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Purdue University to Offer Major in Personal Fitness Training

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 December 2004, 00:00 CST

Dec. 13--Surging demand and weak standards have sparked Purdue University to offer the nation's first four-year degree with a concentration in personal fitness training.

Worried that the certification process to become a trainer is so easy that even people without the needed health background can earn one, officials with Purdue's Department of Health and Kinesiology will launch the program next fall.

Already, more than 100 Purdue students and about 10 nationally have e-mailed their interest after limited marketing by the department.

Their interest may reflect the increasing job demand for trainers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a total of 264,000 jobs for fitness trainers and aerobics instructors should be available by 2012. That's an increase of 44 percent from 2002 -- the 11th-highest jump on the department's hottest jobs list.

"We really look at these students when they graduate to be the future personal training leaders and educators," said Ken Baldwin, program coordinator for personal fitness training at Purdue's Department of Health and Kinesiology.

The program, a specialization within the health and fitness major, will enhance courses, such as exercise physiology, fitness evaluation and basic health studies, to focus on skills necessary for fitness trainers. New instruction also will concentrate on topics related to aging, anatomy, injury prevention and nutrition. Classes on business management will help students own or operate their own firms.

Purdue sophomore Catherine Taylor is enthusiastic about the degree.

"It's worth it because it's going to be a lot more in-depth and more medically based, teaching me how to train all ages, from children to the elderly," said the 19-year-old from West Lafayette, who is a health and fitness major.

She's especially eager to get the hands-on training for majors during eight six-week rotations in commercial health clubs and centers for physical therapy, athletic training, senior fitness and other specialties.

Purdue hopes to set the standard for trainer education, Baldwin said. The certification industry for fitness trainers has exploded, but no national standards exist for their performance or practices. In some cases, Baldwin said, people can study a manual for a few weeks and pass the test.

While no other universities offer specific degrees in personal training, some do prepare students for that field who are majoring in exercise science, kinesiology and other areas, said Mike Niederpruem, director of certification for the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis. The not-for-profit group for physicians, educators, trainers and others provides program guidelines for some colleges.

Purdue's program is the first with a curriculum targeted to the growing profession. Interest is increasing, in large part, because of concerns over obesity and other related health problems, such as diabetes.

"There is more information out there than ever about the negative effects of leading a sedentary lifestyle," Niederpruem said.

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Source: The Indianapolis Star

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