Course Overview

SUP Fitness Instructor

Discover how to lead SUP fitness sessions with confidence and creativity.

This combined Level 1 & 2 course is built for fitness professionals ready to take their training to the water. You’ll gain the essential skills to safely design and deliver effective SUP-based workouts, blending fitness expertise with an on water experience.

SUP fitness is more than a workout—it’s a full-body challenge. The unstable surface of the board intensifies even simple movements, boosting balance, core strength, endurance, and coordination. Learn how to incorporate resistance bands, dynamic circuits, and progressive routines that push your clients further.

With internationally recognized certification, you can expand your career opportunities and meet the growing demand for SUP Fitness.

What This Course Qualifies You To Do

You’ll be able to teach : fitness exercises on a SUP board

In the following conditions:

inland waters or coastal locations
flat water, no swell/non breaking waves or breaking waves
in standing depth water only (less than 4ft)
no more than 50 metres from shore
the SUP fitness activity area must be under 50 metres paddling distance.

After completing the course, you can:

Run safe, structured SUP fitness exercises and programs
Manage groups in the water
Assess SUP fitness technique, to help your clients enjoy the session

Note:
If you plan to paddle more than 50 metres or run sessions in deep water, it is recommended, for safety reasons, that you hold ASI Level 1 SUP Instructor certification, which can be completed later.

Where Can You Work?

With your ASI qualification, you can work as a SUP Fitness Instructor:

At SUP schools around the world
At wellness retreats and holiday resorts
For fitness centres & gyms
For local government (or similar) health programs and activities
As a freelance SUP Fitness instructor
At your own SUP fitness school. Apply to become an ASI Accredited SUP School, allowing you to operate your own professional SUP fitness school business under ASI’s global standards.

ASI qualifications are internationally recognised, giving you the freedom to work and travel.

What You'll Learn

This course covers all essential skills for teaching SUP fitness sessions, including:

Laws & regulations: that apply to conducting SUP fitness sessions

Risk Management & safety: ASI guidelines, identify and assess risks, strategies to minimise risk, conducting location and dynamic risk assessments, emergency response

Environment: social & natural environmental impacts and minimisation strategies

Logistics planning: locations, equipment (SUP fitness boards, anchoring systems, accessories), back up, student types

Session planning: structuring SUP fitness sessions, creating session plans, a range of ASI SUP fitness session plans and sequences set up and ready to use in own classes.

Group management: communication, positioning and client supervision

Delivering sessions: a library of fitness exercises modified for SUP.
Level 1 basic/beginners sessions, covering cardio, core, strength, toning, balancing.
Level 2 intermediate-advanced sessions covering cardio giving an aerobic workshop. High end SUP fitness workouts including: SUP circuits, SUP tums bums, resistance training, Interval training SUP Abs.

Client assessment: common mistakes, feedback, correcting technique

Professional standards: duty of care, codes of conduct, evaluating your own performance as a SUP Fitness Instructor, industry expectations

SUP technical skills: for the SUP Fitness instructor– an introduction to basic stand up paddle techniques and board control

Entry Requirements

To enrol, you must meet:

Minimum age: 18 years

Stand up paddling experience: 20+ hours of paddling. Able to paddle a board with confidence.

SUP fitness experience: 10+ hours (in class or self-guided)

Fitness instructing experience: Hold a Personal Trainer qualification or similar.
As minimum this is where you are certified to train clients in a group, in an unsupervised setting, including outdoor sessions.
eg. UK-Reps Level 2. Australia-Certificate 3 in Fitness. Other countries-equivalent.

Course Requirements

Before you can be certified, you’ll need to complete the below:

Personal SUP fitness ability:

Demonstrate ability to perform a range of SUP fitness exercises with safety

Knowledge:
Complete multi-choice online test for:

SUP Fitness Instructor
SUP Rescue
SUP Wise Intensiv (basic SUP paddling)

Skills:

Prepare class: demonstrate ability to prepare the class - enter the water, anchoring, organise group ready to start the session.
Conduct class: Demonstrate ability to conduct SUP fitness class with correct sequencing, techniques and safety.

Practical:
Complete 10 hours practical work experience, assisting in the delivery of SUP fitness sessions, at an ASI accredited SUP school or other approved SUP school. Submit logbook of hours/experience.

Note: Alternative practical hours experience can be conducted if no ASI school nearby to you.
Recognition of previous SUP fitness instructor experience can be accepted.
Contact ASI for more information.

Submit Required Certificates:

A current senior first aid certificate Acceptable First Aid certificates
Level 3 Fitness Instructor Certificate or equivalent

Time to complete : 12 months

Study Options

Workshop: Ideal for people who like to complete most of the course requirements at the workshop and interact with the trainer.

Face to face (in-person) training.
Duration: 2 days
Complete most course requirements at the workshop
2 free video assessments (if not competent at workshop)
5 hours practical experience signed off in workshop
Some course requirements waived (see below)

Note: Some course requirements waived – no requirement to do online test for:
SUP Rescue - if you hold a current ASI SUP rescue certificate
SUP Wise Intensiv -if you previously completed this course

What is Included

At the workshop, you receive a paper copy of:

SUP Fitness Instructor manual
Instructor logbook (for practical hours)
SUP Water Safety Rescue manual

In addition, receive online access to:

SUP Water Safety Rescue manual
SUP Wise Intensiv (SUP skills) manual

Plus: ASI membership for 12 months.

ASI’s E-learning Platform
Provides access to training manuals, videos, reference materials and assessments, includes built-in language translation.