Advanced Exercise Coach.
Our level 3 & 4 combined course.
Learn in person. Coach real people. Build practical confidence.
Becoming a personal trainer takes more than knowing the theory. You need to understand people, communicate clearly and put your knowledge into practice.
Our Advanced Exercise Coach programme combines Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer training with hands-on learning inside a working gym. At Endeavour Academy, applied personal training is central to your education—with 70% of course delivery taking place on the gym floor.
Experienced tutors. A structured, practical education.
You’ll learn from an experienced Head of Centre and specialist module tutors who bring the realities of coaching and running a fitness business into your training. Our teaching team draws on over 50 years of combined personal training experience and over 50 years of combined business experience. Upstairs, our lecture room provides space for academic teaching, discussion and role-playing client conversations. Downstairs, the gym floor is where you practise: assessing clients, planning sessions, teaching exercises and adapting your approach under tutor supervision.
In-person participation matters here. Online resources support your learning, but they do not replace the experience of coaching someone standing in front of you.
Experience both sides of personal training.
Students receive complimentary Semi-Private Personal Training membership and are expected to train several times per week alongside Endeavour members. You’ll experience coaching from the client’s perspective while developing your own exercise understanding.
With member consent and tutor supervision, real members also support your practical learning and case studies. You’ll learn to work with different goals, abilities and personalities—not just rehearse with classmates.
An integrated placement of up to 40 hours provides further opportunities to observe experienced coaches, contribute to supervised sessions and receive practical feedback.
Is this course for you?
This programme is designed for people who:
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Care about helping others improve their health, fitness and confidence.
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Want to become capable coaches—not simply collect a qualification.
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Can attend onsite and commit to regular training and practice.
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Are willing to work with real people, listen and adapt.
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Welcome feedback and take responsibility for their development.
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Can make time for coursework, assessments and learning between sessions.
Whether you’re starting a new career or building on an existing interest in fitness, our aim is to help you develop the knowledge, practical skills and judgement to coach with confidence. Bring your commitment. We’ll provide the teaching, structure and opportunities to put it into practice.
MODULE 1.
Business Administration & Customer Care.
Build a professional service—not just a workout.
Successful personal training starts before the first session. This module develops the communication, organisation and business skills you need to turn an enquiry into a professional coaching relationship.
You’ll learn how to welcome prospective clients, understand their goals, carry out screening and consultations, and explain your service clearly. We’ll explore your scope of practice, professional boundaries and when to refer a client to another suitably qualified professional.
Through face-to-face role-play, practical case studies and feedback from experienced tutors, you’ll practise listening, asking useful questions and handling client conversations with confidence. You’ll also examine how these skills are applied in Endeavour’s working gym.
Topics covered.
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Scope of practice and professional boundaries.
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Critical thinking and professional judgement.
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Client screening and consultations.
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Customer care and relationship-building.
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Clear, effective communication.
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Record-keeping and business administration.
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Advertising and communicating your service.
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Financial fundamentals for a personal training business.
The aim: to help you deliver a service that is welcoming, organised and professional—from the first enquiry onwards.
MODULE 2.
Functional Anatomy.
Understand the body. Make better coaching decisions.
Learn how the body moves, produces force and responds to exercise—and how to apply that knowledge when coaching a real person.
This module connects anatomy and physiology to everyday personal training. You’ll explore how muscles, bones, joints and the body’s major systems work together, helping you understand the movements you teach and the demands of the sessions you plan.
Classroom learning is reinforced through practical work on the gym floor. With guidance from experienced tutors, you’ll analyse exercises, identify the muscles and joints involved, and consider how changes in position, load and movement affect the task.
The aim is to give you a clear reason behind your coaching decisions: why you select an exercise, how you explain it and when you adapt it.
Topics covered.
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Cell structure and function.
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Kinesiology and biomechanics.
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The skeletal system.
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The muscular system.
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The nervous system.
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The endocrine system.
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The cardiorespiratory system.
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Bioenergetics: how the body supplies energy for exercise.
Turn your understanding of the body into clear exercise instruction and thoughtful programme design.
MODULE 3.
Nutrition.
Make nutrition understandable—and practical.
Learn the fundamentals of nutrition and hydration, and how to help clients connect their everyday eating habits with their health and training goals.
This module focuses on applying your knowledge through clear conversations and realistic guidance. You’ll explore how lifestyle, food choices and daily routines influence a client’s ability to make and maintain changes.
With support from experienced tutors, you’ll work through practical examples and case studies, learning to ask useful questions, explain key principles and help clients identify achievable next steps.
The emphasis is on healthy, sustainable habits that fit the person’s life. You’ll also learn to recognise the boundaries of a personal trainer’s role and when a client needs support from an appropriately qualified nutrition professional.
Topics covered:
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Lifestyle and eating habits.
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Nutrition and hydration fundamentals.
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Using and adapting diet templates.
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Eating to support training and performance.
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Healthy, sustainable nutrition.
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Supporting consistency and long-term behaviour change.
Develop the confidence to discuss nutrition clearly, support realistic changes and work within your professional scope.
MODULE 4.
Fitness Testing & Assessment
Establish a starting point. Give training a clear direction.
Learn to select, carry out and interpret fitness assessments that suit a client’s goals, experience and current ability.
This module connects assessment to practical coaching. You’ll learn how to explain a test, follow consistent procedures and use the results to inform realistic training decisions. You’ll also explore when a test is appropriate—and when a simpler assessment would be more useful.
