Candidate Handbook

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Candidate Handbook 1. Introduction This Handbook contains all the necessary information for the candidates who are preparing for the OCI-CPT exam and those who successfully passed the OCI certification exam. All CPT candidates and all OCI certified specialists must read this Handbook. The policy, procedures, rules and obligations described in this Handbook and on the website www.edoci.org are mandatory for all candidates and certified professionals. Mission The mission of Open California Institute (hereinafter - OCI) is to certify fitness industry professionals and to ensure that OCI certified specialists have sufficient knowledge and skills to provide safe and effective training programs. The purpose of Certification The OCI certificate confirms that the knowledge and competences of a specialist who has undergone standardized and objective assessment meet the qualification requirements for personal trainers. What is Certification Certification is a voluntary process of formal recognition of the relevant knowledge, skills and abilities required to become a Personal Trainer. Certification determines the requirements for entry-level competences and offers formal recognition to those who meet these requirements. 2. Code of Ethics of a personal trainer The OCI Board together with certified specialists strives to establish and maintain high standards of ethical and professional conduct of fitness specialists when providing services. Therefore, we expect the candidates to follow this Code of Ethics. A certified specialist is a specialist in the sphere of fitness who has the necessary level of knowledge and skills to perform his/her professional duties in accordance with the standards adopted by the OCI Board. OCI certification confirms that the specialist understands the key principles of fitness. A certified specialist must also know and comply with ethical norms and rules of professional conduct, provide services in accordance with the high standards adopted in the industry. Ethical norms and rules of conduct imply adhering to the following principles: 1. To always serve the client’s interests: 1) To remember that the main duty of a personal trainer is the client’s safety, health and quality of life; to never neglect this duty for their own interests, personal benefit, or money. 2) To recommend products and services only if they benefit the health and life of the client, rather than your financial or occupational status. 3) To set the number of trainings based on the needs of the client, not your own financial requirements.

Candidate Handbook 4) To develop personal and group training programs aimed at achieving the client’s goals. 5) To conduct preliminary screening and assessment of the client’s physical fitness level. 2. To maintain adequate professional boundaries: 1) To never use a relationship with the employer, the supervisor, colleagues or a client for sexual, economic or other purposes. 2) To respect the client’s right to privacy. Conversations with the client, the behavior and results of training and, if necessary, the identity of the client should be kept confidential. 3) Use physical contact only during training and only in order to correct the client’s performance or to focus the client’s concentration on the body part that is being exercised. It is forbidden to touch soft parts of the client's body. To correct the client's performance, the touch is allowed only on the bony prominences. Stop touching the client immediately if they ask you to do that or if they are feeling uncomfortable. 4) To focus on business relationships, not on the client's private life, except the cases when it is required. 5) If you are unable to maintain the necessary professional boundaries while training a client, end the relationship with this client or refer the client to another trainer or doctor. 6) To avoid jokes with sexual connotations, and to avoid inappropriate behavior. 3. To maintain and improve your knowledge and experience: 1) To constantly strive to keep up with up-to-date developments, concepts and practical skills in the field of fitness in order to provide clients with services of the highest standard. 2) To identify your boundaries in services and techniques and be engaged only in activities that are within your education authority and competence. 3) To assess the client’s health and physical fitness, monitor their progress and exercise performing techniques following the standards set by professionals in the field of medicine, health and fitness. 4) To hold an interest in the success of each client. To motivate people to do sport and to increase their faith in the fitness industry. 4. To make decisions truthfully, honestly and objectively: 1) To clearly demonstrate and maintain honesty, objectivity and fairness in professional and business relationships. 2) To state your qualification frankly. 3) To be truthful and honest in advertising. When describing services, to focus on the main duty – to help the client make the right conclusion, opinion and choice. To avoid uncertainty, sensationalism, exaggeration and inconsistence. 4) To give instructions in a clear and easy-to-understand way. 5) To have a clear pricing system. 6) To never solicit other trainers’ clients.

