Starting out as a fitness instructor gives you the perfect foundation for establishing a successful career. Taking an accredited fitness instructor course with us means you'll learn from world-class tutors, in a way that suits you. You’ll get an internationally-recognised qualification which allows you to progress onto the next stage of your career, whether you choose to go straight into work or expand your skills with another course.

Courses to get you started

Courses to get you starteed FI

Our fitness instructor courses teach you the basic principles you'll need in the industry. You’ll learn about tailoring programmes to suit individual needs and the most up-to-date and effective training methods. After one of our courses you can go straight to work in a health and fitness club or continue your development with a personal training course.

Gym Instructor

Our Gym Instructor course is your very first step into the fitness industry. It will give you the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to begin your fitness career. Learn how to design tailored gym programmes to encourage gym users to train effectively while ensuring that they work out safely.

Exercise to Music

Exercise to Music (ETM) instructors work in fitness centres and health clubs, they also teach in community centres, church halls, schools - in fact, wherever there's a suitable space and a stereo. You will learn to use your personality to inspire groups of people of different ages and abilities. The emphasis on freestyle teaching allows students to express their creativity and imagination confidently when delivering a studio class.

Aqua Training

Aqua exercise is an effective format that continues to flourish in leisure facilities around the country. It is very popular with a wide variety of exercisers, as a result of its fun, low-impact approach. Instructors in this discipline are in demand wherever there is a pool. 

Kids' Fitness Play and Games

When training children, effective sessions need to be based on fun. You'll learn how to train and, more importantly, motivate children from the ages of five to sixteen. Sessions will incorporate movement to develop balance, coordination, body and spatial awareness, confidence and social interaction. 

Kids Fitness Dance

YMCA Kids' Fitness courses are designed to help you reach out and inspire children to enjoy fitness and activity. We'll give you the specialist knowledge to design and deliver safe, fun-filled children's exercise programmes.

Looking for a career in fitness?

Find out about the different routes into the industry and we'll help you to choose your career path.

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Open evenings

Join us on a free open evening to get answers to your questions, meet the tutors and speak to our students.

How to book

To book with us, you can give us a call or request a callback so we can make sure we're providing the right service, tailored to your needs.

Personal training

Push clients to achieve their goals by designing and delivering full fitness programmes for them.
Continued professional development courses

Continued professional development courses allow you to further your career in fitness. After taking an entry level course, you can broaden your skills with a more specialist area, allowing you to build up your portfolio and learn new things. You can choose from a range of courses and areas of interest.

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Why choose YMCAfit

Helping you be your best is our top priority. We'll train you for a longstanding career, not just to pass a test. We've developed the largest portfolio of courses in the UK and we're investing in this world-class training to continually make it better and always relevant for the fitness industry today - that's why 97% of students would recommend us!

As a charity, we truly believe that everyone should have access to the health benefits of regular physical activity and our graduates are helping to make this happen.