Through hands-on practice on the gym floor and feedback from experienced tutors, you’ll develop your testing skills, record results and explain what they mean in language a client can understand.
Working with case studies and, where appropriate, consenting Endeavour members under supervision, you’ll learn to establish a baseline, identify priorities and review progress over time.
Topics covered.
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Assessment procedures and selecting suitable tests.
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Speed and power.
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Strength and muscular endurance.
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Anaerobic power and aerobic capacity.
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Recording and interpreting results.
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Using assessments to guide programmes and monitor progress.
Build the practical skills to assess with purpose, explain results clearly and make informed coaching decisions.
MODULE 5.
Mindset:
Understanding motivation, building confidence & supporting lasting change.
Personal training is about more than prescribing exercise. This module explores the psychological and behavioural factors that influence how clients approach training, respond to challenges and maintain progress over time.
You'll learn how to communicate effectively, understand a client's motivations and help them establish realistic goals. Through practical discussion, case studies and coaching scenarios, you'll explore ways to recognise barriers to participation and support clients in developing confidence and consistency.
Particular attention is given to motivational interviewing, helping you ask better questions, listen carefully and encourage clients to take an active role in their own progress.
What you will learn.
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Motivation and readiness for change: Understanding why people begin training and what influences their willingness to continue.
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Goal setting: Establishing meaningful, realistic and measurable goals with clients.
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Motivational interviewing: Using effective questioning, active listening and client-centred conversations.
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Building confidence: Helping clients develop self-belief through achievable progress and positive coaching experiences.
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Habits and behaviour change: Understanding the practical barriers that affect consistency and adherence.
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Coaching relationships: Communicating constructively, reviewing progress and responding appropriately when motivation changes.
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The aim is to develop your ability to understand the person behind the training programme, helping clients build confidence, take ownership of their progress and establish sustainable exercise habits.
All coaching remains within the professional scope of a personal trainer.
MODULE 6.
Training & Programming.
Build a programme. Coach it well. Adapt it to the person.
Learn how to turn a client’s goals, assessment results and training experience into a structured, progressive programme.
This module brings planning and coaching together. You’ll explore how to select exercises, organise sessions and adjust training volume, intensity and recovery. You’ll learn to explain your choices and recognise when a client needs a progression, a simpler variation or more time to master a movement.
You’ll put your programmes into practice on the gym floor, developing your demonstrations, coaching cues and observation skills with feedback from experienced tutors. Working through case studies, including consenting Endeavour members under supervision, you’ll learn how to adapt a written plan to the person in front of you.
Your own regular training through your complimentary Semi-Private Personal Training membership will reinforce this learning, giving you first-hand experience of exercise technique, training effort and progression.
Topics covered.
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Anatomical adaptation and building a foundation for training.
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Hypertrophy and strength training.
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Modified strongman training.
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Modified Olympic lifting.
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Kettlebell and suspension training.
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Cardiovascular conditioning for health and sport.
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Programme structure, exercise selection and progression.
Develop the skills to plan purposeful sessions, deliver clear coaching and adjust programmes as your clients progress.
MODULE 7.
The Case Study.
Bring your learning together with a real person.
Your case study connects the course’s teaching to the everyday work of a personal trainer. You’ll learn to understand a client’s goals, plan suitable training, observe their response and reflect on your coaching decisions.
Within Endeavour Gym, you’ll see how experienced coaches manage consultations, deliver sessions and build lasting client relationships. With member consent and tutor supervision, you’ll apply your learning to real people with different abilities, expectations and levels of confidence.
You’ll receive guidance and practical feedback from tutors who coach clients themselves. Through observation and supervised practice, you’ll develop your ability to explain exercises, adapt a session and keep the client involved in their own progress.
Your complimentary Semi-Private Personal Training membership adds another perspective. Training alongside members helps you experience how clear instruction, encouragement and well-planned sessions feel from the client’s side.
Topics covered.
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Understanding the client experience.
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Shadowing an experienced coach.
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Working within a busy gym environment.
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Building rapport and encouraging engagement.
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Putting exercise plans into practice.
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Evaluating exercises and the client’s response.
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Recording, reviewing and presenting your case study.
Bring together your knowledge, practical skills and professional judgement—and learn to explain the decisions you make as a coach.
Full-Time Course Schedule 2027
TBC
Course Delivery
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This program is delivered over 9 weeks
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Mon-Fri: 8:30am- 15:00pm
One payment package.
€2500
Saving €500
Full price
€3000
Payment Plan
We can discuss flexible payment terms with prospective students.
Recognition.
REPS's Ireland recognition.
Endeavour Academy is a REPS's Ireland approved education provider for FITNESS INSTRUCTOR & PERSONAL TRAINER.
Graduates that successfully complete the relevant approved qualifications can apply to register with REPSs Ireland in the corresponding category. Registration is a separate step.
Part-Time Course Schedule 2027
January 2027.
Course Delivery
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This program is delivered over 180 guided learning hours (GLH) with a recommended total qualification time (TQT) of 308 hours or 15 weeks.
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Tuesdays & Thursday between 18:15pm & 21:15pm.
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Saturday between 8:30am & 15:00pm.
One payment package.
€2500.
Saving €500
Full part payment price
€3000.
Payment Plan
We can discuss flexible payment terms with prospective students.
Recognition.
REPS's Ireland recognition.
Endeavour Academy is a REPS's Ireland approved education provider for FITNESS INSTRUCTOR & PERSONAL TRAINER.
Graduates that successfully complete the relevant approved qualifications can apply to register with REPSs Ireland in the corresponding category. Registration is a separate step.
