APPRENTICESHIPS WITH ATP PERSONAL TRAINING

Redefining Personal Training Careers

At ATP, we offer a unique apprenticeship program for those passionate about making a real career change to become exceptional Personal Trainers. Unlike other programs, ours isn’t a shortcut to easy money; it’s a commitment to excellence.

Why Choose ATP?

  1. In-Depth Training: Our program exceeds the basics of PT certifications. We delve into the nuances of training, diet, client communication, and holistic transformation, ensuring you’re not just a trainer but a life-changer.
  2. Guidance and Support: Where online certifications leave you to navigate the industry alone, ATP stands by you. From technical skills to client relations and retention strategies, we provide continuous support and mentorship.
  3. Client Acquisition and Retention: Stepping into the fitness world can be daunting, especially in client acquisition and retention. At ATP, we help you build and maintain a client base, teaching you how to effectively sell packages and foster lasting relationships.

Sustainable Career Path: We focus on long-term success. Our goal is to help you aid clients in sustaining a healthy lifestyle, moving beyond temporary transformations. This approach not only benefits your clients but also ensures you a stable, enduring career.

Our Commitment

ATP is dedicated to producing trainers who profoundly impact their clients’ health and lives. We’re not just training trainers; we’re creating leaders in the fitness industry. If you’re ready for a challenging yet rewarding journey, ATP is your path to becoming a distinguished Personal Trainer.

An in-depth look at ATP's Apprenticeship Program

There are many online and in-person personal training courses available. In-person courses are typically 2-3 days long, while the online courses usually span several weeks, involving studying pre-written modules that cover the absolute basics of required knowledge.

Personal training is not a regulated field. Anybody can claim to be a personal trainer without the need to hold any certifications. The business of online personal training certification has become a multi-million-dollar business. New courses are created every week, and no regulatory body is expected to maintain a high-quality standard.

Some are high-quality courses out there. However, due to the short length of most courses and the fact that most of the courses are done online, none of these courses can prepare you to become a long-term successful career personal trainer like the ATP course can.

Theory is important, and we cover it in-depth. However, our main goal is to make sure that everything you learn during the course can immediately transfer to high-quality coaching experience for the client. “Coaching experience” translates to how satisfied the client is with your services as coach and translates to your client reaching their goals and you maintaining satisfied clients who keep training with you year after year with you.

During our 12-week course, we emphasize theory but believe that what makes a successful career coach are the soft skills that are not taught during a 2-day personal training certification course or an online course. Those soft skills include the ability to motivate clients, how to conduct a successful session by managing time well and being organized before the session. How to set up ambitious, specific yet successful and realistic goals. In order for your clients to “buy in” to what you are asking them to do, they have to have noticed some positive changes within 2 weeks. Being able to address specific “barriers” that you will come across when training different clients. How to deal with clients who are not compliant, how to work around pain and injuries but still achieve results with certain clients. How to conduct a perfect session by knowing how to set up exercise, how to progress people from simple to more complex exercises, how to coach more complicated movements without overwhelming the client or overcoaching them. How to use long-term planning for strength training and nutrition. How to spot safely, where to stand, what cues to use, how to keep detailed records for all clients. How to assess client’s mobility, movement quality, strength, stability and therefore determine what their weak areas are and how to address them.

We believe that a successful trainer thinks long term, has a vision for their clients and is able to explain that vision in a clear and concise way. We will teach you those skills.

Our mentoring team is composed of experienced and successful trainers who have at least 3 years of experience working with us and have achieved a high number of successful “transformations” published on our website.

Our education managers have a combined 50 years of experience in the personal training and strength and conditioning industries. We have developed the ATP system based on our shared experience from combining: Bodybuilding, Physical therapy, Gymnastics, Olympic Weight Lifting, Powerlifting, Functional medicine, Nutritional Science

During the course, you will spend between 1-3 hours per day directly working with your mentor or our managers.

Our course is 12 weeks long, covering the following:

Comprehensive Curriculum (Theory): 

  • Biomechanics (The science of human movements) 
  • Exercise physiology and energy systems (How different systems work together to create energy depending on the type, duration and intensity of specific efforts) 
  • Anatomy and physiology (The science of muscle contractions and how it creates movement) Theory of strength training (The science behind muscle growth and development, improvement in strength and performance and how to optimize recovery 
  • Strength Training program design (How to design strength training programs for different clientele according to their goals, experience, gender, age) 
  • Nutrition (How to create customized nutrition program according to the clients food preferences, lifestyle, time frame for reaching their goals 
  • Strength training periodization. Knowing how to vary programs from phase to phase of a long period of time to achieve long term success. Too little or too much variety leads to staleness. Strength training periodization can be learned in a book but applying from client to client is an art and requires years of experience. We will teach it to you in 3 months.

