Women’s Health and Exercise Certification
Join the growing number of fitness professionals around the world teaching cutting-edge methods in preventative and restorative movement. More than 3,000 pilates, fitness, and yoga instructors in 41 countries have elevated their careers by learning evidence-based information and exercise techniques that yield lasting results for women of all ages. You can be next.
Upon the completion of this highly experiential certification, you will begin to master the perspective of designing exercise programs for women through every stage of their lives.
This information will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the female anatomy and physiology, allowing you to adapt the exercise program to the changes a woman experiences throughout her life.
Requirements
For Application:
- Basic Pilates, Fitness or Yoga Certification OR at least 5 years of teaching movement.
- Basic knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology
For Completion of Full Certification
Fitness Track-The Women’s Health and Exercise Specialist Certification
Pilates Track- The Women’s Health Pilates Specialist Certification
- All 5 modules for the fitness track and 7 modules for the Pilates track attended and completed.
- All professionally filmed modules are currently available on our site for purchase.
- All activities completed – this includes self practice, teaching hours, quizzes and videos sent in.
- All quizzes passed
Certification Outline
Sequential modalities taught within this program form the foundation and subsequent layering of information, allowing a self-paced schedule that will create deep change in your teaching. Each module contains activities that will enhance the embodiment of the knowledge offered.
You will learn and understand the material from:
The Female Anatomical Standpoint
- A fresh and more perceptive understanding of the female skeletal system.
- That from a different skeletal form comes a different attachment of muscles and hence a different way of creating functional movement.
- The effect of the female hormone system on the musculoskeletal and fascial system and how this affects exercise.
The Female Physiological Standpoint
- How the female hormone system changes during puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, the childbearing years, perimenopause, menopause, and the senior years.
- How the hormonal fluctuations have an effect on the connective tissue at different stages of the female lifespan.
- The impact of stress on the female hormonal system.
- How the effects of these hormones on the muscles and skeleton and fascial system determine the program design through the different stages of her life.
The Female Emotional and Mental Standpoint
- A new vocabulary for teaching women that empowers, listens and educates. This will entail looking at shameful, judgmental, biased vocabulary and replacing it with more empowering, positive and supportive vocabulary.
- The unique role of the female hormones in the emotional and mental bodies and learning a more holistic approach to working with the physical body
- How to integrate the hormonal, musculoskeletal and fascial systems – a whole-body solution for ease and function through every stage of life.
Certification Overview
Included in the curriculum:
- The Exercise Foundation
- The Exercise Library (over 300+ videos)
- Eleven downloadable manuals
- Prenatal and Postnatal Preparation and Recovery Program Design
- Menopause Adaptation Program Design
- Diastasis Recti Recovery Program Design
- Integrating the work into your sessions
Students will learn and understand the material through
- Lectures
- Practical Sessions
- Activities
- Practice and Teaching Hours
- Q&A Sessions (Mentorship Program
The Exercise Foundation
We have chosen to build the programs from the foundation of the pelvis and pelvic floor. This amazing area of the female body is subject to significant changes throughout most of a woman’s life.
Students will learn and understand:
- In detail, the muscles of the pelvis and pelvic floor and the connections to the muscles and fascia through the abdominal wall.
- Breathing patterns and their connection to the pelvic diaphragm and other diaphragms in the body.
- Fascial connections through the pelvic floor and myofascial release techniques sequences that begin a whole body release from the starting point of the pelvis.
- How the pelvic floor muscles function through every stage of a woman’s life.
- Foundational exercises that incorporate breath, muscles, and fascia.
- The Center’s unique cueing and execution of the foundational exercises.
- The changes that take place in this area through every stage of a woman’s life.
- The Center’s unique fascial release techniques used throughout all the programs.
Rocking and Rolling to Release™
Myofascial Release Programs
Requirements
- coursework online or live
- 10 self practice hours
- 1 self practice videos
- 10 teaching hours
- 1 teaching practice video
Support Your Floor™ Pelvic Floor Health
Preventative programs for Pelvic Floor Health
Requirements
- coursework online or live
- 10 self practice hours
- 1 self practice video
- 10 teaching hours
- 1 teaching practice video
The Exercise Library
Once the Exercise Foundation is attended and all practice and teaching hours have been completed, you will then continue onto the next section of program design by learning the library of exercises necessary for designing programs for women through all stages of their lives.
Mat Exercises
These exercises are designed from the ground up specifically for the female anatomy and physiology and the changes that occur through each stage of her life.
The Mat exercises will be divided into:
- The Fundamental Exercise
- Modification
- Rehabilitation
- Strengthening
- Releasing
- Restoration
Once these exercises are embodied you will feel confident adding props to the exercises.
