Certificate of Proficiency in Fitness Foundations

The Fitness Foundations short course is designed to give you the scientific skills you need for a career in exercise, sport and fitness. You'll learn how to give an effective client pre-screening, fitness assessment, and exercise prescription.

Fitness foundations course overview

This is the first of three courses you need to complete to become a qualified fitness instructor and/or personal trainer. You can study all three courses at AUT. When you have successfully completed Fitness Foundations, you can progress to the Fitness Instructing short course and then the Personal Training short course.

Topics include:

  • Anatomy and muscle physiology
  • Behaviour modification
  • Biomechanical principles of training
  • Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
  • Components of fitness
  • Customer service, health and safety
  • Energy systems
  • Lifespan Development and medical conditions
  • Nutrition for fitness instructors
  • Movement Competency Screening
  • Training and weight training principles
  • Endocrine system

Delivery mode

Students are required to attend all in-person classes on the AUT North Campus in addition to online self-study throughout the course. There are no online classes to attend.

Who the fitness foundations course is suitable for

If you’re interested in a career in exercise, sport or fitness – this is a great starting point.

After completing this course

The Certificate of Proficiency in Fitness Foundations is the first of three courses you need to complete to become a qualified personal trainer and fitness instructor. All three courses are taught part-time over 4 months and each course is a prerequisite for the next course.

When you've successfully completed the first course, the Certificate of Proficiency in Fitness Foundations (Level 4), you then enrol in our second course – the Certificate of Proficiency in Fitness Instructing (Level 5). This enables you to be recognised as a fitness instructor and become REPS registered nationally and internationally in the fitness industry.

When you successfully complete the third and final course, the Certificate of Proficiency in Personal Training (Level 5), you will be qualified as a personal trainer and also be able to become REPS registered nationally and internationally in the fitness industry.

Next steps to become a personal trainer and fitness instructor (in this order):

  1. Certificate of Proficiency in Fitness Instructing
  2. Certificate of Proficiency in Personal Training

2025 classes

February (SPEX402/01)

Course date: Wednesday 5 February (material and study calendar available online)
Class dates: Saturday 15, Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 February (workshop dates when students are required to attend the class in person on the AUT North Campus)
Time: 8.30am-5.30pm approx. (once the course starts you will be able to access the full timetable)
Final assessment: Monday 3 March – submit assessments online

July (SPEX402/02)

Course date: Thursday 19 June (material and study calendar available online)
Class dates: Saturday 28 June, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July (workshop dates when students are required to attend the class in person on the AUT North Campus)
Time: 8.30am-5.30pm approx. (once the course starts you will be able to access the full timetable)
Final assessment: Monday 14 July– submit assessments online

How to apply

You can apply online to study the Fitness Foundations short course.

If you're ready to apply now:

  1. Visit Apply now
  2. Tick 'Other individual course' on the 'My programmes' tab (second tab)
  3. Tick 'Sport and Recreation'
  4. Select your preferred intake

Apply now

If you need help with applying, visit Applying to study at AUT

Disclaimer
Your enrolment in this course will only be complete after you’ve paid your course fees. You can pay fees online, on any AUT campus or by fees invoice. If you haven’t paid your fees within two weeks and 10 days before your course starts, your enrolment will be cancelled. If your employer is paying your fees, please provide a purchase order, with your employer's contact and billing details before the course starts. AUT reserves the right to cancel courses that don’t have enough students. If this happens, you’ll be given at least 2 or 3 days’ notice and can transfer to another start date for this course.

Quick facts
Programme code:
AKCOP
Course code:
SPEX402
Start dates:
5 Feb 2025 (Intake 1)
19 June 2025 (Intake 2)
Duration:
4 weeks (approx.)
Campus:
North
Fees:
$780.00 (domestic)* $995.00 (international)*

*All fees are in NZ dollars, include the tuition fee and GST. The student services levy is an additional cost.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this course:

Email fitnessinfo@aut.ac.nz