8 Ways the Personal Training Industry Will Change in the Next Decade

While that maturity will manifest itself in several positive trends, other negative trends will continue and even increase at the same time. Each one of these trends represents MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES for the personal trainer who is ready to meet them head on.

1. Prevention vs. Treatment- Doctors can heal you when you are sick, but a great personal trainer can prevent you from getting sick in the first place. Personal trainers understand this, and the world will too in the next decade. As much as 75% of our health care costs are due to preventable lifestyle related diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Corporations and small businesses will continue to invest more and more in the health of their employees, while health insurance companies will continue to increase rewards for people who engage in healthy activities. This will create major opportunities for entrepreneurial trainers. Unfortunately, despite this increased focus on prevention and exercise, the rate of obesity will continue to increase until the commercial food industry is radically transformed


2. Health & Fitness Professionals Will Integrate- The number of personal trainer, doctors, physical therapist, nutritionists, massage therapists, and chiropractors who work together to provide comprehensive solutions for their clients/patients will increase dramatically. This increase will be driven by the fact that this trend is both good for business and great for the patient/client.
   
   
   

   Increased injuries, in particular chronic joint pain, will increase the number of lawsuits, as well as the demand for personal trainers who work with physical therapists and know how to train people post rehab.



3. Dramatic Increase in Exercise Related Injuries & Lawsuits, Creating Increased Pressure for Regulation- the explosion of group fitness and bootcamps , in particular ones with ineffective screening methods and a “high intensity for everyone” mentality, will result in an exponential increase in injuries caused by personal trainers and increase lawsuits. Coupled with the increased pressure from the public to make exercise take less time and an increasingly unhealthy/sedentary population, these injuries may reach pandemic proportions, which will increase the pressure on lawmakers to regulate the industry. The increased use of Exercise Games, such as the Wii Fit, will also increase the number of injuries people sustain each year while exercising, but also help some people get in shape while having fun.


4. The Rate of Obesity Will Continue to Increase- while 60% of Americans are already either overweight or obese, this number will creep up towards 80% by the end of the decade. This trend will not turn around until the commercial food industry is changed and proper nutrition, health, and exercise is made a priority in the lessons taught throughout the education system from Kindergarten through High school. The increased rate of obesity will result in new kinds of “obesity lawsuits” and new tactics by other institutions to curb the trend. These attempts will be, for the most part, ineffective.




The quality of food we eat has to get better for the obesity rate to decrease.



5. The Number of Personal Trainers with Small Businesses Will Increase- due to the increased need/demand for our services, the primary role of a leading personal trainer will be that of educator, community exerciser, and consultant. To meet this demand, more trainers will become self-employed and start businesses, allowing them to create new and effective solutions, while making more money, without the constraints and restrictions of the existing corporate fitness powerhouses. More personal training only studios will go into business each year, and more personal trainers will be working full time and making a successful career in the industry (many trainers are part time right now). Most importantly, more personal trainers will team up with others in the technology industry to create effective tools and software to help keep track of their client’s goals, exercise routine, lifestyle, and diet, helping these trainers reach more people.
   
   
   

   Major opportunites abound, including the opportunity of making a career out of helping people change their lives for the better.



6. Childhood Obesity & Diabetes Will Continue to Increase Dramatically- children will become a critical population in need; the reduction of physical education programs, combined with the commercial food served in most schools (and everywhere else), will result in epic levels of childhood obesity and diabetes. This trend will be a major opportunity for personal trainers who want to make a difference. The critical role of daily exercise, not sports, for increased self-development, maturation, and health will become an integral part of any school that wishes to buck this trend, and savvy personal trainer will help schools integrate these principles into the foundation of their curriculum.


7. New Kinds of Competitions & Challenges- new kinds of races and competitions will increase over the next decade. While the increase in endurance and ultra-endurance races have already increased dramatically, the need for large scale community solutions for the average JOE will create the need for a great number and variety of lower intensity races and competitions. Personal trainers will use these competitions and other kinds of social events that take place outside of a gym to increase the commitment and accountability of their clients. These trainers will achieve great results with their clients.


8. More “Fitness Coaches” Who Are Not Personal Trainers- more non personal trainers will become involved in the personal training industry. Programs like Team Beachbody will increase the number of “fitness coaches” who serve the purpose of increase accountability and motivation, not exercise prescription, technique, or program development. These coaches will provide a great referral network for personal trainers.

I hope you are prepared to harness these trends and make a difference!

Less Time For Exercise?

One other quick note. ACE (American Council on Exercise) did an annual survey to predict the trends for next year. The biggest trend they found was that people would be looking to spend less money and less time on exercise due to tighter budgets and hectic schedules, and that the most successful trainers would adapt to these trends.

I couldn’t disagree more! They are a great organization, but I definitely beg to differ in this case.

While it is important to meet the demands of the market, it is also important to educate our clients. The simple fact of the matter is that catering to highly impractical demands is negligent. One of our jobs as educators is to diffuse unrealistic expectations immediately. So when a sedentary client who is over worked, over stressed, and undernourished comes in and says “I have 30 minutes to exercise 2x/week, work me out as hard as you”, we say “Hell NO!” not “Yes of course, the client is always right”. If we cater to these impractical demands, we risk a much greater chance of injury and mediocre results, not to mention invalidation.

Our job is to protect our clients from themselves and give them a better understanding of reality. Yes, we need to adapt to market forces, but within reason. The most successful trainers will have the best clients, clients who listen to them and are empowered by them. Successful personal trainers are not bossed around by their clients nor do they adapt to their unrealistic expectations.

As the personal trainer, you are the LEADER!

I do agree that these market forces will increase the number of cost conscious gyms and group exercise offerings.

What do you think? Leave some comments and let us know!