Candidate Handbook 5. To demonstrate respect to clients and colleagues: 1) To act honestly in relations with colleagues, fitness club owners and other professionals in the field of health, in order to confirm that the client receives maximum benefit from all professionals. 2) To never distinguish clients based on their race, faith, color, gender, age, physical disability or nationality. 3) In the event of a conflict or misunderstanding, to focus on behavior, factual information and simple forms of communication, rather than subjective statements, rumors, reproaches and other destructive remarks. 4) To provide complete and truthful information about fitness, so that your client can make a balanced decision. 5) To fulfill all the requirements of the regulatory documents in force at the workplace, and, if there are not any, rely on good conscience, sensibility and justice. 6. To maintain professional image through behavior and looks 1) To avoid smoking, taking drugs and unhealthy food. 2) To talk and dress in the way that enhances the client’s comfort. Every candidate before receiving the certificate must sign an agreement to adhere to the above standards in the process of performing professional activity. 3. The OCI Certification Board Section 1. The OCI Certification Board (hereinafter - The OCI Board) supervises the entire Personal Trainer certification process and establishes continuing education development standards for Certified Personal Trainers. Section 2. The Expert Committee is a temporary body operating during the certification period in accordance with the Bylaws and the procedures established by the Board. The Expert Committee shall be responsible for: 1. Developing criteria for initial certification and recertification of a Personal Trainer 2. Specifying and publishing the requirements for candidates 3. Supervising development and administration of the OCI CPT expertise 4. Developing, conducting, administering and scoring the examinations in accordance with generally accepted psychometric principles to ensure that all examinations are reasonably valid and reliable 5. Establishing and implementing the policies and procedures for the certification of the personnel, including requirements for recertification 6. Establishing the Code of Ethics 7. Making decisions on awarding or denying the Certificate Section 3. The Disciplinary Committee performs the following functions in the process of certification: 1. To receive and consider candidates’ appeals connected with violation of the established certification procedure and/or disagreement with the examination result;

Candidate Handbook 2. To decide whether to consider or reject the appeal; 3. To inform the candidates who submitted the appeal and the Chairman of the Board about the decisions made; To report to the Board on incorrect items in the examination materials; 5. To contact the Test Development Center to clarify the test content, assessment criteria, if the examination board members do not give an absolute answer about the accuracy of scoring of the candidate’s paper. Section 4. The Test Development Center (hereinafter – the Center) is a permanent body consisting of the Board members, psychometricians and SMEs. The Test Development Center is responsible for developing and updating examinations in accordance with generally accepted psychometric principles to ensure that all examinations are reasonably valid and reliable. Section 5. The public member is a person who represents direct and indirect users of the skills/services of the certified professionals. The public member can be a person who uses these services or a professional who does not have any knowledge about the fitness training program and who is granted certification authority by the OCI. 4. Certification Process Before submitting application: • Study this Handbook that contains all the necessary information about the certification process. • Study the requirements for candidates listed in this Handbook. Requirements to candidates: • Over the age of 18. • High School Diploma. • Current CPR Certificate. Submission of Application To apply for the certification, you can download the application form from the OCI official website https://edoci.org/abouttheexam/ and e-mail the completed form to [email protected], along with the payment confirmation and copies of identification documents, your secondary school certificate and the valid CPR certificate. Each candidate is required to provide the following documents: 1. Completed application form 2. Completed special accommodations form (if required) 3. Identification documentation. Allowed forms of identification documents include: • A state issued driver's license • A state issued identification card • A current United States military-issued identification • Any Government issued passport

Candidate Handbook • A permanent resident card • Passport card (signature is not required if the card shows the candidate name and photograph.) If a candidate presents an ID with an alternate name, he/she must also provide a legal document (e.g., divorce decree or marriage license) proving that the last name has been legally changed. 4. High School Diploma 5. The current CPR card Confirmation of Registration After you have sent the application form and paid the fee, you will be sent a confirmation letter to the address specified in the application. Application rejection: OCI reserves the right to reject the application if the data provided in there cannot be confirmed or is not accurate. If a candidate's application is rejected, they can appeal for reconsideration. Registration Fee • The registration fee is to be paid before applying. • Methods of payment: VISA, MasterCard, money order, cashier’s check, personal check. • Payment is made in US dollars. • The registration fee is not refundable. Package What is included Cost Standard 550 $ CPT Certificate, Personal Trainer's Manual, 1 practice test Premium CPT Certificate, Personal Trainer's Manual, 750 $ online materials for preparation, practice tests (unlimited), additional materials for preparation. After submitting application: • Prepare for the exam. To prepare for the exam, use any method or methods listed in this Handbook that suit you. • Come to the exam at a set time. Preparation for the Examination Candidates must prepare for the examination. The preparation should cover all the domains listed below. The OCI does not focus on any particular exam preparation program and is not responsible for incorrect information received during the education process provided. Courses and training materials offered by the OCI are optional. To pass the exam successfully, a candidate needs to know the domains listed below. We recommend that you concentrate on these areas and study them thoroughly.

