By Tom Richards
For well over 30 years, the club industry has patiently, persistently, pursued and then implemented improvements to solidify its position as a viable, credible, and effective resource for health, fitness, and wellness services.
The remarkable progress that’s been made is a credit to the efforts of a wide range of players, including concerned individuals, club companies, industry suppliers, trade associations, and, of particular note, education and certifying organizations.
The first certifications for individuals involved in exercise science made their debut in the mid-1970s and were designed for clinical professionals. They were soon followed, however, by ones for exercise instructors, aerobics teachers, personal trainers, nutrition advisers, and other industry practitioners.
In 1981, Nautilus, the equipment company and, then, a club operator, developed a trainer certification for instructors working in its facilities. In 1986, the IDEA Health and Fitness Association led a drive to develop a certification program for aerobics teachers. By 1988, IDEA and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) were both awarding personal-trainer credentials, and were soon followed by, among others, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) . . .
As the variety of specialties encompassed and the number of groups providing education and credentialing programs proliferated, the industry’s level of professionalism, as planned, increased. But, so, too, did the opportunity for unqualified or unscrupulous individuals to take advantage of the growing demand for fitness services, and, in turn, "credentialed" club staff.
In the early 2000s, a rash of largely unwarranted critical press coverage prompted responsible industry leaders to focus even more intensely on the issue of qualifications. That led IHRSA, working in concert with other organizations, to formulate a formal recommendation. It suggested that its member clubs hire personal trainers holding either: a current certification from a certifying body that had begun third-party accreditation of its certification procedures from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA); or a personal training certificate/degree from an educational institution approved by an accreditation body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and/or the U.S. Department of Education.
In short: IHRSA hoped to elevate the bar by demonstrating the qualifications of the agencies that, themselves, certified trainers.
Today, six years after the proposal was offered, the profession boasts 10 NCCA-accredited certifications and at least four educational programs that have already obtained, or are in the process of obtaining, accreditation. “The personal training industry’s willingness to self-regulate through accreditation strengthens the credibility of IHRSA clubs as safe and effective places to pursue a healthy lifestyle,” observes Joe Moore, IHRSA’s president and CEO.
The risk of state regulation
Ironically, however, the impressive movement toward self-regulation via accreditation now appears to be colliding with a wave of legislation pushing for state regulation of the industry’s practices and protocols. In fact, legislators in Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., have introduced bills that would establish minimum professional qualifications and require all personal trainers to obtain a government-issued license. At the moment, the bills in the District of Columbia and New Jersey are pending, while the bills in Maryland and Georgia, while currently inactive, are expected to be reintroduced later this year.
Industry stakeholders have reacted to these legislative proposals with sentiments ranging from concern, to confusion, to vexed opposition. “The bills introduced thus far ignore the major steps that the personal-training industry has taken to use accreditation as a responsible means of self-regulation to ensure consumer safety,” notes Amy Bantham, IHRSA’s deputy vice president of government relations.
So far, IHRSA has launched advocacy campaigns in the District of Columbia and New Jersey that have inspired 130 club owners, personal trainers, group-exercise instructors, and consumers to send nearly 2,000 e-mails to more than 100 legislators.
“Many members of the fitness community are expressing their opposition to bills that ignore the high accreditation standards already in place, and that could have the dual effect of reducing the number of fitness professionals providing personal-training services, and, in turn, the number of consumers pursuing physical activity programs,” explains Bantham.
Art Curtis, Ph.D, the CEO of Millennium Sports Club Management, based in Boston, and an IHRSA board member, is skeptical of the government’s ability to create appropriate regulation. Millennium, which operates a chain of 11 luxury facilities under the brand name The Sportsclub/LA, has one location in Washington, D.C., that could be affected by proposed legislation. “If regulations effectively discriminate between good and bad trainers, that could be okay,” concedes Curtis, “but, if they fail to do that in the broadest sense of the word, then they could become a very bad thing for the industry. It’s important to protect the public from unqualified trainers . . . without excluding a trainer with a track record of effectiveness.”
Mike Epstein, the co-owner of Gold’s Gym Paramus, in Paramus, New Jersey, also questions the ability of the government to properly regulate the industry. “The state is in no position to know how to regulate, educate, and track our industry,” he says. “Too much regulation is costly, and will make training more expensive for the consumer, and more expensive for individuals to pursue as a career. Self-regulation will serve the industry and consumers much better.”
Prominent members of the personal-training community have also expressed reservations about the prospect of the government establishing regulations for the industry. “Government regulation is, typically, not a good thing, unless it truly engages the science and expertise of the industry it’s regulating,” cautions Neal Pire, FACSM, the president of InsPIRE Training Systems. “Standardization of practice can be a great thing, as long as it’s evidence-based. The industry has been making great strides to that end through self-regulation.”
“Some level of regulation can always benefit the profession and the consumer,” acknowledges Brian Biagioli, Ed.D., the executive director of the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). “That being said, regulations that create barriers to exercise; limit the ability of qualified practitioners to serve the public; create unnecessary barriers to a profession in high need—whether intentionally or not; or present overreaching standards by improper governance . . . are completely inappropriate.”
In the coming months, IHRSA intends to be at the forefront of the fight to protect personal trainers from unnecessary and burdensome regulations. The association is convinced that it’s imperative for legislators to hear the questions, critical comments, and positive recommendations of fitness professionals as they consider legislation that may shape the industry’s future.
