Kinesiology
Program Overview
The East Los Angeles Kinesiology Fitness Specialist Certificate of Achievement program will give hands on training and experience for students to be prepared for entry-level positions and higher. The student will be trained to evaluate the physiological and psychological effects of physical activities and design personalized exercise programs. Program graduates will be qualified to be a personal fitness trainer and/or group exercise instructor. Students in the program will learn scientific principles of exercise and physical conditioning, techniques of strength training, and methods appropriate to establishing healthy behavior. This program also prepares candidates for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), American Council on Exercise (ACE), and the National Strength & Conditioning Association Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) certification exams.
Students interested in pursuing a Bachelor's degree, should meet with an academic and/or transfer counselor to discuss transfer requirements.
Important Notice: In the event of a discrepancy between the information presented above and the online and/or print versions of the ELAC Catalog, please contact the Kinesiology Department.
Required Core Courses
This course is an introduction to the discipline of Kinesiology, physical education and physical activity; and examines human movement from the perspectives of experience, research, and professional practice. Topics include: introduction to kinesiology, spheres of physical activity, motor learning, psychology of sport and exercise, biomechanics, physiology of exercise and the history, sociology, philosophy and pedagogy of physical activity. Discussion also includes becoming a physical activity professional and learning about careers in health, fitness, therapeutic exercise, teaching, coaching and sport management.
This course examines how the body functions under conditions of exercise stress. It covers the fundamentals of human movement and anatomy, the practical applications of muscle function, cardio-respiratory testing and functions, principles of exercise, training techniques, energy metabolism, and the effect of environmental conditions on exercise.
This course covers the theory and detailed demonstration of first aid care of the injured. Students learn to assess a victim’s condition and incorporate proper treatment. Standard first aid, CPR, and AED certification(s) are granted upon successful completion of course requirements.
This course is designed to give students the knowledge and understanding necessary to prepare for the Personal Trainer Certification Exam and become effective personal trainers. This is a comprehensive course for designing individualized programs based on each client’s unique health, fitness, and goals. The information covered by this course helps students learn how to facilitate rapport, adherence, self-efficacy and behavior change in clients, as well as design programs that help clients to improve posture, movement, flexibility, balance, core function, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular endurance and strength.
This course is designed to present the principles, background, and rationale for current nutrition guidelines specifically for athletes. Using a physiological basis, this course provides an in-depth look at the science behind sport nutrition and students develop an understanding of nutrition as it relates to sport and the influence of nutrition on exercise performance, training and recovery. Areas of focus include; effects of nutrition on training adaptations, weight management and body composition for athletes, recommendations for carbohydrate intake during training, the role of protein in strength and endurance training, how supplements are used in an athlete’s diet, how to balance electrolytes and nutrition for special populations.
This course covers the importance of fitness assessments and how assessment relates to overall program development. Topics include: assessment of cardio-respiratory endurance, body composition fat analysis, evaluation of muscular strength and endurance, evaluating flexibility, measuring heart rate and blood pressure techniques, and evaluation of exercise test results. Additional topics include: risk factor evaluations, development of individual exercise programs, factors influencing exercise programs and the ethics of exercise testing.
This course provides an introduction to the art and science of group exercise instruction and emphasizes designing and delivery of safe and effective exercise classes. In this course students learn how to teach group exercise classes with the emphasis on how to design a physiologically safe and effective group fitness exercise class which includes: fundamentals of group exercise, primary components of group exercise and group exercise modalities.
This course covers how to teach a variety of strength training techniques and activities to individuals and groups. It studies methods to teaching strength training, equipment, safety factors, principles of strength training, speed and agility training, and basic anatomy and physiology as it applies to strength training. It includes the development of strength training exercises for each body part and program designs.
This course provides Kinesiology students a structured internship and opportunity for employment off-campus under the supervision of a faculty member within the Kinesiology Department. Internships enable students to develop an understanding and working knowledge of actual operations, events, planning, and management within the career fields of Kinesiology. The internship experience is an essential component in a student's course of study designed to facilitate the integration of theoretical, applied, and academic subject matter in the field.
Select at 2 units from the following:
This course provides students with the opportunity to participate in a variety of vigorous exercises for increasing cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility.
This course is designed as a lower intensity style boot camp class that is conducted both on and off campus using indoor and outdoor facilities. Training exercises used during this class include basic aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, muscular strength, resistance and endurance training, and also individual and team concepts. In addition, students are challenged to understand and apply basic fitness principles, basic anatomy and physiology, the prevention of training injuries, target heart rate, and the intensity of exercise as well as nutrition for fitness. The students train individually, with a partner, or in a team setting.
This course focuses on precision alignment, core strength, and building an awareness of the body. Pilates involves a Kinesthetic awareness through a series of floor exercises, optimizing a postural alignment and muscular balance to enable maximum range of movement for body strength and flexibility. Appropriate modifications for specific fitness levels are considered. This class includes instruction and understanding of Pilates methods and exercises utilizing safe and popular Pilates exercises.