Candidate Handbook Anatomy (8 exam items/questions) • Anatomy of exercise • Changes in the skeletal and myofascial system under the influence of physical activity. Local and global changes that may occur due to insufficient stabilizing of ligaments and muscles Exercise Physiology (14 exam items/questions) • Anaerobic and Aerobic effects of exercise on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems • Hormonal responses to Exercise • Neuromuscular Physiology • Bioenergetics of Exercise • Developmental physiology and unique physiologic considerations of older adults, persons with diabetes (type 2), pregnant women, and persons who are overweight and/or obese Fundamentals of Kinesiology (2 exam items/questions) • Biomechanical analysis of exercises (assessment of biomechanical efficiency for the range of motion, work calculation) Theory and methods of sports and health fitness training (10 exam items/questions) • Power zones. Influence of exercise duration on energy metabolism Safety, Injury Prevention, and Emergency Procedures (13 exam items/questions) • Conduct assessments of the exercise space, equipment, and environment in order identify potential hazards and undertake necessary modifications to provide a safe environment for clients • The cause for the injuries, including those related to excessive load and incorrect exercises technique • Determine the extent of affection, normal and pathological reactions and choose the right action sequences • Differ the signs and symptoms of diabetic coma and insulin shock, and provide first aid • CPR • Use an AED • Provide first aid for bleeding • Provide first aid for wounds and fractures Fitness Assessments (22 exam items/questions) • Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR –Q). • Subjective Information: (Medical History, Lifestyle, General Health History).

Candidate Handbook • Objective Information: - Physiological measurements; - Body Composition assessments; - Cardiorespiratory assessments; - Static Posture assessment; - Movement assessment; - Performance assessment. • Advantages and disadvantages of various data collection techniques • Document client-related data using a secure record-keeping system in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements to maintain confidentiality • Benefits healthy lifestyle Program Design (18 exam items/questions) • Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type (FITT) • Training program components adaptation to unique physical and psychological qualities of the client • Selecting appropriate training methods according to the functional capacity of the individual • Selecting exercise sequence depending on the fitness level • Determining the training session scope Nutrition and weight management (17 exam items/questions) • Professional boundaries of CPT in providing healthy eating information • Substrates (protein, fat, carbohydrate) contribution to daily energy expenditure depending on the physical activity type • Nutrition guidelines for body weight management (loss, gain) • Diet analysis. Risks associated with using special diets and inappropriate weight loss, gain or maintenance methods • Protein intake norms depending on the physical activity type and level • Carbohydrates intake norms depending on the physical activity type and level • Fat intake norms • Norms of fluid intake • Norms of fiber intake Program Implementation (14 exam items/questions) • Methods of teaching. Exercise progressions and adaptation depending on the unique qualities of the client • Functional Training for Stability and Mobility • Resistance Training: body weight, strength machines, and free weight workouts • Cardiorespiratory Training: Programming and Progression

Candidate Handbook • Speed, Agility, and Quickness Training • Polymeric Training • Adapting a planned training session to the client’s current physical condition to ensure effectiveness and safety • Understanding the client’s subjective and objective feedback. Ability to detect symptoms of fatigue, overtraining, latent illnesses, injuries Effective Communication and Teaching Techniques; Basics of Behavior Change and Motivation (45 exam items/questions) • Effective communication with clients in order to develop rapport and involve them into regular training process (ability to build individual rapport with different types of clients, ability to listen to and understand the client, ability to express own ideas clearly and to manage emotional state) • Establishing, re-assessing and coordinating with the client short- and long-term goals and reasonable timelines for reaching them, taking into account age, fitness level, and unique physical and psychological qualities of the client • Fundamentals of health behavior theories (e.g., stages of change, behavioral change theory, transtheoretical model, health belief model) • Skills of effective customer care • Ability to properly present the training program to the client, taking into account his/her unique physical and psychological qualities • Integrated evaluation of the training session (trainer’s actions) effectiveness. • Training session review and modification depending on the client’s progress Resources for Exam preparation 1. Agur A, Lee M, Anderson J. Grant’s Atlas of Anatomy. 9th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1991. 2. Alter MJ. Science of Flexibility. 3rd ed. Champaign (IL): Human Kinetics; 2004.Bouchard, Claude, Blair, Steven, Haskell, William, Physical Activity and Health; Champaign: Human Kinetics 2012 3. Astrand PO, Rodahl K. Textbook of Work Physiology: Physiological Bases of Exercise. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1985. 4. American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 8th edition. Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins, 2010. Chapters 7-8. 5. Floyd, R.T. Manual of Structural Kinesiology 19th ed. McGraw Hill New York.2014 6. Kenney, W. Larry, Jack Wilmore and David L. Costill. Physiology of Sport and Exercise, 5th edition. Champaign: Human Kinetics: 2011. 7. McArdle, W. Katch, F. & Katch, V. Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance.











