More women needed as Personal Trainers in the UK

A recent report by the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) shows that females only make up 35% of the Personal Training profession. This statistic is mirrored by figures on the BSc Fitness & Personal Training and BA Fitness Management & Personal Training at Solent.



Female Personal Trainers in high demand

The report, published in Health Club Management online, contained a quote from Chief Executive of the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation, Sue Tibballs, who said that female personal trainers act as sporting role models for women and girls. "It's a great time for women to get involved in the fitness industry - successful female athletes, like Jessica Ennis and Laura Trott, have made it aspirational to be fit and healthy and women's fitness is finally entering the mainstream."

Senior Lecturer and specialist instructor for older adults and disabled clients, Glynis Young, comments, "we provide extensive opportunities for students to gain hands-on practical experience working with a wide variety of real life clients as part of the degrees and we are regularly contacted by employers asking to advertise their PT vacancies to our students, some of which have been specifically for females so there is clearly a gap in the market for qualified and experienced female staff."

A recent ACSM survey on the biggest fitness trends for 2013 also placed educated, certified and experienced fitness professionals top of the list so why not apply for a Personal Training degree at Solent, it could be the start of something special!

Health and Fitness students gain a psychological edge

A recent article in Health Club Management magazine highlights what staff at Solent University have known for a long time - that there is a need for a knowledge of exercise psychology in the fitness industry.  Professor Jimenez, chair of the European Health & Fitness Association (EHFA) Standard's Council has called for more emphasis to be put on psychology in the training of exercise professionals.  Jimenez states "Physiological knowledge is important, but we need staff with psychological know-how too.  We need people who can engage with individuals and lead behaviour change".  He also states that the fitness industry must play a critical role in governments' Public Health agenda but warns that being able to understand the mental state of customers is key to this.

Solent University's Health and Fitness degree courses do exactly what Professor Jimenez is highlighting, making us a leading force in the training of first class fitness professionals.  All students on the Health and Fitness courses cover an introduction to exercise psychology in their first year where they learn about the psychological benefits and barriers to exercise including exercise as a treatment for stress and depression, the negative impacts of exercise such as exercise dependence and muscle dysmorphia, as well as common barriers and adherence issues.  In the second year, students on the BSc  Fitness and Personal Training and the BSc Health, Exercise and Physical Activity go on to study behaviour change, including how to use psychological skills such as goal setting, motivational interviewing and imagery to help clients to begin and maintain an exercise programme.  Students on the BSc Health, Exercise and Physical Activity then progress to the study of health psychology in their final year.   

Dr Marie Stopforth who leads the exercise psychology units said, "It's essential that students have a good understanding of the link between the body and the mind.  We know that 50% of people drop out of an exercise programme within 6 months, so in order to help them to adhere, we must try to understand why this is and how we can prevent it.  There are many strategies and techniques that can be used, it's just about knowing what these are and how to use them.  I believe that our students are ahead of the competition in the workplace as health and fitness professionals due to this emphasis on exercise psychology". 

Solent University's BSc Health, Exercise and Physical Activity also reflects Professor Jimenez's comments.  The aim of the degree is to bridge the gap between the fitness profession and public health.  Students not only gain Register of Exercise Professionals endorsed fitness qualifications, but also learn about physical activity and public health.  This includes guest lectures from those working in the industry, as well as work experience working within a physical activity intervention in the Southampton area.

Students complete Exercise To Music (ETM) course

Written and tutored by Becks Bishop

April saw the start of the annual 5 day REPs-approved ETM course. 10 students from years 1-3, all studying on various health and fitness related degrees in the Health, Exercise and Sport Science portfolio were about to embark on the most difficult tasks to date in their portfolio. The aerobics class consists of a warm-up, main cardio section (inc. re-warm and pulse lowerer) finishing with matwork MSE (muscular strength endurance - ie press us, core stability etc) and stretch. The students were led through a 'demo' class by the tutor on day 1 and at the end of this class it was obvious from their faces that they were thinking 'how on earth am I going to teach that?' Having seen some of their 'grapevine' moves, I must be honest and say I was slightly concerned for them too! However as the course progressed, their dedication, enthusiasm and commitment stood them in good stead and their confidence, teaching skills improved enormously.

The assessments were completed 4 weeks later to enable them to practice what they had learnt and to polish their performances. The assessment itself consists of a large variety of criteria to ensure the qualification meets with the REPs (Register of Exercise Professionals) requirements. There were some nervous faces that day, but I am pleased to say that all 10 students passed. This will open up new opportunities for the students as the qualification can be built upon with various CPD courses to further their careers.