In this course, students participate in basic stretching techniques to improve overall flexibility including active and passive stretching and myofascial release training. Emphasis is placed upon flexibility, balance, breathing techniques, spatial awareness, and safety during stretching. Technique modifications to account for physical limitations are emphasized. A brief examination of the evolution of the various forms of stretching reflecting cultural differences and diversity, human anatomy, nutrition, and wellness concepts related to overall fitness, age, and gender are also addressed.
This course covers intermediate techniques of swimming, terminology, and fluid mechanics in water. Swimming strokes include freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Racing starts, flip turns, dives, and touch turns are introduced on a beginning level. Interval training concepts are introduced to build endurance. Indoor and outdoor water safety is reviewed in this course.
This fitness conditioning class consists of a series of exercises and aerobic dance steps in conjunction with stretching and body dynamics to help promote cardiovascular and muscular fitness.
This course develops cardiovascular conditioning and fitness through running and swimming laps. It enables students to gain awareness of the importance of proper running techniques/postural alignment, including progressive resistance training and conditioning for the purpose of training for a triathlon. Nutrition and concepts of fitness are also covered.
This course develops and encourages positive attitudes and habits with regards to cardiovascular efficiency, body composition, flexibility, muscular strength, and muscular endurance to achieve lifelong fitness. The students rotate through a series of weight training, core, and cardiovascular exercises in both anaerobic and aerobic training methods. Each student upon entry, is screened and assessed using a variety of physical fitness measuring techniques. The screening and assessment process is then repeated at the conclusion of the semester. This class also gives students the tools to achieve lifelong fitness and the techniques and knowledge to better prevent heart disease and diabetes.
This course increases and helps maintain both cardiovascular endurance and leg strength through stationary bike workouts. Resting and target heart rates are used to monitor improvements in the students' cardiovascular system.
This course is designed to introduce the areas of cardiovascular efficiency by using basic kickboxing techniques. Students participate in low intensity kickboxing movements and work towards increasing fitness levels. It emphasizes proper alignment, execution, and timing of slower-paced movements from kickboxing, boxing, and aerobic dance.
In this course, students learn a variety of cross training activities to achieve their personal fitness goals. The course includes lecture on nutrition, exercise physiology concepts, and participation in a workout designed to improve cardiovascular conditioning and body composition, increase muscle strength/endurance and flexibility.
This course consists of a combination of strength training, the use of weight training machines, step aerobics, and low impact aerobics. These activities are utilized to gain fitness by emphasizing flexibility, muscular strength, and cardiovascular endurance.
In this course, students focus on achieving cardiovascular fitness and a healthy lifestyle through walking. Topics include basic fitness walking principles, proper technique, shoe selection, posture, gait, walking styles, flexibility, clothing, safety limitations, assessing fitness level, and the physical health benefits from walking.
This course enables the student to participate in basic Zumba group exercise that combines a fusion of high energy Latin and International music with unique moves and combinations. Zumba integrates some of the basic principles of aerobic, interval, and effective fitness resistance training to maximize caloric output, cardiovascular benefits, and total body toning. Zumba provides a non-intimidating opportunity for non-dancers to participate in a group aerobic class.
This course is designed as a moderate intensity style boot camp class that is conducted both on and off campus using indoor and outdoor facilities. Training exercises used during this class includes basic aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, muscular strength, resistance and endurance training, and also individual and team concepts. In addition, students are challenged to understand and apply fitness principles, anatomy and physiology, the prevention of training injuries, target heart rate, and the intensity of exercise as well as nutrition for fitness. The students train individually, with a partner, or in a team setting.
This beginning course is a high-intensity, full body workout that targets all of the major muscle groups. Training exercises are taught in intervals combining basic boxing combinations using punch pads, cardiovascular drills, along with body weight exercises. Students train individually, with a partner, and in a group setting.
This intermediate course is a high-intensity, full body workout that is designed to build on basic boxing techniques from Power Boxing 1. New training exercises are taught in intervals combining intermediate boxing combinations using punch pads, high intensity cardiovascular drills, along with intermediate body weight exercises. New techniques and combinations are added to improve overall fitness. Students train individually, with a partner, and in a group setting.
This beginning body toning course enables students to gain awareness of the importance of exercise, including progressive resistance training, aerobic body conditioning and endurance training for the purpose of body shaping and toning muscles. In addition, students are challenged to understand and apply basic fitness principles, basic anatomy and physiology, the prevention of training injuries, as well as nutrition for fitness.
This course covers the basic principles of weight training. It develops a general program of progressive resistance exercises with adaptation and implication for the individual student. Attention is given to terminology, use of equipment, safety precautions, nutrition and weight control, and introductory factors of muscular anatomy and physiology.