Certified Group Fitness Instructor (AFAA‑CGFI)

Please note: Purchase of the AFAA certification preparation material is not required to be eligible to sit for the CGFI exam and does not guarantee a passing score. If you would like to purchase the exam only, please call our team at 800-446-2322. Prerequisites: To be eligible for this course, you must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Additionally, you need a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) certification. You may enroll in the course before having your CPR and AED certifications; however, you must have them before you take your final exam. Course Curriculum Section 1: Professionalism Chapter 1: Welcome to Group Fitness Learn about the state of health and fitness today Explore your what and why as you learn about common characteristics of Group Fitness Instructors. This chapter provides foundational benefits of group fitness classes across all formats and introduces you to the instructor mindset. Chapter 2: Professional Expectations of a AFAA-CGFI Helping others reach their fitness goals requires the knowledge to analyze the basics of human movement thoroughly. Biomechanics and the interactions of the muscle action spectrum provide you with the language of exercise science and a foundational understanding of the human body. Chapter 3: Career Development Identify various possibilities of employment and how developing a personal brand supports your journey as a Group Fitness Instructor. It will also provide career development opportunities and self-care tactics to help keep you a top instructor. Chapter 4: Legal and Ethical Responsibilities Identify your scope of practice as a Group Fitness Instructor and keep you within your legal and ethical boundaries as a fitness professional, in-person and virtually. It will provide information about safety responsibilities, emergency protocols, insurance considerations, and music licensing. Section 2: Fundamentals of Exercise Science Chapter 5: Human Movement Science and Exercise Review the benefits of exercise and connect them to applied human movement and exercise science. This chapter will go over the major systems of the body, planes of motion, and other exercise science topics as they relate to movement and bioenergetics. Chapter 6: Training Science Provide basic training principles and their relation to participant outcomes. This chapter will also go over acute variables, integrated fitness, and how to accommodate all participant levels through modification. Chapter 7: A Supportive Approach to Group Fitness The intent of this chapter is to make group fitness applicable and safe to all participants through inclusivity of individual considerations and adjusting external environmental variables. Section 3: Class Design and Planning Chapter 8: Defining Your Class Connect the vision of your class to its desired objectives and explore how vision and objectives help you select other class considerations to ensure your class meets the needs of your participants. Chapter 9: Building the Body of Your Workout Discuss the selection of the intensity, exercises, arrangements, and modifications in alignment with your class vision to meet the needs of your participants. Chapter 10: Other Vital Components of Your Workout Show how to use the body of your workout to select other components of your workout in alignment with your class vision and objectives, as well as to support the expectations and success of your participants. Chapter 11: Music Show the connection between music and movement as well as explain components of music and how they can be used to align with your class vision and objectives and meet the needs of your participants. This module will also provide an overview of different sources of music and the legalities connected to each source. Section 4: Class Instruction and Presentation Chapter 12: Communication Discuss the different types of communication, their value to participants, and how you can use inclusive communication to engage, motivate, and build trust with your participants. Chapter 13: The Art of Cueing Identify various cueing techniques, establish their purpose in group fitness, and explain how to effectively deliver them. This chapter will also review proper exercise technique, safe body mechanics, and how to build your own cues. Chapter 14: Monitoring Participants and Adapting to Class Dynamics Review monitoring techniques for your participants’ exercise technique, form, and intensity as well as how to appropriately modify to ensure the success of your participants. This module will also explore unexpected events in the group room and how to best resolve them. Chapter 15: Instructing Virtually Explore instructing virtually, the relevance of virtual instruction to instructors and participants, and how to create an engaging virtual workout. This chapter will also review legal, ethical, and safety considerations when designing and offering virtual workouts. Chapter 16: Your Journey as a Group Fitness Instructor Review your next steps as you prepare for your final exam and explore employment opportunities as a Group Fitness Instructor. Final Exam Successful completion of the final exam is required to become a Certified Group Fitness Instructor. Proctored Exam: AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor (AFAA-CGFI) This is a closed-book exam and consists of 120 questions. You must pass with a scaled score of 70 or better. This 3rd party proctored exam can be administered either in-person or online, and you will have 2 hours to complete the test. You must take this exam within 180 days of your enrollment date.