YMCAfit Reviews 

YMCA Fit is an incredible organisation! They pride themselves in supporting students to becoming qualified trainers.

I felt I always had the support of the teachers and they created a beautiful environment of students to help each other. I’m so happy that I chose YMCA Fit to achieve my level 2 qualification is group exercise instructing: Exercise to music - Freestyle.

I have set 4 starts instead of 5 because the software they use for tracking your progress & documentation “Aptem” is the only thing that caused my experience to dip. If you value a swift and simple software in your studying process, this might not be the one for you. Granted they have gone through changes over the years and it is the best it has been, and will continue to improve over time. As it stands right now it does have its challenges. That’s my only issue with the process, otherwise I’d do it again in a heart beat!

Thank you YMCA x

A great course, a mixture of online lectures and self studying which allowed me to spend longer on the areas I needed to.

I had an amazing time on this course. It really changed the way I practice yoga and I learnt so much! My teacher Annie was so supportive and patient and I had full confidence in her from the moment I met her.
I am dropping a star because Aptem was often so difficult to use, but I hear that they are not going to be using this system next year.
Again, Annie, you rock.

The Couse was brilliant.
Had support from staff involved in the Course.
The Teacher, Trevor is the best, knowledgable and professional, a credit to YMCA.
Everything taught was relavant, relatable and with humour too...keeping the classes fun.

So I recently concluded my L3 in yoga teaching. Dont be fooled it consumes you, some 8 days remote learning but be prepared for learning all things anatomy, getting your yoga lessons journalled and be conversant with physiology.

The interactive learning was good overall, I do think a remote half day or day on anatomy might help people without a background (you have to learn alot self study). Also remember costs as a student hiring a hall (potentially) for your 6 students. Also lesson plans are large ensure you make the most of feedback during the remote lessons, as after the fact its down to persistance and persaverance.

On the whole it was a great experience, I have learnt a lot. Just be mindful its a tough 7+ months.. but I guess if it was easy then everyone would do it.

I payed £2,333.60 for this course.to begin with they refer every single piece of coursework and this costs £25 sometimes they even refer it twice.there was one piece of coursework Tom and Viv which was £50 for 1 coursework and they referred it twice so I payed £100 for 1 assignment.my mental health really deteriorated.I ended up paying an extra £250 on top for referrals.Only specific tutors care about you like Trevor but the company as a whole don’t care it’s just money to them and if you aren’t mentally strong you could end up having a breakdown.if you fail a practical it takes months for a new date to come they don’t share this information when you are signing up it doesn’t take a month but could take 6 months to potentially a year to pass.and when you call them up to ask when the practical is they don’t even know which causes so much anxiety and stress.I just want to also mention they have overcharged me £50.Each piece of coursework was meant to be £25 if it is referred now for The Tom and Viv case study it got referred twice so I was meant to be charged £50 they charged me £100 for one piece of coursework.They also refer coursework twice so you will be paying a lot of money all they want is money.

Avoid this course at all costs – a complete waste of time and money.

I wish I had read the reviews before signing up. I’ve just finished the Level 2 & 3 Next Gen PT course (8 months long), and honestly, that’s 8 months of my life I’ll never get back.

The only positive thing I can say is that the in-person tutors (Emma & Tim) were excellent — but they’re freelancers, so you may not even get them. Everything else about this course was a disaster.

Misleading advertising: The course is sold as “part-time” and something you can “do in the evenings.” This is completely false. It’s essentially a full-time course with endless assignments, unrealistic deadlines, and constant pressure. Trying to do this alongside a full-time job was unbearable.

Pointless and excessive content: Many assignments were over the top, repetitive, or just plain ridiculous. One module literally taught us how to make eye contact in a conversation. Others covered things no one in the real world of PT will ever need.

Confusing and inconsistent marking: Assignments were often unclear, poorly explained, and tutors contradicted each other constantly. One tutor would fail you, another would pass the exact same work. It felt completely unprofessional and random.

Tutor problems: At the start we were assigned two tutors — one new, one “experienced.” The experienced tutor quit halfway through without warning. The other one disappeared towards the end. Most of my work ended up being marked by a rotating door of strangers.

Communication was awful: emails went unanswered, and the weekly support sessions advertised were a joke. I once waited 45 minutes in a Teams call and was never let in.

Extra fees and poor finish: After all the stress, the “certificate” they give you is just a digital version with a huge watermark saying “only valid as an electronic document.” To get a proper certificate in the post, you’re forced to pay an extra £30 plus delivery— on top of an already expensive course.

This course is brand new (“Next Gen”), but it feels like we were guinea pigs for something half-baked and not ready to run. Poorly organized, inconsistent, misleading, and incredibly stressful.

My honest advice: DO NOT waste your time, money, or energy with YMCAFit. It has completely soured my ambition to become a PT, and I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone.

I throughly enjoyed the course, it was both informative and progressive.
Trevor Clark is an excellent tutor with stacks of real life experience which enables him to present the academic elements pragmatically.
This was a new renewal of this course, the materials are readily available one improvement would be to better line up the timing of the material delivery and the assignment completion to help smoother delivery.

