Five CPD courses to…work with individuals in recovery

Whilst many people who take part in sport and physical activity are able bodied and in good health, there is a large number of individuals who will be seeking support to return to exercise or start becoming active following a health condition, pregnancy or life event. There are also a significant number of people who are exercising effectively, but at a higher risk of injury due to overtraining. Far fewer individuals are educated on how to properly recover.

With this in mind, it is important to consider including these populations and skills on recovery in your repertoire. We’ve featured five courses to help you develop the necessary skills to do so.

These CPD courses comprise of online learning to help keep your development flexible. Plus, we’ve signposted further relevant resources to allow you to develop and apply your knowledge.

CPD

1. Exercise Recovery Course

Provided by The Fitness Group
10 CIMSPA CPD points

One of the few dedicated courses that teaches the importance of exercise recovery, this course will allow you to gain a competitive edge over other fitness professionals and elevate your expertise.

Gaining a deeper understanding of recovery and its impact on performance is essential if you want to deliver better results and a higher-quality service for your clients.

This course builds on the foundations of information given in the L3 Personal Training course to help you understand more about recovery and stand out from the competition.

What you’ll learn about:

• What recovery is and why it’s important
• The pillars of recovery
• Different recovery measures
• Pros and cons of recovery wearables
• Blood sampling
• Recovery methods: cold water immersion, heat therapy, massage guns, compression boots and hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy.

2. Sleep, Stress Management, & Recovery (SSR) Coaching Certification

Provided by Precision Training
10 CIMSPA CPD Points

The SSR Certification gives you the tools to coach what really holds clients back – like burnout, emotional eating, sleepless nights, and stalled progress that no plan seems to fix.

What you’ll learn about:

• Spotting hidden issues like chronic stress, sleep disruption, and recovery gaps before they stall fitness and nutrition results.
• Using simple assessment tools – from sleep tracking to stress indicators – to catch patterns early and adjust your plan with confidence.
• Keeping clients consistent, even when life gets chaotic and overwhelming.
• Coach deeper and more effectively, with science-backed systems built for real people – not perfect conditions.

3. Sports Injury Science Webinar Series

Provided by FitPro
2.5 CIMSPA CPD Points

The aim of this short course is to provide coaches with a greater understanding of the epidemiology of many common sport injuries, and what we can do as coaches to help prevent such injuries.

What you’ll learn about:

• The relationship between athletic performance and athlete robustness
• The injury prevention process, including the identification of the common injury risk factors associated with an athlete’s chosen sport, injury epidemiology and implementation of preventive measures
• Understanding of sports injury science and the prevention of sports injuries
• Understand the epidemiology, prevention and rehabilitation guidance of ankle, knee, shoulder and spinal injuries in sport
• Knowledge on the lumbopelvic complex and associated training theory

4. Optimal Nutrition and Lifestyle for Post Natal Healing and Recovery

Provided by Burrell Education Ltd
10 CIMSPA CPD Points

Optimum nutrition has a major role to play in all of the perceived ‘trouble-spots’ for the post-natal client and at a time when many women are restricting their food intake and missing vital nutrients in a bid to ‘lose their baby weight’, this education will give you the clarity and good information that will help you to make the right decision for your clients and create a ‘holistic’ path forward that serves to support foundation health and healing. This course is evidence-based, focusing on whole-person and root-cause, utilising the power of positive lifestyle choices and optimal natural nutrition.

What you’ll learn about:

• Birthing and birth interventions
• Post birth pelvic health red flag screening
• The pregnancy to post-natal endocrine system and hormone therapy
• The biochemistry of healing
• Perinatal brain and gut health
• Trimester and beyond, plus post-natal PTSD
• Preconception nutrition.

5. Drug and Alcohol Recovery Fitness Specialist

Provided by FitPro
6 CIMSPA CPD Points

If you want to work with people recovering from substance misuse, this course will show you how to choose appropriate assessments and create safe and effective programming to meet the unique needs of this population. Be able to support your clients through the immediate recovery (post-detox) phase and in the months or years that follow as a relapse prevention strategy. You’ll also gain strategies to apply this knowledge to grow your training business in all settings (in-patient, outpatient/halfway house and community).

What you’ll learn about:

• The pathophysiology of abuse of alcohol, opiates and stimulants, and co-morbidities
• Orthopaedic, physiological and psychological considerations in the fitness/training setting
• The common movement compensations which may be seen in this population through all phases of recovery
• Nutritional considerations and how to collaborate with a registered dietician and physician regarding nutrition and exercise prescription
• How to create a safe and effective programme in all settings that this population may be encountered
• Strategies to support relapse prevention
• Business planning to support this population.

Remember – you can submit your CPD to your CIMSPA member profile to build your professional portfolio, showcase your professional status and earn your CPD points.

*Only eligible membership categories.