques to meet industry and client goals for advanced exercise prescription programming
• LO 4: Interact, engage, and use appropriate evidence-based exercise science resources for the development of advanced exercise programming to meet client needs
• LO 5: Use concepts relevant to human anatomy and physiology to address issues in human movement, nutrition, energy systems and injury management in the design of exercise programmes
• LO 6: Coordinate with other industry professionals to ensure delivery of exercise training and other aligned modalities meets industry recommended standards

To ensure a smooth learning experience, we suggest starting this module and assessment tasks at specific weeks.

Assessment and milestones

There are three (3) written case study assessments to complete for this module:

• Assessment 1 A: (Periodisation- Annual Training Plan for Resistance Training).
  Start this assessment at the beginning of week 6, due at the end of week 7.
• Assessment 1 B: (Session Planning for Resistance Training Approaches).
  Start this assessment at the beginning of week 7, due at the end of week 10.
• Assessment 1 C: (Session Adaptation and Delivery- Resistance Training).
  Start this assessment at the beginning of week 9, due at the end of week 11.

Hours of learning per week

Approximately 20 hours.

This includes self-directed practical each week, time for assessments, self-directed study, note-taking, and completing the reading and activities on the NZIS online campus.

While exercise prescription is a very practical process, it is rooted in scientific theory. This means, in order to become a great programme writer, you need a solid understanding of core training principles. This module will recap previous learning and introduce new concepts to absorb. To support you in acquiring this knowledge, you will find a mixture of things to read, watch and listen to.

This should also be a very practical module. To truly grasp what you're programming for your clients, it's important to experience these training modes firsthand. In a personal training context, it's essential never to assign tasks you haven't done yourself. Through this module, you will practice and apply the theory you've acquired, mainly through sessions and fitness assessments you can undertake personally.

Completing the suggested activities will ensure you get the most out of this programme. You are encouraged to try them to gain a comprehensive understanding and perspective for your exercise prescription. Towards the end of the module, you'll also have the opportunity to further enhance your exercise delivery skills by working with a willing client, where you'll implement the session plans that you've developed.

Continue to expand your exercise inventory

This module will allow you to expand your exercise programming knowledge. But new approaches mean nothing if you have limited knowledge of resistance training exercises and the muscles they target. It is important you are able to draw on a wide variety of exercises for your programming to cater to individual client abilities and goals. You will be asked to justify your selection of exercises in terms of their relevance and suitability for different clients.

Keep it social

Remember to connect with other students. There is a Q&A Discussion Board for this module.

Live sessions

Don't forget to join our Live Sessions with the online teaching team.

Your course tutors conduct a minimum of one live session per week for each intake. These sessions encompass a variety of topics, which may include the following:

Discussing forthcoming assessments.

• Exploring challenging or intriguing aspects of the learning material.
• Introducing supplementary topics related to, but not covered in the learning.
• Featuring guest speakers discussing relevant subjects, such as industry experts.
• Engaging in general question and answer sessions.
• Tackling specific learning components that often raise queries, such as FAQs.
• Sharing strategies for effective assessment work and optimising online study, such as tips on navigating your time.

This Pre-check activity is designed to gauge your current knowledge and understanding of the upcoming topics before we dive into our learning journey. It is also designed to recap the principles of training and the FITT principles that would be needed to continue considering throughout this module.

Take your time, answer to the best of your abilities, and don't worry if you're unsure of some answers. This will help you keep track of your progress and see how much you've learned by the end of this module. Let's get started...

Recap of Key Learning

While there is plenty of new learning to be done in this module, there are some key concepts you must always keep in mind when programming. You were introduced to training principles in level 4, the following is a reminder of what you still must consider moving forward through each module.