Practical Skills 1 – Activity 3: A Guide to Instructing Exercise

This guide helps students complete Practical Skills 1 – Activity 3 by demonstrating their ability to instruct and supervise clients through a structured exercise session.

It explains how to deliver a session safely, provide demonstrations with key cues, and give feedback to support client learning. Using the goblet squat as an example, it covers exercise description, setup, movement, safety cues, demonstration, and feedback process.

The activity requires a 30-minute video submission, including warm-up, conditioning, and cool-down phases, following the Observation Checklist to meet assessment criteria.

For each exercise, you need to include:

1. A clear description of the exercise, including safe use of equipment.
2. A demonstration with 2–3 simple cues for the client to remember.
3. Supervised practice, with feedback and adjustments.

Example: Goblet Squat

Description The goblet squat strengthens the muscles of the lower body, especially the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

Setup

• Hold a dumbbell or medicine ball close to your chest, elbows tucked in.
• Stand with feet just wider than hip-width, toes slightly turned out.

Movement

• Brace your core. “Sit between your knees”—push your hips back slightly, then bend your knees to lower down until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground (or as far as mobility allows).
• Keep your chest tall, eyes forward.

Ascent

• Drive through your heels and mid-foot to return to standing.
• Extend your hips fully at the top, standing tall.

Key Safety Cues

• Keep your back neutral—avoid rounding or arching.
• Hold the weight close to your chest.
• Keep your knees in line with your toes.

Demonstration Trainer demonstrates 4–6 controlled repetitions.

Client Practice and Coaching Process

1. Client performs the exercise (one full set).
2. Debrief the set:
   1. Provide positive feedback.
   2. Offer 1–2 key points for technical improvement.
   3. Check whether the resistance is appropriate.
   4. Make any necessary adjustments.
3. Client performs the next set with adjustments applied.
4. Debrief again to reinforce improvements and confirm readiness for independent execution.
5. Client performs the next set with adjustments applied.
6. Debrief again to reinforce improvements and confirm readiness for independent execution.
7. Repeat for the number of sets programmed

Repeat this process for all exercises in the client’s program.

• The purpose of Activity 3 is to confirm that you have the skills to both design a program and deliver a session that equips your client to continue training safely and effectively for the next 4–6 weeks without supervision.
• Video of your program instruction session, that is at least 30 minutes in length, including the warm-up, conditioning and cool-down phases
• Please note this is an accompanying guide. It is important to follow the Activity 3 Observation Checklist to make sure all required criteria are met