Nowadays, people like to go to the gym or fitness club to keep themselves fit and stay in shape. Hence, personal training certification in CPR is crucial for fitness trainers in most gyms to be prepared during any medical emergency.
If you are a fitness instructor or a personal trainer interested in taking CPR certification classes, here’s a guide to distinguish what is the best CPR class you can take.
Why CPR training is important for Fitness Instructor?
In some cases, intense physical exercise can overwork a weak heart, resulting in an unanticipated life-threatening emergency. Cardiac arrest can also happen to healthy-looking individuals with no prior known heart-related illnesses. Thus, gym instructors need to have proper knowledge of CPR. A considerable percentage of cardiac arrest occurs outside hospitals, with only 10% of such cases surviving. In the event of a cardiac arrest, the administration of CPR should be an immediate failure to which the victim could die. Unfortunately, only 32% of cardiac arrest victims receive CPR from the standers. Thus, the availability of CPR certificated individuals can make all the difference.
Physical Exercises and Cardiac Arrest
Regular physical exercises lead to a reduced risk of cardiac arrest. The activity reduces cholesterol levels in the body lowering the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, among other conditions. The lack of regular physical exercise and other lifestyle factors increases the risk of heat-related illness. However, not everyone who visits the fitness center has been practicing regular exercises. The majority of people are on a mission to change their lifestyles by incorporating healthy habits. Such persons are primarily overweight, and their risk of experiencing cardiac arrest is 50%. In addition, some people might overwork their bodies as they try to burn calories.
There are certain risk factors associated with cardiac arrest, which include: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, being sedentary, drug abuse, age, obesity, smoking, and genetic factors.
In the workout process, the fitness instructors should take caution and watch out for the regular signs of cardiac arrest. The trainers need to understand the behavior and medical history of the clients to be in a position to give them the best forms of exercise. Clients with particular high-risk medical accounts need to consult their doctors bring along a prescription. Such will help them not compromise on their health. By following such procedures, the gym can also avoid legal suits and a damaged reputation.
Signs of Cardiac Arrest that You need to Watch out:
- Chest Discomfort: It is among the early signs of heart attack or cardiac arrest—the victim experiences uncomfortable pressure around the chest, fullness in the middle chest region, or mild discomfort. The symptoms may come and go or persist.
- Shortness of breath: Cardiac arrest often experiences shortness of breath or irregular breathing. The gym instructor should act immediately when the symptoms present alongside chest discomfort.
- Lightheadedness or dizziness: Physical exercises lead to fatigue and feelings of tiredness. However, dizziness when exercising is a bad sign. When a person experiences such feelings, they should discontinue the activity and seek medical help.
- Palpitation, thumbing, or heartbeat skipping: The heartbeat can increase from the usual following physical exercises, among other factors. However, if the person should experience palpitations, it could result from heat-related illnesses. The individual should continue the activity and seek medical attention.
Cardiac arrest signs exhibited in other body parts include discomfort in the stomach, jaw, neck, back, and arms. Whenever such happens alongside chest discomfort, the individual should seek emergency medical care.
Whenever the individual experiences these signs, emergency help should be alerted immediately before the victim goes into a cardiac arrest. In such a situation, a CPR-certified fitness instructor will act promptly and administer CPR to the victim. Important to note is that some people experience cardiac arrest without showing any of these signs. Therefore, when a person collapses, it is essential to call for help and immediately start CPR.
The CPR process ensures that the body gets oxygen, preventing organ damage and death. CPR involves giving the individual an artificial heartbeat through chest compressions and ventilation activities. The amount of oxygen in the blood can sustain the body’s functions for some minutes. The ventilation exercise that takes the form of giving the victim rescue breaths also increases oxygen supply in the victim sustaining life. Proper application of chest compressions and ventilation helps keep the blood flowing until emergency help arrives. It is, therefore, essential to keep resuscitating the victim until health professionals take over.
CPR Training for Gym and Personal Trainers:
Fitness instructors should have the capacity to act on and manage health emergencies that happen at the gym. CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is performed for persons experiencing cardiac arrest. When such happens, the heart usually stops pumping blood to the rest of the body. It leaves the body with no oxygen for cellular functions, and a person can die within minutes. The performance of CPR increases the chances of survival of the victim.
