Exercise Technique and Training Instruction
Domain 4: Exercise Technique and Training Instruction
The exam tests how you teach and cue movement, correct errors, and keep a remote session safe when you cannot physically spot.
Core rules
- Teach in stages: explain the purpose, demonstrate from the camera angle the client will use, then coach one cue at a time. Move from cognitive to associative to autonomous learning with repetition and varied practice.
- Use concise external cues ("push the floor away," "knees track over the second toe") and check whether the cue changed the movement. Internal cues can help briefly but can overload a beginner.
- Give feedback that is specific, timely, and limited: knowledge of performance (how the movement looked) plus knowledge of results (reps, RPE). Avoid a stream of corrections during a set.
- Safety in a virtual setting: clear space, stable furniture, no maximal attempts without safeties, and an agreed emergency plan - local emergency number, address, and an emergency contact.
Worked example
During a split squat, the client's front knee drifts inward. You ask them to adjust the camera to a front view, then cue "spread the floor with your front foot" for two reps. The knee tracks better, so you keep the load and add one rep. Reasoning: the cue is external and single-focus; the front view verifies the change; the load stays until control is consistent.
Traps
Talking through every rep; using jargon; assuming equipment is available; continuing a session despite chest pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath; correcting from an angle that cannot show the fault.