February 2013
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Unregistered instructors ‘put clients at risk’ By Christina Eccles UNREGISTERED fitness instructors are putting clients at risk of serious injury, according to The Register of Exercise Professionals, which has launched a new campaign urging gymgoers to check their trainers are appropriately qualified. REPs claims that with the use of personal trainers on the rise, there is a significant percentage of people receiving ineffective and even potentially damaging advice from untrained and unqualified instructors. The Ask the Question campaign is designed to help everyone starting an exercise regime to ensure their workout has been created by certified professionals that are able to generate real results. Registrar Jean-Ann Marnoch said: “It’s vital that anyone using a fitness professional, whether it’s a gym instructor, personal trainer or yoga instructor, checks their credentials before they sign up to use their services. “Across the country, there are far too many people who are unknowingly endangering themselves by putting their trust in the hands of rogue fitness staff, some of whom have had no training.
“Many others haven’t had training that has been formally recognised to protect members of the public and as a result, their methods are often untested, unsafe and unfit for the individual goals a customer may have.” In order to gain membership to the register, instructors must prove they meet the required industry standards, giving peace of mind to customers. Jean-Ann added: “Gymgoers paying a personal trainer should expect to be helped to meet targets, not hindered. However, those who employ the services of professionals who aren’t REPs registered are more likely to be given an ineffective programme. “Unqualified fitness trainers could help explain why there is a sharp fall in gym attendance after the first six months of membership. This means Brits are wasting millions of pounds a year on unused gym memberships. The financial cost, and the much more damaging cost to one’s health is why anyone joining a gym should ask the question. Is your fitness professional REPs registered?” What do you think about the new campaign? Send your comments to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or contact us via Facebook and Twitter. We’ll print a selection next issue.
No 233 £3
PTs head to work happy on ‘Blue Monday’
TV presenter Caroline Pearce will be the host for the 2013 National Fitness Awards, Workout can reveal. Caroline, a former international heptathlete, is also a successful nutritionist, fitness consultant, author and model. She is also known for playing the character Ice in the TV show Gladiators on Sky One. Watch out for the next issue of Workout, when we will be announcing more details on this year’s awards.
PERSONAL trainers were three times more likely than office workers to head to work happily on ‘Blue Monday’ – the third Monday in January, labelled the most depressing day of the year. Research conducted by OnePoll for The Training Room found 77 per cent of office workers get the January blues – more than twice the number of personal trainers who feel down about going to work that month. And on ‘Blue Monday’ a healthy 63 per cent of PTs would happily head to work, compared to 29 per cent of office workers. Head of training Lucy Jackson said: “Personal training is a very rewarding career and the motivational, upbeat manner of our work, the flexible working hours and the inevitable health benefits of having an active job all lead to work and lifestyle satisfaction. We train around 2,500 people a year and the positive impact on those who are switching careers is particularly dramatic. If you’d like to head to work with a spring in your step, being a personal trainer could just do the trick.”