The CPR/AED course for gym instructors involves the following:
- Early recognition of the signs of cardiac arrest
- Early detection of the signs of cardiac arrest is very crucial. Every minute wasted without offering CPR to the victim is a step to the grave.
- Early response
The course also entails the response to emergencies. Learners get to know how and when to call for help and how to work in teams to assist cardiac arrest victims.
CPR/AED Certification Course
The AED (automated external defibrillator) is another device you won’t miss at the gym as it is essential at the facility. CPR/AED certification course covers the skills of giving chest compressions, rescue breathing, and AED use.
The training provides both knowledge and expertise on the performance of quality chest compressions to children, infants, and adults. The process involves 100-120 compressions per minute with two rescue breaths after 30 compressions. Individuals also learn how to safely give mouth to mouth or rescue breathing alongside the chest compressions. The AED is used to restore the normal heartbeat to cardiac arrest victims through delivering electric shocks to the victim’s heart. The AED device is highly specialized capable of detecting when shocks are necessary to revive the victim. Though it is easy to use, training is required.
CPR certification for personal trainers has no age or educational requirements. The course is open to all. For gym instructors, the course provides the capacity to assist clients, which can also act as a marketing tool. CPR certification for personal trainers leads to developing skills that enable fitness trainers to know how to handle their clients to prevent them from suffering health emergencies.
Takes less than 20 minutes. learn more
Benefits of CPR/AED Certification for Gym Trainers
CPR certification for fitness instructors gives the gym high-quality service delivery. Clients who visit the gym are more confident with CPR certified trainers. Health emergencies can occur to anyone. The gym is a high-risk area for such. Clients will be more relaxed, knowing that their trainer can effectively take care of them if they fall victim to cardiac arrest episodes. Such facilities can offer both fitness services and first aid services to their clients. That attribute attracts more clients to the facility. What a better way to stay ahead of the competition!
- If you do not have fitness trainer CPR certification, it is time you get one. The ability to save lives grows a person’s self-esteem and gives them a sense of self-satisfaction. However, the inability to act on a health emergency at your facility leaves a person feeling inadequate.
- CPR training helps fitness trainers watch out for the risk factors and early signs of cardiac arrest among the trainees. As a result, they prevent the occurrence of health emergencies and keep in place specific safety measures for their clients.
- CPR certification provides gym instructors with the ability to understand health emergencies. The instructor can give a clear account of life-threatening events and occurrences to emergency response persons, who give faster diagnosis and treatment of the victims.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is CPR certification for fitness instructors valid?
Once you complete the CPR training course, your certification is valid for two years. Once your certificate expires, you can take a CPR renewal course to refresh your knowledge and improve your skills.
Can I work as a Fitness Gym Instructor without a CPR Certification?
You can still work as a fitness instructor without CPR certification, but that doesn’t mean that you should. As a fitness instructor, you’re more likely than most professionals to encounter cardiac arrest events due to the nature of your job. If you don’t have the training or skills to handle these situations, your job opportunities dwindle.
How much does it cost to get CPR certified?
The cost of CPR training for fitness instructors seeking certification can vary depending on what the course requires, and whether it’s an online training or hands on skills session. At CPR Select, our online CPR certification courses start at $19.95, which includes training materials and a certification card.
Also Read- Why Choose CPR Select for your Training?
Do I receive a course textbook when taking an online course?
No. You will have access to your training course materials online. In addition, you can review the online coursework as many times as you like.
Conclusion
To sum up, different life-threatening emergencies can occur at the gym. In the event of such emergency occurrences, the availability of a certified CPR trainer is the best thing that could happen. Though not legally mandatory, fitness instructors need to have CPR certification. The healthcare course for fitness instructor is renewable after two years. Studies show that the skills acquired in CPR training tend to depreciate over time when not regularly applied.
In most cases, trained persons are unable to perform effectively within 6 months. Apart from the refreshment of skills, the CPR recertification process helps in attaining new skills. With research findings happening every other day, the procedures are prone to change as they get replaced with better and improved guidelines.