• What are your expectations for the next decade in the fitness industry?


• What trend will you try to take advantage of?


• How will you be helping people achieve their goals 10 years from now?

Until next time, keep your business fit.

Johnny Fitness

Related posts:

1. The Association of Elite Fitness Professionals
2. Primal Fitness

How to Transform the Fitness Industry One Client at a Time

Our industry, much like our world, is transforming at an accelerated rate.

The fitness industry, as you know, is relatively unregulated, unorganized, and at times even divided.  There are both advantages and disadvantages to this dynamic:

• For better or worse, it is relatively easy to become a personal trainer.  Standards for personal training and best practices are not well established.


• There are a lot of experts, organizations, and certifications to learn from; this is great, but can make picking the right educational path overwhelming.


• Because of the first 2 facts, the quality, style, integrity, and knowledge of personal trainers vary wildly, affecting our collective credibility and image among the public.

There are signs of more integration and collaboration, which is great, and we can expect to see the whole industry and fitness profession moving in this direction.   There is a greater understanding of the preventative power of a healthy lifestyle, and fitness professionals are at the forefront of expanding this awareness.  And the world needs preventative health, the fitness profession, and lifestyle information more than ever!

The Association of Elite Fitness Professionals was created to transform the fitness industry.  Together, we will hold ourselves and our client’s to higher standards, collaborate and innovate, and help more people take control of their health and fitness.

Our Tribe of Elite Professionals

The Association for Elite Fitness Professionals was created for all fitness professionals (anyone who uses force as a modality to elicit greater health and fitness), including:

• Personal Trainers & Athletic Trainers


• Wellness & Lifestyle Coaches


• Yogis & Massage Therapists


• Group Fitness Instructors & Boot Camp Leaders

As Elite Fitness Professionals, we are committed to the following ideals:

1. Constantly increasing our skills and abilities, to create more value and results for our clients.


2. Holding ourselves and our clients to the highest standard. (Check out the “Client Bill of Rights”).


3. Taking a holistic approach to education that includes consistently increasing our exercise knowledge, interpersonal skills, & business acumen.


4. Comprehensively addressing our client’s health and fitness needs, referring out when necessary, and creating a network of health professionals to support our client’s diverse needs.


5. Utilizing exercise to transform their client's mind, body and life.


6. Making personal empowerment, self-accountability, and lifestyle change a corner stone of our business model.

The Mission of the Association of Elite Fitness Professionals is to:

1. Collaborate with each other to establish best practices, better integration of knowledge, and push the standards of the fitness industry up.


2. Target specific populations that need our health the most, and work together to find comprehensive solutions (the obese, children, the poor).


3. Create greater communication and integration between fitness professionals and other health professionals (physical therapists, doctors, psychologists, etc.)


4. Transform our cultures understanding of health and disease in relation to fitness and lifestyle, on both a larger scale and one client at a time.


5. Rightfully reclaim (from the medical/pharmaceutical industry) holistic fitness as the best solution for happy, healthy, disease free living.

By committing ourselves to these standards, we know that we can accomplish great things and a higher standard of service for the fitness profession.

Precision, Professionalism, and Skills

In order to overcome the stereotype in the minds of people (the rep counting, skimpy spandex outfit wearing, vane personal trainer), we must uphold ourselves to a high standard and be precise!

When will we be as respected as, say, a surgeon?  When we wield our tools (exercise programs and our words) as precisely as a surgeon wields the scalpel.

So how do we become that precise?  By increasing our knowledge and skills!

We all know how important education is for our industries credibility, our client’s success, and our career stability.  Our client’s come to us looking for leadership; but our job as leaders is to create more leaders, not followers.

The following is an incomplete list of knowledge and skills broken down into 3 categories.  Feel free to make some suggestions in the comments and I will add them in.  You don’t have to master everything!  In fact, that is impossible.

You want to focus on the things you are passionate about and good at, but you need to be aware of and accomplished in the other skills so that you are well rounded.  Most gaps in your knowledge can be covered by developing a network of health professionals.

Exercise Science

1. Biomechanics


2. Physiology


3. Anatomy


4. Program Design


5. Nutrition

Interpersonal Skills

1. Communication Skills


2. Customer Service Skills


3. Psychological/Motivational Skills


4. Leadership Skills

Business Skills

1. Marketing Skills


2. Organizational Skills & Systems


3. Sales Skills


4. Professionalism & Policy]


5. Entrepreneurial Skills

And if we are going to provide the most value to our clients, we must be passionate about learning and dedicate ourselves to the study of many topics.

“Those who love wisdom must investigate many things.”  Heraclitus

Many trainers are uncomfortable with the final skill set, developing business skills, self-promotion, and sales.  But these are the very tools that will allow us to help more people, and if we don’t reach them, other average or below average trainers will be getting their message in front of them.

• Providing them with misinformation.
• Creating a cycle of dependence.
• Perpetuating those fitness myths that will just not go away!

So we are in the business of not only empowering our clients and getting them in shape, but also in the business of mass education.  And by raising the public’s understanding, they will be better able to make decisions about exercise, and be a lot less likely to train with bad trainers.  By raising the bar and pushing the standards up, we can redefine what it means to be a fitness professional :-)

You may not agree with everything above, and that is totally cool.  Not every fitness business should be the same and I would love to hear what you think of these standards, if there is anything you think that is missing, or what you like about the Association of Elite Fitness Professionals and its goals.

Leave me some questions in the comments and I will get right back to you.  SHOW ME YOU ARE ALIVE!

Until next time, keep your business fit.

Johnny Fitness

Related posts:

1. Facebook Fan Pages for Savy Fitness Professionals
2. Personal Fitness Training Business
3. The Fitness Professionals Licensing Act – What do you think?