What is an Exercise Specialist?

An exercise specialist is a person specially trained to identify specific physical health problems and advise on exercise techniques and routines to eradicate or reduce the causes and symptoms. His analysis normally entails reviewing a patient’s medical history and current general health condition along with their physical condition. Major medical issues or restrictions are of particular interest to the specialist. Using all this information, he is generally expected to determine which physical fitness tests to administer to assess what exercise program would be most beneficial to the patient.

After the tests are concluded, the specialist usually discusses the results with the client. He may recommend changing their fitness training regime to better benefit their physical condition. If no training program is in place, he normally recommends several exercise training options.

Once a training program is decided upon, an exercise specialist is commonly required to educate the person on how to use certain pieces of exercise equipment to achieve maximum results. At this point, he normally confers with the client on program guidelines as well as frequency and motion repetition options. If the client has questions or concerns, the specialist typically addresses them at this time.

If the exercise specialist works for an organization that focuses on group exercise programs and therapies, he may interview the participants and divide them into groups that share common health problems and improvement goals. This screening normally involves conducting a wide variety of fitness evaluations. Non-invasive cardiopulmonary testing may also be performed on the proposed participants.

Once the groups are divided into low, medium and high-risk sectors, the exercise specialist ordinarily develops programs and goals appropriate for each category. These typically include exercise progression plans designed to gradually increase exercise expectations as the program evolves. Both land- and water-based exercises are ordinarily included in the exercise regimens.

In addition to planning and administering exercise programs, an exercise specialist is usually required to educate the clients on reducing health risk factors. He regularly teaches them techniques to identify and relieve stress. He commonly discusses diet habits and recommends options for healthier eating.

An exercise specialist is normally required to be trained to quickly recognize health problems typically associated with strenuous exercise. These normally include heart failure, heat exhaustion or dehydration. He is traditionally trained in basic CPR and first aid procedures.

The minimum educational requirement for this position is a bachelor’s degree in exercise science or health and wellness promotion. Some facilities require a master’s degree in the same or similar fields. In some regions, additional certifications are required.