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Leading the Way
Be the difference, serve the medical community and tackle chronic health conditions
Enquire todayExercise Specialist Courses and Qualifications
Working with the medical community, tackling obesity, diabetes and low back pain, you'll be able to master your trade and become a Level 4 exercise specialist.
Our Reputation. Your Words.
Over the years, we've delivered over 30,000 active leisure sector qualifications to students around the UK. In their words, here's what some of them have had to say about their HFE training experience.
Rated 4.9/5 based on 778 reviews. Showing our 4 & 5 star reviews.
Exercise Specialist Career Packages
Your direct route to Level 4 success. Expertly-delivered courses, cutting-edge content, interest-free payment plans and hands-on training at a nationwide venue.
Low Back
Pain
£875.00
Combine Level 3 exercise referral with Level 4 low back pain to discover how to help your clients to better manage and overcome low back pain with scientifically proven strategies and interventions.
Courses Included:
Extras and Exclusives:
Key Benefits:
Interest-free payment plan - £104 per month
5% discount for prompt payment - save £43.75
Obesity &
Diabetes
£845.00
Complete level 3 exercise referral with level 4 obesity and diabetes to allow you to work effectively with overweight and obese clients, helping them to tackle their weight and improve their health and wellbeing.
Courses Included:
Extras and Exclusives:
Key Benefits:
Interest-free payment plan - £99 per month
5% discount for prompt payment - save £42.25
Featured Exercise Specialist Courses
The path to Level 4 is firmly in your hands. If you already have your Level 3 Exercise Referral qualification, then here's what's next...
Level 4 Low Back Pain Certificate
£495.00
Discover scientifically proven exercise and lifestyle strategies for treating and managing low back pain. This blended programme combines home-study learning presented by Dr Stuart Porter with 2-days face-to-face training to show you how to put the theory into practice.
Key Benefits:
5% discount for prompt payment - save £24.75
Level 4 Obesity and Diabetes Certificate
£465.00
Get the latest evidence on obesity, diabetes, and how exercise and physical activity better control and manage these conditions. Presented by Dr Dane Vishnubala, this programme has been specifically created for exercise professionals wanting to work with this population.
Key Benefits:
5% discount for prompt payment - save £23.25
One Career. Unlimited Possibilities.
Join an exclusive group of exercise professionals that have achieved the highest of standards.
Cutting Edge Specialist Courses
A key feature of all of all of our Level 4 Exercise Specialist qualifications is that we have leading clinical experts delivering the technical underpinning knowledge. This ensures that you get the very best quality education and that what is delivered on our courses truly reflects what takes place in the medical community. That's why our content is presented by leading doctors in their fields.
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Leading Resources
Shaping your future career
Our exercise specialist courses include a range of high-quality, information-rich resources, including:
- Comprehensive manual
- On-demand lecture videos
- Downloadable presentations
- Interactive worksheets
- Flexible study guide
- Mock exam questions
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Outstanding Support
With you all the way
Our friendly and knowledgeable support team will always be on hand to guide and support your learning.
- Unlimited access
- Plenty of availability
- Flexible structure
- Phone, email, Zoom
- Rapid marking service
- Highly experienced team
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Truly Specialist
Presented by clinical experts
Our range of specialist exercise and fitness qualifications all come with expert presentations delivered by leading medical doctors in their respective fields.
- Medical doctors
- Clinical experts
- On-demand technical lectures
- Downloadable presentations
- Unlimited access
- Cutting-edge content
Frequently Asked Questions - Exercise Specialist
It's only natural that you'll have questions about our level 4 courses and how these are delivered and supported? We've answered some of the most frequently asked questions below, although if there is anything else that you'd like to know, feel free to reach out to our Careers Team on the number below.
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Do I need any prior qualifications to enrol?
In order to enrol on a specialist Level 4 course, you must already hold, or be working towards a Level 3 Diploma in Exercise Referral (or equivalent). Don’t worry however if you haven’t yet booked your place on this course because we have a variety of packages below that combine and discount the Level 4 and exercise referral qualifications when they are booked together.
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What can I expect to learn on my Level 4 course?
This largely depends on the specific pathway you select. Generally, speaking, you’ll gain a deep understand of your chosen medical condition and how to effectively programme exercise and physical activity for individuals with these conditions.
Our level 4 programmes are all presented by leading doctors in their respective fields, meaning that you get the most accurate and reliable information about the content and pathway you are studying.
You’ll also learn about the medications used to control these conditions, their side effects and how to assess and monitor patients’ progress throughout their exercise journey. These qualifications really are packed with lots of advanced knowledge and skills to enable you to meet the specific needs of their target population.
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How will I be supported on my Level 4 course?
As a HFE student you’ll be supported continuously throughout the course. During the home-study phase of the programme, you’ll have a dedicated Learner Support Tutor who will guide you through your course. The practical element of the course is delivered by a team of highly qualified and experienced fitness industry and medical professionals.
In addition to our team, these courses are also extremely well resourced. You’ll receive training manuals, awarding winning online learning materials, mock exams, interactive worksheets, video lectures and much more. Our support and resources really are second to none.
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What career opportunities are available once I qualify?
As a Level 4 Exercise Specialist a number of employment and career opportunities are open up. A popular career path is to work in a formal exercise referral scheme, providing specialist exercise instruction to clients referred by their GP.