Candidate Handbook Candidates and those who take tests can be prohibited from taking the exam, or they can be expelled during the exam. In this case, they will not be assessed and they will have to retake the test after the OCI Board has analyzed the proctor's work, statistical and other data, which indicate that the test taker was seen violating the rules before, during or after the exam, or if the OCI Board decides that reliability and integrity of the test are questionable. In some cases, when violation of the rules casts doubt on the test results, the evidence presented may not reveal which persons were involved in violation of the rules. In such circumstances, the Board has the right to annul the results of all participants, including the candidates who were not directly involved in the violation of the rules and, if necessary, require the retake of the test at another time on conditions that will confirm the reliability of the results. Anyone who provides information or proof of violation of the examination rules must contact the OCI Board in writing, providing detailed information about the incident and copies of supporting documents. If the Disciplinary Committee confirms the violation of procedures, the OCI Board can impose sanctions on the offender, which may include a temporary or permanent ban on retaking the exam or certification, withdrawal of the current certificate, refusal of certification and other sanctions. Such sanctions may also include legal action against the offender. 11. Appealing Any candidate can appeal if they feel that they were assessed inappropriately or if they feel there was a serious problem with the organizational side of the exam. The procedure for considering appeals related to violations of the examination rules 1. Appeals related to the violation of the examination rules must be lodged by the candidate without leaving the testing facility on the day of certification. 2. The appeal is documented in two copies: one copy is sent to the Disciplinary Committee, the other one, with a note of the authorized person, is returned to the candidate. The appeal form is provided by the test proctor. 3. The Disciplinary Committee considers the appeal related to the violation of the examination rules within the period of up to 2 business days. 4. If the appeal is upheld, the Disciplinary Committee shall cancel the candidate’s score and allow the candidate to retake the exam on another day in accordance with the assessment schedule. 5. If the appeal is turned down, the result of the candidate does not change and remains valid. The procedure for considering appeals related to disagreeing with the exam score: 1. An appeal related to disagreeing with the exam score must be lodged by the candidate within two business days from the date of the official report on the certification results. 2. The appeal is documented in two copies: one copy is sent to the Disciplinary

Candidate Handbook Committee, the other one, with a note of the authorized person, is returned to the candidate. The appeal form can be downloaded from the OCI official website https://edoci.org/abouttheexam/ 3. Based on the results of considering the appeal related to disagreeing with the examination result, the Disciplinary Committee makes a decision: - to reject the appeal; - to uphold the appeal. 4. In the event of revealing errors in the processing and/or marking examination papers, the Disciplinary Committee shall forward this information to the Board and the Panel of Experts for recalculating the score. To get the score recalculated, the report of the Disciplinary Committee shall be forwarded to the Panel of Experts within two calendar days. The Panel of Experts shall, within maximum 5 days after receiving the reports of the Disciplinary Committee, communicate the modified certification results based on recalculation to the OCI Board, and the OCI Board submits them to the Chairman of the Board for further confirmation. Procedure for withdrawal of an appeal Appeals related both to violation of the approved certification procedure and to disagreement with the received exam score can be withdrawn by the candidate. To do this, the candidate applies to the Disciplinary Committee for withdrawal of the appeal. If such an application is not filed, and the candidate does not turn up for the hearing of the appeal, the Disciplinary Committee shall consider the appeal in the prescribed manner. The members of the OCI Certification Board are not allowed to disclose the exam results or show the written copies of the exam to anyone outside the Certification Board. If the candidate believes that their appeal was not upheld, all the documents must be sent to the OCI Certification Board office in hard copies or by e-mail. If possible, attach the examination results to the appeal. The Disciplinary Committee is responsible for reviewing the candidates’ appeals and shall respond within 30 days. When the resolution is adopted, the OCI Certification Board will contact the candidate directly, if it is possible. 12. Recertification The OCI Certified Personal Trainers must fulfill regular requirements for continuing education. Recertification is essential to confirm that a Certified Personal Trainer is constantly improving their professional skills, acquiring up-to-date knowledge in the field of fitness, and keeping track of the constant changes in the fitness industry. For this purpose, specialists must do refresher courses. Certification is valid for two (2) years after the date of issue of the certificate. In order to be recertified, you must complete continuing education, fill out a recertification application form and pay the recertification fee.

