Having been a member of my gym for about 4 years now, I have always been engaged in self-talk, asking myself questions like, ‘what does it take to own a gym in Zimbabwe? How can one become a fitness trainer? What opportunities exists for fitness trainers in Zimbabwe? Are the business opportunities in this industry worthy pursuing?’ It took me quite some time to get answers to these and many other questions. Maybe it’s because I always left the gym tired. I dedicated time to learn the many opportunities associated with the fitness industry and I was shocked with the hidden opportunities for Zimbabwe. I shall talk about them one article at a time but today it’s all about becoming a fitness trainer in Zimbabwe and getting an ACE certification.

A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client’s strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments. Personal trainers typically become personal trainers out of a passion for being healthy, fit and active. They’re not normally the type of people who could stomach a desk job or sit alone in a cubicle “paper pushing”. It’s a job that starts out with heart, motivation and a love for all things fitness…the trick is, keeping it that way! In Zimbabwe, a personal trainer could work for a gym, sports clubs, and individuals or outsource. Some sportsmen in Zimbabwe higher their own personal fitness trainers whilst some sports clubs do the same. One can also outsource their service. Fitness training also expands to include physiotherapy  which is big business in Zimbabwe.

The American Council on Exercise has amongst the several courses on offer has a Personal Trainer certification and Preparation Course. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is recognized as one of the world’s “gold standards” in Fitness Professional Certification. It’s as good as you can’t talk about fitness training without talking about ACE. They are like the Harvard of Fitness.

The ACE Preparation Course in Zimbabwe is held over ten months affording participants the best chance of successful certification as well as practical expertise and the confidence to launch a health, wellness, fitness or coaching career.

Together with current research and guidelines in exercise science, clinical health and training methods, the experience gained from working closely with the teams at Rolf Valley Sport & Health, The Centre for Sports Medicine and Innovate High Performance Centre affords our graduates “on the ground” skills which have proven to be invaluable in seeking employment and business options locally and internationally (Australia, USA, UK, South Africa).

International! Exactly! The ACE certification can land you job opportunities and business opportunities the world over. The course structure is (flexi time) self / home learning enhanced by our tutorials and workshops which cover all the course material. Practical application of theory is ongoing. Students are afforded many opportunities to experience being taught the latest in training research and international industry standard practice.

If this article has really tugged at your heart strings, perhaps you’d like to visit the website ace training to get a good idea as to what ACE Certification is about. You could also call Debi Jeans, the ACE Zimbabwe Course Director or email her on acezimbabwe@gmail.com.

And as always, to your continued success.