Other opportunities also include working privately with patients suffering from these specific conditions, working with weight management groups, physiotherapists, chiropractors and podiatrists to provide specialist exercise advice. It’s perhaps important to stress here that even when you’ve completed these qualifications, you’ll still be required to work alongside clinicians and other members of the medical community.
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Are your Level 4 courses accredited?
Our Level 4 courses are certificated by Active IQ and are fully recognised by all fitness industry employers. They are also recognised by the industry’s professional body, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
We have also had our level 4 programmes endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine, to provide our graduates with an extra accreditation and recognition of their achievements.
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How difficult are these courses?
These qualifications are designed for exercise professionals (not doctors) so you don’t have to worry about failure. All of the content that you need to know is provided and our team of expert tutors will explain exactly what you need to do – all you need to do is work hard and follow the programme.
The Level 4 Exercise Specialist courses do not have knowledge-based assessments and so you don’t have to worry about passing any tricky exams. What you will, however, need to do is develop a sound understanding of the relevant medical conditions and your ability to assess, design and instruct exercise to patients with these conditions effectively.
Undeniable Quality. Unbelievable Value.
All of our qualifications are fully loaded with high-quality content that is produced by subject specialists and our exercise specialist qualifications are no exception! What's more, we also supply a host of added value products that have been specifically created to accelerate your success.
TRX Suspension Training Course - Digital Version Included with Packages
Learn from anywhere! This self-paced Official TRX Qualification combines the 15+ years of educating on the TRX Suspension Trainer and distills the content into highly engaging, useful, effective delivery to ensure each and everyone of our digital course graduates leaves with the skills required to successfully coach ANY client.
Following completion of this course, you are qualified TRX Course Graduate and on your journey to becoming TRX Certified through TRX CORE.
- Official TRX qualification
- Delivered by world-class trainers
- Learn at own pace
- Fully inclusive with package purchases
- Discounted TRX suspension trainers
- Highly engaging education material
Get Your CV Connected and Secuer Real Employment Opportunities Within the Fitness Industry
CV Connect is our award-winning employment solution that connects enthusiastic graduates of our fitness education programmes with employers that are actively looking for skilled and qualified talent.
There are too many training providers advertising their training products with guaranteed interviews. These interviews are almost exclusively for self-employed positions where you’ll need to actually pay the club a rent to work their. These practices are misleading and unethical, which is why we created CV Connect.
When your studies are over and you’ve achieved your qualification, we’ll unlock CV Connect so you can start your employment search. All you need to do is get your CV in good shape, upload it to the platform, then select the employers in your area that you want to work with.
- Trusted by employers
- UK-wide opportunities
- Find opportunities near you
- Easy to use technology
- Reach all major operators
- Exclusive to HFE
Don't Just Take Our Word For It
Over the years, we've trained tens of thousands of exercise professionals across a variety of disciplines, including personal training, yoga, Pilates and other forms of group exercise and specialist exercise programmes. We've met some fantastic students who have achieved wonderful things...but here are a few faces you might just recognise.
"HFE is the ultimate fitness training provider, without a doubt their personal training courses are the best in the industry."
- James Crossley
(Hunter from Gladiators)
"The course has really helped me to better understand yoga so that I can improve my performance and remain World No. 1."
- Laura Massaro
(World No. 1 Squash Player - 2016)
"HFE have produced some of the best materials I have seen in education."
- Holly Bradshaw
(Team GB Olympic Bronze Medalist Pole Vaulter, 2020 Olympic Games)
"HFE were understanding and the course is really flexible. I knew this would be the perfect thing for me."
- Louise Fiddes
(Team GB World Champion Paralympic Swimmer)
Exercise Specialist Courses With HFE
The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts that by the year 2030 almost 75% of men and 63% of women in the UK will be classed as obese. On a similar note, surveys have suggested that 49% of the UK’s adult population has, at one time, suffered from low back pain lasting at least 24 hours.
The prevalence of obesity, low back pain and other chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, COPD, hypertension and many others has never been greater. The time has come for fitness professionals to make that step up, gain new qualifications and be at the very heart of making a difference.
Our exercise specialist courses and qualifications are designed to be your direct route to success at level 4, which for many is seen as the apex of achievement. Upon completion of the Level 4 Exercise for Low Back Pain Certificate or the Level 4 Obesity and Diabetes Certificate, you’ll be able to confidently call yourself as an exercise specialist. For those still at level 3, we have the Level 3 Exercise Referral Diploma (also known as GP referral) and this acts as an entry requirement for the level 4 courses.
Each course is CIMSPA approved and internationally-recognised, this means that once you’re qualified there’s no limit to where you can apply yourself. That could be within your local community, perhaps nationwide or even internationally, for example at fitness retreats.
Along your journey to become a Level 4 Exercise Specialist, we’ll provide you with all the learning resources and support you’ll need. This includes 24/7 access to LES, the Learner Engagement System. It’s here you’ll find a range of online work to complete as well as exclusive video lectures delivered by one of the country’s leading GPs and a chartered physiotherapist with decades of experience. You’ll also be in regular contact with your dedicated support tutor via phone and email and they’re always on hand to answer any questions you may have and to guide your learning.
Once you’ve qualified as an exercise specialist with our LBP or OAD career packages, you’ll unlock access to CV Connect. This innovative system means you’re only a few clicks away from getting your CV in front of 1000s of employers.
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