- Tom Richards, tgr@ihrsa.org
Summary of Legislative Proposals
District of Columbia
?- Prohibits personal trainers from working with “unhealthy” individuals
?- Creates a mandatory professional registry for personal trainers
?- Delegates regulatory power over the personal-training profession, including the power to exclude individuals from the registry, to the mayor’s office
?
Georgia
?- Requires personal trainers to meet minimum qualifications and training requirements
?- Empowers the government to grant a personal trainer’s license, without examination, to any qualified applicant who holds a certification from a national certification organization that’s accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
?
Maryland
?- Requires personal trainers to meet educational and training requirements imposed by the government, including the completion of a number of credit hours of physical education at an accredited post-secondary institution
?- Requires CPR and AED training from a government-recognized program.
?- Requires personal-training sessions to be held in a facility with an accessible AED
- Imposes an application and licensing renewal fee
?- Requires applicants for licensure to possess a degree from an accredited post-secondary institution
New Jersey
- Requires personal trainers to complete educational requirements, including 150 hours of government-approved course work
- Requires personal trainers to be certified by the National Board of Fitness Examiners
- Requires clubs employing fitness professionals to register and pay an undetermined fee every two years
- Requires new applicants for licensure to either complete 300 hours of government-approved class work, including 50 hours of an unpaid internship, or possess a degree in a related field
For more information on legislation relating to personal trainers, please contact IHRSA’s Government Relations team at gr@ihrsa.org
Tim Sullivan, IHRSA’s Legislative Analyst, contributed to this summary.
Certification for Clubs?
Industry takes steps to self-regulate to ensure consumer safety
These are heady times for fitness advocates. The research is in, and the results are clear: physical activity is, not surprisingly, very, very good for you. "If we had a pill that contained all of the benefits of exercise, it would be the most widely prescribed drug in the world,” was the conclusion of Ronald M. Davis, M.D., the late president of the American Medical Association (AMA).
Yet, despite all the wonderful news about the benefits of exercise, only 15% of Americans currently belong to a health club. This suggests that important questions remain about how to convince the average person to make the leap from knowing about the benefits of exercise to actually pursuing them. Identifying the answers to those questions and responding appropriately could usher in a new era of impressive growth for the health club industry.
One thing, however, is already patently clear: Safety, in fact, is a threshold issue—a factor that will either prevent a person from embarking on an exercise regimen, or permit them to do so with confidence. It’s a consideration for prospective members, who, obviously, want to feel safe while exercising. It’s also a concern for many medical and health professionals, who, before referring a patient or client to a fitness facility, want to know that they’ll be well cared for.
To help provide this assurance, an initiative has been launched to create a voluntary certification process for staffed fitness facilities that would strengthen the industry’s reputation for providing safe and healthy exercise programs. The effort is being spearheaded by NSF International, a world leader in standards development for public health and safety, with IHRSA’s assistance. NSF invited IHRSA to serve on the joint committee responsible for developing and approving the certification standards, and the association accepted after confirming that every IHRSA member would have the chance to have their voice heard.
IHRSA’s participation in the process is guided by five principles:
- The standards should reflect current responsible industry practices.
- Certification should grow the club industry by increasing consumer confidence in the safety of accredited facilities.
- It should receive positive attention from the medical community, increasing the number of patient referrals to clubs.
- It should also receive positive attention from employers, insurance companies, and other potential third-party payers.
- Finally, the certification standards must be practical.
IHRSA expects the certification process to address the following topics:
- Preactivity screening and orientation
- Staffing requirements
- Emergency and risk-management procedures,
- And operational practices
“A voluntary certification process could prove a great opportunity for many IHRSA members,” posits Moore, IHRSA’s president and CO, “but only if the standards make sense for the industry. It’s crucial for all interested IHRSA members to get involved, provide feedback, and share expertise.”
The joint committee is expected to vote on the certification standards in the late spring or early summer of this year. Moore urges IHRSA members to learn more about the initiative, and to share their thoughts and suggestions with the association, in the weeks to come, in one of the following ways:
- Visit www.ihrsa.org/facilitycertification to download public documents about the development of the standards and provide your feedback via gr@ihrsa.org.
- Attend a forum on the certification standards during IHRSA’s 28th Annual IHRSA International Convention Trade Show in San Diego, March 16-19;
- And submit public comments directly to the Joint Committee for consideration following the official release of the proposed standards.
For more information on accreditation, including a list of organizations that have either achieved or are undergoing accreditation, please visit www.ihrsa.org/accreditation.
To become involved with grassroots advocacy, contact IHRSA’s government-relations team at gr@ihrsa.org or visit www.ihrsa.org/grassroots.
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Accreditation
For more information on accreditation, including a list of organizations that have either achieved or are undergoing accreditation, please visit www.ihrsa.org/accreditation.
Get Involved!
To become involved with grassroots advocacy, contact IHRSA’s government-relations team at gr@ihrsa.org or visit www.ihrsa.org/grassroots.
February CBI Feature Stories:
Primed for Success
Town Sports International Holdings, Inc. has had its stock price hammered by the recession, but CEO Alex Alimanestianu remains sure of its strength.
Asia-Pacific Market
Special CBI excerpt: The newest edition of IHRSA’s Asia Pacific Market Report provides a detailed guide to this dynamic market.
How to Stay Afloat
Industry sales authority Casey Conrad describes how five club companies are adapting their strategies to weather the stormy economy
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