Help Clients Move Better, Lift Better, and Train with More Confidence
Most clients don’t need an entirely new program. They need better movement within the program they’re already following. Limitations in mobility, poor stability, and unilateral strength imbalances often prevent clients from progressing, increase injury risk, and create avoidable training frustrations.
The AFPA Mobility Specialist Certificate provides personal trainers with a clear, repeatable system for improving movement quality. You’ll learn how to assess common limitations, apply targeted mobility and stability drills, and reinforce improvements through strength work without stepping outside your scope or disrupting your existing session structure.
What You’ll Learn
Trainers need a clear, practical system for improving how clients move, not just how hard they work. This course provides the movement screens, drills, and programming strategies required to identify limitations and address them with confidence. You’ll learn how to build usable range, reinforce it through stability and strength, and integrate these methods seamlessly into your existing training approach.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Identify mobility, stability, and strength gaps using practical movement screens and trainer-appropriate observational tools.
- Apply targeted mobility drills to expand usable joint range of motion.
- Use breathing techniques to improve positioning, bracing, and total-body control.
- Coach loaded and bodyweight stability training that helps clients own positions under load.
- Integrate unilateral and functional strength exercises to address imbalances and reinforce movement quality.
- Design efficient warm-ups and prep blocks that address movement limitations without extending session time.
- Improve client performance and resilience inside existing programming frameworks.
What Sets This Certificate Course Apart
Mobility, Stability, and Strength Taught as One System
Rather than teaching drills in isolation, this course links breathing, mobility, stability, and strength into a unified framework trainers can apply immediately.
Focused on Usable Range, Not Passive Flexibility
You’ll learn how to help clients improve range of motion they can actually control and load, not temporary gains from passive stretching.
Trainer-Appropriate Assessment Approach
Practical screening methods help you identify common limitations without veering into clinical diagnosis or rehab.
Strong Emphasis on Kettlebell & Bodyweight Training
You’ll develop the ability to reinforce new ranges with high-value exercises such as the get-up, windmill variations, single-leg deadlifts, and bottom-up work.
Designed for Real Training Environments
The course provides templates and programming strategies that fit easily into warm-ups, movement prep, or superset pairings—so you can apply what you learn in real sessions immediately.
Led by Brett Jones, a Globally Respected Leader in Strength & Mobility Coaching
Brett brings decades of experience in kettlebell instruction, movement assessment, and professional training education, offering practical insights to enhance your coaching skill and program design.
What Your Certificate Course Enrollment Includes
- Access to the online learning platform
- On-demand video instruction from a respected leader in strength and mobility coaching
- Handouts to use for reference and in training sessions
- Self-study assignments and exercises to support your learning
- Graduates gain access to our private online community exclusively for alumni
A Credential You Can Stand Behind
When you graduate, you’ll receive your AFPA certificate through Accredible. It’s proof of your training and a credential you can share with prospective employers and clients.
What Can I Expect From the Course?
- 100% Online Course: No textbooks or other materials required
- Self-Study: Work through the program when it’s convenient for you
- Complete in Less than 6 Months: Many students finish much faster
- Instant Access: Get immediate access to your online learning platform once you complete your purchase
- Online Final Exam: Take your multiple choice, open-note final exam from home
- Earn Your Mobility Specialist Certificate from AFPA
Who This Certificate Course is For
Improving movement quality is relevant across every training environment, and this certificate supports professionals who want to coach with greater clarity and intent. Whether you work with beginners, seasoned lifters, or general fitness clients, the principles in this course apply directly to everyday programming.
This course is designed for:
- Certified personal trainers
- Strength coaches
- Group fitness professionals
- Functional training coaches
- Coaches who want to improve movement quality in everyday training
- Professionals who want a clear system for addressing mobility and stability without crossing into clinical territory
This certificate is not designed as a stretching or assisted stretching certification, nor does it provide clinical rehabilitation training. It is purpose-built for exercise professionals working with healthy clients.
A Look Inside the Curriculum
Every training program, no matter how well designed, leaves gaps in mobility, stability, or strength. This course equips personal trainers and fitness professionals with practical tools to identify and address those gaps, improving client performance, resilience, and long-term results.
Through practical breathing drills, mobility techniques, stability challenges, and strength progressions, you’ll learn to “mind the gap” and enhance the effectiveness of any program. With a focus on efficiency and integration, you’ll gain exercises and strategies you can seamlessly program into client sessions, helping them move better, build strength, and reduce injury risk.