Candidate Handbook The purpose of recertification The purpose of periodic recertification is to provide documentary evidence of a specialist’s professional development and to confirm their competence and high standards established for certified professionals every 2 years after successfully passing the exam and receiving the Certificate. Requirements for Recertification A CPT can apply for recertification not later than one month before the expiry of the certification period. Information on the recertification is e-mailed to the Specialist from the official e-mail address of the OCI Certification Board [email protected] to the address provided by the Specialist, according to the current application. The OCI Certification Board keeps the information about the OCI-CPT and the date of the next certification, but we strongly recommend that you keep track of the date of your next recertification yourself. To apply, one has to provide: 1. The form confirming continuing education and supporting documents. 2. Application for recertification. 3. The previous certificate. 4. Confirmation of paying the recertification fee. 5. Your current CPR certificate. Recertification fee A candidate is to pay $40 to undergo recertification process. Requirements for CECs Reviewing documents and making decisions on recertification Documents provided by specialists to be entered in the OCI Register and to be given an appropriate status, are sent to the members of the OCI Board for consideration and making a decision. An OCI CPT must provide evidence of at least 20 CECs (20 credit hours) of training every two years. If you have earned more than 20 CECs in one period of recertification, the excess CECs cannot be used for the next recertification. CECs will be approved only if the content of the training you have completed has improved your knowledge or skills in any of the following areas: Anatomy & Exercise Phisiology • Applying the knowledge of the musculoskeletal, the cardio-respiratory and the energy system to programme design • Applying the knowledge of related physiological concepts to programme design Fundamentals of Kinesiology • Applying the knowledge of the biomechanical concepts as they relate to movement and exercise to programme design

Candidate Handbook Theory and methods of sports and health fitness training • Applying the knowledge of the training adaptations to programme design Safety, Injury Prevention, and Emergency Procedures • Best practices in the field of injury prevention, methods for evaluating the risks and danger level of external and internal factors during the organization and delivering the training sessions • Assess and minimise risks before the session • Precautions that should be used during sessions with pregnant women, the elderly people, weakened people and young adolescences Fitness Assessments • Methods of data collection and analysis, aimed at identifying the current state of health (in cooperation with a medical professional), the degree of readiness of a person to physical activity, the level of fitness, nutrition and physical activity, common signs and symptoms of excessive stress and other health risks Program Design: • How to program training sessions concerning lifestyle, goals, medical history, activity experience and fitness, motivation and readiness to participate in the systematic motor activity, the individual features of functional and motor systems. • Training programs design for the purpose of muscle gain • Programming for strength and strength endurance • Programming for flexibility • Programming for general endurance and cardiorespiratory system development • Programming for special endurance in the chosen specialization • Programming for special groups (pregnant women, the elderly, children, diabetes, osteoporosis, diseases of locomotor system, cardiovascular system and respiratory system) Nutrition and weight management • Develop programs to help optimize the weight and body composition • Sport Nutrition Effective Communication and Teaching Techniques; Basics of Behavior Change and Motivation • Basic concepts of a healthy lifestyle promotion and the role of physical activity in clients quality of life • Effective ways to establish rapport with clients. • Effective goal setting

Candidate Handbook By settling recertification, the OCI Certification Board confirms that an OCI-CPT: 1. participates in training events at least once a year 2. keeps track of the changes in the field of fitness and health 3. shows personal involvement in their professional development 4. undergoes recertification regularly For recertification, a candidate must confirm that he/she has the required number of CECs before the end of the certification period; has a current CPR certificate, and has paid the recertification fee. Examples of documentary evidence include transcripts of certificates, confirmation letters, and others. The OCI Certification Board reviews the documents submitted and decides whether to recertify or refuse to recertify. The decision comes into force after it is approved by the Chairman of the Board. The time for considering and decision-making is 30 days from getting the full set of documents from the Specialist. If the candidate fails to provide confirmation before the certification period expires, the current status of the Certified Personal Trainer will be inactive. The candidate will have 30 extra days for recertification to provide the missing documents and receive the required number of CECs. The submitted documents will be considered by the Board. If all the documents are confirmed and the candidate has the required number of CECs, the candidate will be notified of the recertification, which will be valid for two years. Certification Level Certification Level Number of required CECs Payment Certified Personal Trainer 20 CECs (20 credit hours) 40$

Open CONTACT California Institute Olga Cherevatenko +1 (310) 981 7318 [email protected] edoci.org