ssisa
Overview
Develop the knowledge and practical skills required to design safe, effective, and evidence-based exercise programmes for a variety of individuals and populations.
The Foundations of Exercise Prescription and Training micro credential introduces learners to the scientific principles related to exercise prescription and programme design. Building on fundamental exercise science concepts, learners will explore how the human body responds and adapts to exercise while developing an understanding of the key training methods used to improve health, fitness, and physical performance.
From understanding growth and development across the lifespan to applying training principles and prescribing endurance, flexibility, and resistance training, this micro credential provides the essential knowledge required to confidently prescribe exercise in a safe and effective manner.
Whether you are beginning a career in the health and fitness industry or refreshing your professional knowledge, this micro credential provides an evidence-based foundation for exercise programming and training prescription.
Throughout this course you will explore:
- Growth and development throughout the lifespan and its influence on exercise participation.
- Physiological responses to exercise in different environmental conditions.
- Principles of exercise prescription and programme design.
- Warm-up strategies and flexibility training techniques.
- Endurance training principles for improving cardiovascular fitness.
- Resistance training methods for developing muscular strength, endurance, and overall fitness.
Develop the confidence to design safe, effective, and evidence-informed exercise programmes that support health, fitness, and performance.
This course is perfect for....
This micro credential is ideal for:
- Exercise and wellness professionals entering the fitness industry.
- Sports coaches wanting to improve their understanding of exercise programming.
- Healthcare professionals wishing to refresh their knowledge of exercise prescription and training principles.
- Anyone interested in understanding how exercise can be prescribed safely and effectively to improve health and performance.
What's in Store for You?
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
- Explain the principles of human growth, maturation and development, including the differences between chronological and biological age, measures of biological maturation, and their implications for physical performance and participation in sport and exercise.
- Explain the principles of talent identification and talent development, including the influence of genetic, environmental and developmental factors on athletic potential and long-term performance.
- Differentiate between early specialization, early diversification and deliberate practice, and explain their implications for long-term athlete development, health and performance.
- Compare the key principles of recognised athletic development models and explain their application in supporting long-term participation and performance across different stages of development.
- Apply age-appropriate coaching and training principles, including physical literacy, periodisation and stage-specific exercise prescription, to support safe and effective long-term athletic development.
Exercise Physiology and the Environment
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
- Explain the level of body organisation and the basic functions of major body systems.
- Explain the structure and function of the skeletal and muscular systems in movement.
- Explain neuromuscular control and its relevance to exercise performance.
- Explain the energy systems and metabolic processes involved in exercise.
- Describe the structure and function of the cardiovascular, respiratory and lymphatic systems in exercise.
- Explain the role of the digestive, urinary, and endocrine systems in exercise and homeostasis.
- Explain fluid balance, thermoregulation and environmental influences on exercise performance.
- Describe the acute physiological responses and chronic adaptations to exercise.
Training Principles for Exercise Prescription
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
- Adhere to scientific principles of exercise and current guidelines when designing exercise programme/s, e.g. duration, frequency, specificity, intensity, progression, variation, muscular balance, ROM, etc.
Warm-up and Flexibility Training
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
- Incorporate safe and effective pre-exercise (warm up), recovery and post-exercise (cool-down) components in programme design.
- Design a safe and effective flexibility training programme while meeting the individual needs, abilities and goals of the fitness participants.
- Describe the different types of flexibility training.
- Identify and demonstrate correct techniques for a range of flexibility training exercises.
- Analyse the flexibility needs of a specific sport.
Endurance Training
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
- Design a safe and effective cardio-respiratory exercise programme in a scientific and flexible manner.
- Compile a programme that meets the individual needs, abilities and goals of endurance runners.
- Monitor and modify exercise programmes in accordance with the responses and adaptations observed in participant/s, whilst taking into consideration any previous fitness profiles.
Resistance Training
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the physiological responses to resistance training and various methods of resistance training for improved performance.