Hands-On Learning (Practical knowledge): 

  • How to onboard a new client 
  • How to measure a client’s body composition using skinfold calipers, BMI and accurately take girth measurements. 
  • How to assess a client’s current lifestyle and write a detailed plan in order to address any lifestyle issues. 
  • How to conduct our ATP Gym floor assessment. This assessment takes 60 min. We can assess a client’s strength, mobility, flexibility in all the major joints. We have based it around basic human body movements. Clients are given a score for each movement. An improvement in their score will lead to direct improvements in the ability to move, improved performance, injury prevention making day to day activities easier 
  • How to conduct highly efficient PT sessions. Clients pay us for our time. We have limited time with them and they must improve on a weekly basis so every second counts. Time management is crucial. 
  • Load selection. Our clients must improve from session to session. Developing the skills to load the client appropriately in order for them to improve rapidly without getting injured takes years of experience. We will teach you those skills in 3 months. 
  • How to set up exercises, and coach complex movements using less cues, not more. When learning a new skill, the brain has limited capacity to use cues. Inexperienced coaches tend to use too many cues. The client becomes frustrated and it can lead to a poor experience. Coaching is an art. We will teach effective coaching techniques.

Unmatched Mentorship:

At ATP, we recognize that the essence of a remarkable Personal Trainer lies not only in their knowledge but also in their ability to apply it effectively. That’s why our mentoring program is a cornerstone of our education program.

Experienced Mentors and Education Managers:

  • Mentorship Team: Our mentors are seasoned trainers with a minimum of three years of successful experience. They have a proven track record, evidenced by numerous transformations featured on our website.
  • Education Managers: With a collective experience of 50 years in personal training and strength conditioning, our education managers bring invaluable insights from diverse fields including Bodybuilding, Physical Therapy, Gymnastics, Olympic Weight Lifting, Powerlifting, Functional Medicine, and Nutritional Science.

Daily Hands-On Guidance:

  • Personalized Attention: You’ll spend 1-3 hours daily working closely with your mentor or our managers, ensuring a highly tailored learning experience.
  • Applied Learning: Our approach goes beyond theoretical knowledge. We emphasize practical skills crucial for client success and your long-term career development.

A typical schedule during the first month of the Apprenticeship:

10AM-11AM: Study the reading material sent to you on a weekly basis. 

11AM-12 noon: 1 hour of theoretical learning with our education manager

12 noon to 1PM: lunch break: 

1PM-2PM: Gym Floor practical learning 

2PM-3PM:  Train yourself. We expect you to train for 1 hour per day and adhere to our training systems. Additionally, we expect you to undergo the same process as a new client, which includes assessment and receiving specific training and nutrition programs.

3PM-5PM: Shadow, mentors during training sessions. 

5PM-6PM: Write your daily summaries: We expect you to note down 2-3 learning points from each section of the day. Send these to your mentor and education manager for constructive feedback. This ensures your continuous learning and improvement.

Apprenticeship Program - Key requirements and conditions

This program is for those who have thought deeply about changing their career to become a Personal Trainer. Our training is rigorous and is not suited for individuals seeking an easy path. The fitness industry has its share of trainers who coast by without effectively impacting their clients’ health. That’s not what we’re about. We aim to mold trainers who can create significant, tangible changes in their clients’ lives through expertly programmed workouts and lifestyle adjustments.

Our program goes beyond standard PT certifications. We focus on teaching not only the technical aspects of training and diet but also on practical implementation, client communication, and holistic client transformation.

  • Residency and Work Eligibility: Applicants must be local or permanent residents able to work in Hong Kong or Singapore without needing visa sponsorship.
  • Commitment: A full-time commitment is necessary from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays and a half-day on Saturdays during the three-month training period. Post-training: You may be required to work on the weekend (based on client availability), and a minimum of 80 client hours per month is expected. 
  • No Prior Experience Required: While no previous experience in personal training is needed, a passion for fitness and learning is crucial.
  • Employment Type: The position is strictly for an employer-employee relationship, not for freelancers. CPF / MPF contributions will be fulfilled by the employer.
  • Moonlighting Prohibition: Apprentices cannot engage in other paid work outside of the company.
  • Training Program: Completion of the training program in 3 months is expected, which requires significant effort, observation, and practice. This is not easy. Just sitting in the classroom won’t make you a good Personal Trainer. It will require lots of hard work from you, observing other coaches and practicing to make the material learned in class your own.
  • Attendance: Full attendance is mandatory during the first month, with missed classes requiring make-up at the apprentice’s expense.
  • Dedication: The program demands complete dedication. It is not easy. Please don’t apply if you are pursuing other options but applying to this position as a back-up option. We will only consider candidates who are serious about becoming a Personal Trainer.
  • Candidate Selection Criteria: Please be mindful that we are taking a chance with each candidate. We will be prioritizing candidates who are passionate about learning, hardworking, a  team player and most importantly, can dedicate time to learning about Personal Training. 
  • Contractual Obligation: Post-training, there’s a requirement to work exclusively with ATP for approximately 3 years, with a minimum of 80 client sessions per month.
  • Early Termination Clause: Early termination of the contract is possible but requires reimbursement for training and mentoring, and return of all materials.
  • Compensation: The first month is unpaid. A stipend begins once trainees start taking clients, typically from the 4th or 5th week.

Our Pledge

We believe in nurturing trainers who think long-term and communicate clearly with their clients. Through our intensive mentoring and ongoing support, we equip you with the soft skills necessary for motivating clients, managing sessions, setting realistic goals, and overcoming common training barriers. Our program is designed to turn aspiring trainers into career coaches capable of guiding clients towards sustainable health and fitness goals.

Join the ATP Apprenticeship Program

We invite those serious about a career in personal training to join our program. With ATP, you will acquire the skills, knowledge, and experience to excel as a Personal Trainer and profoundly impact the lives of your clients.

Apply Now: Send your resume to [email protected]/hk.