Certified Special Population Trainer

The Certified Special Population Trainer (CSPT) course is designed for the exercise professional who wants to gain a better understanding of disorders and chronic conditions and to obtain the skills necessary to appropriately evaluate, assess, and prescribe exercise as an intervention to this population. 

This certification course is the first step to building a referral network from healthcare providers. 

The course will cover exercise prescriptions for individuals with: 

Cardiovascular, Dyslipidemia, Hypertension, Peripheral Arterial, Stroke, Pulmonary Diseases, Metabolic Disease, Obesity, Brain-Related Disorders (Alzheimer’s Disease, Anxiety, Depression and Parkinson) and Other (Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Fibromyalgia, Cancer, Kidney Disease) and other chronic diseases and health conditions

The class will discuss the significance of exercise in both the prevention and treatment of chronic illness, recommendations for exercise professionals in considering proper exercise prescription protocols, tools to assess and evaluate, and provides scientifically based standards on creating individualized exercise recommendations and programs.
 

Student and time requirement: 

Estimated 20- 24 hours to complete. Combination of self-study and live virtual classes. See the course syllabus for more details. 

Successful completion of the Certified Special Population Trainer examination will earn the CSPT credential.

Dates See  

Self-paced Home study

Assignment 1 Pre-exercise Evaluation              

Assignment 2 Interpreting Exercise Testing        

Assignment 3 General Principles of Exercise Prescription

Zoom 

Class 1 Review and practical   

Class 2 Cardiac and Pulmonary  

Class 3 Metabolic and Brain   

Class 4 Other Conditions   

Class 5 Review  

Course materials:

This course uses The 11th edition of the ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription 

This critical handbook delivers scientifically based standards on exercise testing and prescription to the exercise professional, and the student. This manual gives recommended procedures for exercise testing and exercise prescription in healthy and diseased patients. 

Course includes: 

• Powerpoint presentations
• Preparticipation screening tools 
• 2020 Par q form
• Medical Clearance form
• Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Assessment
• Case studies
• 3 practice exams 
• Certification exam
• Online resources 

Purchased separately:

• The 11th edition of the ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription 

              at VitalSource

Presenter: Michael Maziekas  

2.0 (15) APTE Credits for Course Participation 

Course documents will be provided for CEC approval from other organizations 

To enroll in the Certified Special Population Trainer course, you must:

• Hold an active personal training certification or equivalent
• Current CPR AED certificate

Exam requirements 

• A minimum grade of 80 to pass 
• A $50.00 retest fee will apply