Great course with a great tutor (Trevor). They have been very supportive and a nice atmosphere.

Course is good and recognised across the industry. Tutoring is high quality and information is delivered in bite sized chunks. The information itself is also valuable and helpful. all physical elements were overall enjoyable, however Aptem was to a degree pointless as never used it. In addition, while the online platform Suada was beneficial, it can sometimes be overbearing and repetitive at moments, aswell as some answers in the quizzes being wrong. However, overall enjoyed the course as a whole and would reccomend!

My time undergoing this course was very interesting and a great experience into the world of anatomy and physiology being a beginner. Tutor Trevor Clarke was brilliant and his teaching skill adapted to students needs. Amazing people skills. Just a little downside was missing some of the assignment forms to fill out via teams but as soon as problem was raised it was swiftly rectified. Great experience on my personal development journey.

I had an amazing experience with our Teacher Annie, who taught the Yoga Diploma Course with YMCA. Annie is a dedicated and traditional Yoga Teacher with knowledgeable, transferable skills, with her many years of teaching Hatha Yoga. It was a true delight to get to know Annie.
Annie and David, Yoga Teachers @YMCA and the Team here at the venue and YMCA have been very supportive and encouraging from the start. It has been a life changing experience where I feel confident to go out and Teach Yoga, and gaining a strong skill set in decision making and marketing. I on top of this also picked up valuable Yoga focused posture alignment skills from Annie's Teaching in the Diploma course that has changed my practice to be in more ease. Something every Yoga or Sports participant strives for.
Thank you again to both Annie and David, Amazing Quality Teachers. The course was 10/10. Enjoy!!
Thank you again,
Jessica

Annie, the Yoga Teaching Training Instructor. That's what made my experience great

Absolutely loved my teacher, Annie. The actual institution could improve on a few areas, but Annie was patient, clear and made it all seem flawless. I'm honestly so grateful we crossed paths and that I could learn from her.

I did the 500 hour yoga instructor training and it was a great time! I learned so much from Annie and David. I couldn’t have asked for better instructors.

Excellent yoga teacher instructor course. The tutor Annie was knowledgeable, patient and supportive of all her students. For content and thorough instruction with an emphasis on quality and safety, the YMCA is the industry's best at delivering fitness teacher training. Would highly recommend for anyone considering a career in the fitness industry.

My time doing level 2 pt course was not happy and as a result I went elsewhere for level 3. I found staff uninterested in me.

I attended the in person L3 Diploma in Gym Instructing and Personal Training course. Selecting YMCAFit based on the recommendation of an excellent PT with over 20 years experience as a PT. It was not a positive experience. I should have done better research and gone elsewhere, however, naively I trusted the YMCAFit brand, despite some negative experiences when making initial enquiries about courses, timetables and enrolment.

The positive elements were:
• Tutors (Trevor, Roger & Tim), but note they are freelance, so no guarantee which tutors you will get
• Variety of equipment in the gym (YMCA, Tottenham Court Road) and space

The negative elements were:
• Everything else, including, but not limited to:
o Admin / Student Support - Admin was shocking and fell way short of acceptable. Calls and emails not responded to, assuming you managed to get through on the phone
o Software – Broke every rule of acceptable software. Data loss experienced when completing assignments, resulting in having to re-do assignments. Navigation and content inconsistent and not intuitive
o Learning Materials - No paper copies of manuals provided and no option to download, order or print manuals provided. Therefore once course is completed and your access is removed to the software you have nothing to refer back to
o Classroom - Desks completely unsuitable for working with a laptop. Non-adjustable single seat desks with fold down tables and no power points provided
o Certification - Only provided with a limited validity digital certificate on course completion. The certificate has a watermark stating "Only valid as an electronic document". There is an additional charge which is NOT stated in the Terms and Conditions (T&Cs). Only fees for replacement certificates included in the T&Cs

I am gutted to be writing this review because the practical side of this course was amazing. The tutors are very nice and are very knowledgeable and provide a great learning environment. But once the practical side of the course was done, that’s where things turned for the worst. The Aptem system which you use online to complete your coursework is very outdated,buggy and difficult to navigate. Some of the coursework has taken over a month to be marked and when you fail exams you don’t any feedback on where to improve. Not to mention you also have to pay every time to resit your exams if you fail. The student support is extremely lacking and provides very little support. This course has taken me longer than a year to finish as a whole due to very little support and feedback. I was hoping this course would help me gain confidence to work in the fitness industry but instead It has done the complete opposite and has impacted my mental health very negatively. I honestly wish I read these reviews before signing up. This course has not been worth the money and I would look into finding a different company for your PT qualification.

Working with Danielle has been an absolute pleasure. Her guidance was truly exceptional, especially when it came to navigating the challenges of levels 2 and 3. Without her detailed explanations and continuous support, the process would have been significantly more difficult.

Daniela has a remarkable ability to break down complex tasks into manageable steps, making what seemed overwhelming feel achievable. Her patience and expertise were key to my success, and I'm incredibly grateful for her dedication. She is an invaluable resource, and I can't recommend her highly enough.