Check your trainer's fitness

Grafton personal trainer Craig Nipperess.

IF paying a personal trainer to help get your body in tip-top shape, it is well worthwhile to enquire about their qualifications.

It seems that Australia-wide, more than a handful of fitness savvy people are marketing themselves as personal trainers without having studied the subject.

Local and fully qualified personal trainer Craig Nipperess believes it is not just the fitness component potential clients need to worry about – they should also check on first aid and insurance.

“Qualifications are important for the client’s safety as well as their end results,” Craig said.

“Personal training as an industry is changing all of the time so it is important for those who are involved in it to remain up to date with techniques and equipment.”

To keep members up to date, most accreditation bodies require a member to complete about 20 Continuing Education Credits (CECs) over two years.

If concerned that your personal trainer is not qualified, just ask to see their accreditation card, said Craig.

“I am registered with Fitness Australia,” he said.

“To do this, you have to send copies of your certificates away and they send you a card with a registration number which proves to potential clients that you are fully qualified,” he said.

Leading a healthy lifestyle has always been a part of Craig’s reality as he has played many seasons with the Grafton Ghosts and is now PDH-PE teacher at McAuley Catholic College.

What it takes

•   Certificate III and Certificate IV Gym Instructor.
•   Senior first-aid certificate.
•   CPR certificate, which needs to be upgraded every 12 months.
•   Public liability and public indemnity insurance.
•   Registration with central governing body like Fitness Australia or Kinect.