These props will include
- The Stability Ball – for both strength and stability
- Therabands for increased resistance
- Green and white myofascial balls for release and support
Pilates Equipment Exercises
Reformer Exercises
The Reformer exercises will be divided into:
- The Fundamental Exercise
- Modification
- Rehabilitation
- Strengthening
- Releasing
- Restoration
Once these exercises are embodied you will feel confident adding props to the exercises.
These props will include
- White myofascial release ball
Cadillac Exercises
The Cadillac exercises will be divided into:
- The Fundamental Exercise
- Modification
- Rehabilitation
- Strengthening
- Releasing
- Restoration
Once these exercises are embodied you will feel confident adding props to the exercises.
These props will include
- White myofascial release ball
- Pilates Arc
Chair Exercises
The Chair exercises will be divided into:
- The Fundamental Exercise
- Modification
- Rehabilitation
- Strengthening
- Releasing
- Restoration
Once these exercises are embodied you will feel confident adding props to the exercises.
These props will include
- Green and white myofascial release balls
- Therabands
All props are available in the shop
Modules
Rocking and Rolling to Release™
Myofascial Release Programs
This module is the introductory level to our myofascial release techniques. It uses functional movement with or without the gentle pressure of small balls, to release fascial restrictions. This non-aggressive hands-off approach to release, trains you to be able to offer your client the ability to achieve a tension-free body in the quiet of their own space.
Requirements
- coursework online or live
- 10 self practice hours
- 1 self practice videos
- 10 teaching hours
- 1 teaching practice video
Support Your Floor™ Pelvic Floor Health
Preventative programs for Pelvic Floor Health
During this module you will take a deep look at the female pelvic floor from a functional and healthy standpoint and use this as a reference point for any dysfunction that may occur throughout your client’s life. We aim to demystify the application of the function of the pelvic floor muscles to movement and show you how the pelvic floor functions normally and naturally with your breath and everyday activities.
Requirements
- coursework online or live
- 10 self practice hours
- 1 self practice video
- 10 teaching hours
- 1 teaching practice video
Prenatal and Postnatal Preparation and Recovery Program Design
Specialty Pilates-based programs for the childbearing years
This module covers the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and postpartum and the changes in a woman’s posture through the four trimesters. The practical covers safe and beneficial exercises on the mat and is suitable for Fitness, Pilates and Yoga Instructors. The Pilates track includes exercises on the Reformer and Cadillac and program design for each trimester.
Requirements
- coursework online or live
- 10 self practice hours
- 1 self practice video
- 10 teaching hours
- 1 teaching practice video
Menopause Adaptation Program Design
Powerful change requires powerful action
This module covers the symptoms of menopause and the effects on the female physical, mental and emotional body. Specific concepts for exercise design are included along with innovative exercises that are applicable to Fitness, Pilates and Yoga instructors. The Pilates track includes exercises on the Pilates equipment including Cadillac, Reformer and Chair.
Requirements
- coursework online or live
- 10 self practice hours
- 1 self practice video
- 10 teaching hours
- 1 teaching practice video
The Center Method for Diastasis Recti Recovery™ Program Design
The whole body solution behind the gap
The Center Method for Diastasis Recti Recovery™ offers a highly successful program that has been researched and applied for over 25 years and is aimed at all populations – postnatal women, weightlifters, elite athletes and young adults. Our formula for success includes incorporating fascia, bones and muscles in the healing process.
Requirements
- coursework online or live
- 10 self practice hours
- 1 self practice video
- 10 teaching hours
- 1 teaching practice video
How to Register for the Women’s Health and Exercise Certification
Women’s Health and Exercise Specialist Certification can be completed in-person/livestream or as an on-demand online course. Each module of the certification can be taken separately at your own pace.
When You Register for the Women’s Health and Exercise Certification Online:
- You have access to your course for 2 years
- Never have to re-certify
- Learn at your own pace
- Access to a growing exercise library for easy client session design
- The cost of the online certification gives you 15% savings as opposed to the cost of taking each module individually
The certifications are suitable for Fitness, Yoga and Pilates instructors. The Pilates track certification includes practical exercises on the Reformer, Cadillac and Chair.
The Women’s Health and Exercise Certification™
(mat only modules)
Modules included:
- Rocking and Rolling to Release™
- Support your Floor™
- Pre and Postnatal Mat Theory and Practical
- Menopause Mat Theory and Practical
- The Center Method for Diastasis Recti Recovery™
USD1700
Women’s Health and Exercise Pilates Specialist Certification™
(mat and equipment modules)
Modules included:
- Rocking and Rolling to Release™
- Support your Floor™
- Pre and Postnatal Mat Theory and Practical
- Pre and Postnatal Pilates Equipment
- Pilates/Health and Exercise for Menopause Mat Theory and Practical
- Pilates for Menopause Equipment
- The Center Method for Diastasis Recti Recovery™
USD2380