4B022E - Health and Fitness Foundations 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 4B022E
Module Title: Health and Fitness Foundations
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Sport
Faculty Sub Group: Sports Coaching
Module Leader: Tom Owens
Module Team: Adnan Haq, Nathan Evans, Peter Ashcroft
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake: 2031
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100433 - sport and exercise sciences
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

The aims of the module are: 

  • Build your confidence and practical skills to design and deliver safe, effective exercise programmes that help people improve their fitness and overall health. 

  • Gain hands-on experience through real-world challenges that prepare you for industry-recognised qualifications with CIMSPA at Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer level. 

  • Learn how the body and mind work together by exploring exercise training, nutrition, and psychology, and how to use this knowledge to motivate and support clients in achieving their goals. 

Content Summary

If you’re passionate about fitness, health, and helping others improve their well-being, this module is where your professional journey begins. Health & Fitness Foundations gives you the knowledge and hands-on experience to plan, deliver, and evaluate safe and effective exercise programmes for a range of people. 

You’ll explore what it really means to be a fitness professional, from assessing health and fitness, to building personalised training plans and understanding how nutrition and psychology influence performance and motivation. Each week focuses on a different aspect of exercise prescription, from flexibility and mobility to cardiovascular fitness and strength training. 

Through practical workshops, live challenges, and industry-standard qualifications recognised by CIMSPA (L2 Gym Instructor, L3 Personal Trainer), you’ll gain the essential skills employers look for in gym and personal training professionals. By the end of the module, you’ll be confident in your ability to coach others, communicate effectively, and take the first step toward a successful career in health, fitness, or performance. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Guided Study 20
Problem/Challenge Based Learning 144
Practical Classes and Workshops 56
Formative Assessment 20
Summative Assessment 60
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Plan, deliver, and evaluate safe and effective exercise programmes for healthy adults, drawing on foundational knowledge of health, fitness, and behaviour change, while applying relevant professional standards.
LO2 Reflect on professional practice and personal development by demonstrating appropriate communication, technical skills, and ethical behaviours aligned to industry expectations and employability in the fitness and health sector.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio 1 Client Consultation and PAR-Q (Part 1) - Students carry out an initial consultation and health screening to assess a client’s readiness for exercise, goals, and preferences. Eight-Week Training Programme (Part 2) - Students design a structured plan applying the FITT and SPORT principles to meet their client’s needs and justify their exercise choices. Preparation and Delivery of Two 60-Minute Training Sessions (Part 3) – Students prepare and deliver practical sessions demonstrating safe, effective, and engaging instruction across cardiovascular, resistance, and flexibility components. Evaluation of Training Sessions (Part 4) - Students critically evaluate their session delivery, reflect on client outcomes, and identify areas for professional improvement. 0 3000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Portfolio 1

Reading List

Week 1 – Fitness Assessment & Mobility 

Essential 

  • ACSM (2021). ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (11th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 

  • Kenney, W. L., Wilmore, J. H., & Costill, D. L. (2021). Physiology of Sport and Exercise (8th ed.). Human Kinetics. 
    Supplementary 

  • Thompson, W. R. (2019). NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training (3rd ed.). Human Kinetics. 

  • McGuigan, M. (2017). Developing Power. Human Kinetics. 

 

Week 2 – Cardiovascular & Resistance Training 

Essential 

  • Baechle, T. R., & Earle, R. W. (2019). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (4th ed.). Human Kinetics. 

  • Howley, E. T., & Thompson, D. L. (2022). Fitness Professional’s Handbook (9th ed.). Human Kinetics. 
    Supplementary 

  • Haff, G. G., & Triplett, N. T. (2015). Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training (6th ed.). Human Kinetics. 

  • Bishop, D. (2018). “Adaptations to endurance training.” Sports Medicine, 48(1), S65–S78. 

 

Weeks 3–4 – Psychological Health & Behaviour Change 

Essential 

  • Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (8th ed.). Human Kinetics. 

  • Biddle, S. J. H., Mutrie, N., & Gorely, T. (2021). Psychology of Physical Activity: Determinants, Well-Being and Interventions (4th ed.). Routledge. 
    Supplementary 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development and Wellness. Guilford Press. 

  • Ntoumanis, N. (2014). Motivation in Sport and Exercise: From Theory to Practice. Routledge. 

 

Weeks 5–6 – Nutrition for Health & Performance 

Essential 

  • Jeukendrup, A., & Gleeson, M. (2019). Sport Nutrition: An Introduction to Energy Production and Performance (3rd ed.). Human Kinetics. 

  • Lanham-New, S. A., Stear, S., Shirreffs, S., & Collins, A. (2022). Sport and Exercise Nutrition (3rd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. 
    Supplementary 

  • British Nutrition Foundation (2023). Nutrition and Health Resource Hub [Online]. 

  • Burke, L. M. (2015). Practical Sports Nutrition. Human Kinetics. 

 

Throughout Module – Professional Practice & Employability 

Essential 

  • CIMSPA (2024). Professional Standards Framework: Gym Instructor & Personal Trainer. [Online at cimspa.co.uk]. 

  • CASES (2024). Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics. British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. 

  • Cushion, C. J., & Nelson, L. J. (2013). “Coaching Behaviours and Professional Development.” Sport Education and Society, 18(3), 354–370.