This interactive online course will teach you the skills necessary to work with people as you design cardio-fitness walking and running programs to enhance their overall well-being. Developed by Ann Maliszewski, PhD, the course also incorporates the textbook, Precision Heart Rate Training, by Edmund R. Burke, PhD, and contains links to several websites dedicated to walking and running.

For the course, you will assume the role of a newly hired trainer at an insurance company’s fitness center and spend a three-day orientation period with a virtual mentor (Steve) who will introduce you to six clients whom you will interact with in real-life exercises and situations. A brief quiz will complete each daily session.

Day 1: Goal Setting – Your clients, new members of the center, are interested in a walking or running program. You will learn the importance of initial health and fitness screening for your clients, each of whom receives a general goal category based on his or her health, fitness, activity status, and objectives. Steve will enhance your understanding of how individual client goals for their programs may differ.

Day 2: Program Design – To incorporate all relevant client information as you design walking or running programs, you must understand the importance of each exercise program component. Steve will explain program design principles as well as each component’s guidelines. You will need to determine general fitness guidelines for each client’s mode, intensity, duration, frequency, and progress. Then you will select an appropriate intensity-monitoring method based on a client’s goals and circumstances. An additional factor in designing exercise programs is establishing client-specific starting points and setting target heart rate zones for that client.

Day 3: Adapting to the Real World – Today Steve will ask you to consider how climate, altitude, and the exercise surface (treadmill vs. ground) might affect clients’ workouts. You will also help your clients anticipate and prepare for actual workouts.

Finally, an online test will evaluate your understanding of material covered by the interactive course and supplemental text.