Best Personal Trainer Courses in Australia

Last updated: October 31, 2022

You want to become a qualified personal trainer. But perhaps, you don’t have relevant work experience or education. That doesn’t mean you can’t pursue your passion. We have a list of some of the best affordable personal trainer courses in Australia with minimal entry requirements. It’s never too late to kickstart your personal trainer career!

Do you wish to become a personal trainer but have no idea how?

Well, the first step would be attaining a personal training qualification. To practice personal training legally in Australia, you need a nationally recognised qualification.

But don’t worry. It isn’t as complicated as it sounds—you’d just need to complete a relevant course to get that qualification.

With hundreds of choices available, it’s hard to pick the best personal trainer course that’ll give you the upper edge in landing your dream job.

The good news is that we’ve done that for you! We’ve done a great deal of research to shortlist and find the top personal trainer courses in Australia. These courses don’t require any relevant training, experience, or education for you to start them. Yup! You heard us. But wait, there’s more.

Many of these courses also offer online learning for extra convenience—not to mention that subsidies are also available for Australian students.

You want the best, and we’ve found them.

We’ll also explore everything you need to know about becoming a qualified personal trainer in Australia.

Types of personal training courses in Australia

The most common route into this industry is via a Certificate III and Certificate IV course.

But what’s the difference between a Certificate III and Certificate IV in Fitness? Let’s take a look.

Certificate III

A Certificate III in Fitness is an entry-level qualification to get one foot in the door. If you haven’t got any official education or experience to show, a Certificate III course is the most common way to jumpstart a new career in the fitness industry.

It equips students with the foundational knowledge and skills to take up a role as a fitness professional, group fitness instructor, or gym instructor. There are very minimal entry requirements for this type of fitness course. But it doesn’t offer in-depth or advanced learning content.

First aid will be an integral unit within a Cert III course. So if you opt for a completely online course, you will have to complete a First Aid Unit with a provider in your location.

Note: The SIS30321 Certificate III in Fitness has superseded the SIS30315 Certificate III in Fitness.

Certificate IV

The main differences between a Certificate III and Certificate IV course are:

  • The entry requirements
  • The depth and complexity of learning content
  • The job prospects and outcomes

A Certificate IV in Fitness is a higher-level qualification than the Cert III—and you will need to complete a Cert III course before getting into a Cert IV one. The main goal of a Certificate IV in Fitness is to train, teach, and empower students to deliver effective one-on-one fitness coaching and become professional personal trainers.

A Cert IV is a must if you wish to have a successful career as a qualified personal trainer in Australia. The Cert IV course will further enhance and build on the skills and knowledge you learned in Cert III, so you can expect to dive deeper beyond the fundamentals in this course.

You can typically command a higher pay with this qualification—not to mention that it will open up more fitness career options as you move forward.

Note: The SIS40221 Certificate IV in Fitness has superseded the SIS40215 Certificate IV in Fitness.

What makes a great personal trainer course?

If you’re very keen on taking up a personal training course, these are some factors to keep in mind.

  • Accreditation: A good course should be accredited and nationally recognised. How can you tell? These education providers are registered training organisations (RTOs) with the ‘Nationally Recognised Training’ logo on their page—it looks like an upside-down triangle with green and red stripes. This shows that the course is nationally recognised and meets quality assurance standards.
  • Topics and content: Most Cert III and Cert IV courses cover more or less the same content. But some programs delve deeper into specific areas related to a personal training career—for instance, the business aspects (how to run your own gym or personal training business) or nutrition aspects (how to create tailored dietary and meal plans for clients).
  • Study options offered: Many programs offer their students part-time and full-time options. Some are conducted fully on-campus, others adopt a blended study mode, and several courses are delivered entirely (or almost entirely) online.

What are the best personal trainer courses to land a job?

If you’re looking to find a comprehensive, nationally recognised course to kickstart your personal training career now—we’ve got your back.

Here’s a list of the top personal trainer courses in Australia. For that added convenience, we’ve chosen online courses (and one with a blended delivery) that cater to at-your-own-pace learning.

What are the best personal trainer courses to upskill?

Looking to upskill, get ahead of your competitors, or spruce up your resume?—How about trying out these short online courses?

You’ll have lifetime access to all their resources and materials!

Nutrition Certification: Advanced Diet & Meal Planning – Udemy

This course dives into the concept and science behind advanced dieting and meal planning. Some content you’ll cover include:-

  • The science behind advanced dieting and meal planning
  • The right bulking diet for bodybuilding
  • The pros and cons of different types of diets
  • How to adjust/change a diet to meet specific fitness goals
  • How to achieve weight loss with a proper and healthy diet plan

You’ll learn the ins and outs of fitness and dieting through video lectures, printable resources, eBooks, and handy printables. With this knowledge, you can empower your clients to utilise nutrition as a tool for achieving their personal fitness goals.

Internationally Accredited Diploma Certificate in Fitness – Udemy

If you’d like to upskill in exercise routine designing, this top-rated course will give you the skills and knowledge to create workouts that meet different fitness goals.

Some areas you’ll cover in this course include:-

  • The right intensity and frequency for workouts
  • How to incorporate flexibility and neuromotor training into your workout
  • The most effective exercises for each muscle group
  • Choosing between Steady-State Cardio or HIIT
  • The anatomy of different muscle groups

This course will equip and train you to expertly design workout and fitness routines that line up with your client’s goals.

Internationally Accredited Diploma Certificate in Fitness – Udemy

Personal Trainer

As a personal trainer, you’ll take on the fulfilling role of supporting and motivating people to reach their health, wellness, and fitness goals. You’ll be the helping hand for your client in certain areas, such as:

  • Assessing their health and fitness level
  • Identifying their personal fitness goals (that are attainable based on your assessment)
  • Creating and designing personalised exercise programs and routines
  • Teaching clients how to perform the exercise routine safely
  • Educating them in making healthy lifestyle and dietary changes
  • Providing feedback on your client’s progress

A personal trainer can specialise in providing training and education to a specific group of people, such as older adults or women. As a personal trainer, you can run your own gym business, conduct group exercise activities, do one-on-one training, or even become a fitness influencer!

The average salary for a personal trainer is around $30-45 per hour.

Group Exercise Instructor

With a Cert III, you can already take up a role as a group exercise instructor. This is definitely a job to consider if you enjoy choreographing Zumba dances or leading a group in pilates, conga, or boxing!

Your job scope will typically involve:

The average salary for a group fitness instructor in Australia is around $40-50 per hour.