Module 1: Introduction and Breathing Answer
Introduction and the Why
- Why movement quality matters
- Setting the foundation and baseline
- Overview of Functional Movement Screening (FMS)
- Anatomy and orthopedic considerations
- “Canary in the coal mine” concept
- “Feeling good feels good” philosophy
Breathing Essentials
- Breathing anatomy and dimensions
- Drills:
- Crocodile Breathing
- Hook-Lying Breathing
Module 2: Soft Tissue Work Answer
Understanding the foam roller (proprioceptive, not self-myofascial release)
Guidelines for pressure and time
“Generally specific” foam roller routine:
- Foot work (tennis ball)
- Thoracic spine
- Arm pits
- Glutes
- Calves
- Quads
- Adductors
Module 3: Mobility Gaps Answer
Identifying mobility gaps: ankle, hips, thoracic spine
Joint-by-joint approach
Key drills and stretches:
- Cervical Stretches
- Lateral
- Diagonal Flexion
- Diagonal Extension
- Extension – “Baby Bird”
- Thoracic Spine Rotations
- Side Lying T-Spine Rotation with Rib Grab
- Brettzel
- Lumbar Lock T-Spine Rotation
- Seated T-Spine Rotations
- Shoulder Extension Stretch
- Bent Armbar
- Elbow and Wrist
- Flexion/Extension
- Pronation/Supination (“Internal and External Rotation”)
- Strap Stretch with Ankle Circles
- Strap Assisted Leg Raise
- Couch/Quad Stretch
- Half Kneeling Hip Flexion Stretch
- Ankle Dorsiflexion with Dowel
- Ankle Pulses
- Great Toe Stretch
- Seiza
- Transitional drills
- Cross-Crawls
- Hard Rolls
Module 4: Stability Gaps Answer
Defining stability and “stability ability”
Drills:
- Kettlebell Armbar
- Get-up with Rotations
- Get-up with Presses
- Get-up with Bridge at the Elbow
- Half-Kneeling Setup and Rotations
- Half-Kneeling Halo
- Bottom-Up March
Module 5: Strength Gaps Answer
Single-leg strength focus
Drills:
- Single-Leg Deadlift (SLDL)
- SLDL + Row
- Airborne Lunge (ABL)
- Calf Raise / Single-Leg Calf Raise
- Half-Kneeling Windmill to Elbow
- Half-Kneeling Windmill to Hand
- Low Windmill
- Windmill
Module 6: Programming and Conclusion Answer
Warm-up and preparation
Building effective movement prep
Integrating mobility, stability, and strength drills into training
Concept of “spices vs. main dishes”
Live demo sequence:
- Breathing
- Foam Rolling
- Ground-Based Work
- Get-up +
- Bottom-Up March + Goblet Squat
- SLDL + ABL + Windmill
Meet Your Instructor: Brett Jones, M.S., ATC, CSCS
Brett Jones is a Certified Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Specialist based in Pittsburgh, PA. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from High Point University, a master’s degree in Rehabilitative Sciences from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Brett is currently the Director of Education for StrongFirst and a presenter and advisory board member for Functional Movement Systems.
With over 25 years of experience, Brett has been sought out to consult with professional teams and athletes, as well as present throughout the U.S. and internationally.
As an Athletic Trainer who has transitioned into the fitness industry, Brett has taught kettlebell techniques and principles since 2003. He has taught for Functional Movement Systems (FMS) since 2006 and created multiple instructional videos and manuals with world-renowned physical therapist Gray Cook, including the widely praised Secrets of… series.
Brett continues to evolve his approach to training and teaching and is passionate about improving the quality of education for the fitness industry.
Accreditation & Continuing Education
The Mobility Specialist Certificate course is approved by AFPA (American Fitness Professionals & Associates) for a total of 8 AFPA CECs.
FAQ
Is this a corrective exercise certificate course? Answer
No. While you will learn to identify movement limitations, this course stays within a trainer’s scope and does not train you to treat or diagnose pain or injury.
Is this a stretching certificate course? Answer
No. This course focuses primarily on mobility, stability, and strength rather than passive stretching or assisted stretch techniques.
Do I need kettlebell experience? Answer
Basic proficiency helps, but the course includes step-by-step instruction for all kettlebell drills used in the curriculum.
How long does it take to complete the Mobility Specialist Certificate course? Answer
The Mobility Specialist Certificate course is a self-directed, self-study program structured to be completed in just a few days to a few weeks.
Your course expires six months from the date of enrollment, and the course expiration date is displayed on your course dashboard. You will lose access to your course the day before the expiration date, so please make sure you have completed the course content and final exam before that. Should you find yourself in need of more time, we offer the option to request a six-month extension for a fee of $75.
How soon can I begin this course? Answer
We have open enrollment for our Mobility Specialist Certificate course, so you may enroll whenever you are ready. Shortly after completing your purchase, we will send you an email with information on how to access your online learning portal where you can begin your course right away.
Are textbooks included in my enrollment fee? Answer
This course is 100% online with no textbooks required.
What happens once I enroll in the Mobility Specialist Certificate course? Answer
Shortly after you place your order, you will receive access to our online learning platform. This user-friendly platform serves as your hub for accessing all course materials, lectures, resources, and assessments.
Can I earn continuing education credits for completing the Mobility Specialist Certificate course? Answer
Mobility Specialist Certificate course has a value of 8 continuing education credits (CECs) that count toward the renewal requirements of an existing AFPA certification. To qualify for CECs, you must successfully complete the certification course.
How many AFPA CECs is this course worth? Answer
Mobility Specialist Certificate course is worth 8 continuing education credits (CECs) that count toward the renewal requirements of an existing AFPA certification. To qualify for CECs, you must successfully complete the certificate program.
What are the qualifications to enroll in the Mobility Specialist Certificate course? Answer
To enroll in the Mobility Specialist Certificate course, you must:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Have a solid understanding of the English language.
- Have access to a device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) with a reliable internet connection.
What is the final exam like? Answer
The final exam is an online, open-note test with 80 multiple choice questions. A passing grade on the final exam is an 80% or higher. If needed, you may request a re-test for a one-time fee of $75.
Will I have support while I’m taking the course? Answer
Yes. You’ll have access to AFPA’s Education Specialists throughout your studies. If you have questions about course material, learning platform navigation, or need help staying on track, our team is here to support you as you progress.
Are payment plans available for this course? Answer
AFPA offers flexible, interest-free payment plans without credit checks or added fees.
Can I speak with an Enrollment Specialist before signing up? Answer
Please email info@afpafitness.com, call 800.494.7782, or book an appointment below to speak with an Enrollment Specialist.
