Personal Trainer Manual: The Resource for Fitness Professionals [Hardcover]

Richard T. Cotton (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 501 pages
• Publisher: Amer Council on Exercise; 2nd edition (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961816163
• ISBN-13: 978-0961816162
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book to pass the ACE Personal Trainer Exam!, January 25, 2002

By 

Groovy Vegan (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)   

This review is from: Personal Trainer Manual: The Resource for Fitness Professionals (Hardcover)

I read the ACE Personal Trainer Manual cover to cover (except the nutrition chapter since I have a nutrition degree) and did the exercises in the workbook (separate purchase). I easily passed the ACE Personal Trainer Exam on the first try, even though the exam is notorious for trying to be tricky. This 500 page textbook provides the information needed to pass the exam and a description of the exam's four sections. The seven parts of the book are (1) Exercise Science (chapters in anatomy, exercise physiology, biomechanics and nutrition), (2) Screening and Evaluation (includes health screening and fitness testing), (3) Principles and Methods of Training (includes cardio, strength training, and flexibility), (4) Individualized Program Design (healthy adults and special populations), (5) Leadership and Implementation (motivation, communication, and teaching techniques), (6) Injury Prevention and First Aid, (7) Legal Issues. Each chapter is written by a well-known fitness industry professional. The concepts are explained well enough for the beginning personal trainer student to understand, and in sufficient depth to get one started in the industry. The book can also serve as a reference of basic concepts, for example, as a refresher of the muscles of the rotator cuff, or the table of cardiorespiratory fitness level classifications in METS. The visuals, although in black and white, are extremely helpful, especially the anatomical drawings, and the photographs showing many common stretches and exercises (machine, free-weight, and floor) to work various muscles, along with the proper spotting technique. There's a helpful glossary as well.

I recommend this book for anyone who will be taking the ACE personal trainer exam, fitness and personal trainer students, and personal trainers getting started in the field or who otherwise could use a basic reference.

Note to fellow college instructors: This would be a suitable text for an undergraduate vocational course in personal training, as it does an excellent job explaining what personal trainers need to know. However, it lacks the scientific depth and research review needed for an exercise physiology course.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars # 1 Textbook for the World Instructor Training Schools, February 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Personal Trainer Manual: The Resource for Fitness Professionals (Hardcover)

As the Vice President of Operations of W.I.T.S., a 5 week national fitness certification course, I have found this book to be very thorough and easy to read. Most textbooks assume alot of base knowledge and tend not to explain in detail, the way this book does. Our schools use this book in all 58 locations.