News & Features

Injuries to joints happen frequently among physically active individuals. In particular, those who are into running are more likely to have some form of ankle injury, writes Zara Elise.

Some of the most common are lateral ligament injuries. An article published in Elsevier stated that 77% of ankle sprains sustained in football involved the lateral ligaments. These injuries can be a recurring condition if the initial ankle sprain is poorly rehabilitated.

Ligaments are the strong fibrous tissues that connect bones to other bones. Those in the ankle help stablilise the joint and keep the bones in their proper position. When one sprains his or her ankle, the most commonly damaged is the anterior

Earlier this year British Weight Lifting (BWL) partnered with Women In Sport to create a campaign – Strong Is Not A Size – that used social media to explore women’s attitudes and experiences of lifting weights, with the ultimate aim of encouraging more women to lift weights as part of their exercise routine.

There were three hypotheses that the campaign was based on, writes BWL Partnership manager Kayleigh Richmond. The first stated that ‘society says weight lifting is for men and not women’. The second discussed whether ‘the environment is not welcoming’ and the third explored whether ‘women were not as knowledgeable as men in the act of weight lifting’.

It was agreed that the focus of the campaign should be around supporting women to gain the confidence to incorporate weight lifting into their routine and ask for help i

'You need to get fit, stay fit and live fit’. Those are the messages we see every day. But for many of us, it’s really difficult to squeeze physical activity into our busy lives.

We need motivations. Not just a reason to get active, but a reason to stay active. It is important for everybody who is part of the coaching family to understand this.

The NHS states that leading a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of developing major illnesses, lower the risk of early death by 30%, while it champions the role of physical activity in helping you lead a healthier and happier life.

We can also need assistance in getting and staying active. That’s where #GreatCoaching comes in.

Great coaching encourages people to be more active, more often.

From

EMD UK is the national governing body for group exercise and 2018 we conducted the National Fitness Survey¹ which showed that group exercise now attracts 4.86 million participants every week. That’s a growth of 1 million participants compared to the same study conducted in 2016¹.

What this demonstrates is that group exercise contributes significantly to the fitness sector and the growth shows no signs of slowing down. When you consider that there is still an estimated 11.5 million² people in England that are inactive, ensuring group exercise delivers a quality experience that engages with all ages, abilities and interests is of major importance.

As professionals that stand at the front of every group exercise class, instructors must know and understand how to plan and prepare a class, give clear instructions on

This promises to be a rip-roaring day packed full of amazing fitness sessions.

Hosted by world class presenters, including group fitness participants, instructors, personal trainers and clients, it is for anyone and everyone who loves fitness and takes place on Saturday 22 September at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

Tickets are priced at £30 and bookings can be made through event organisers Chrysalis Promotions.

The day offers 2 REPs CPD points and has been endorsed by PD:Approval, and will feature its “New Talent” team – a group of newly-endorsed providers showcasing their innovative new programmes.

PD:Approval – the independent quality assurance organisation appointed to kitemark educa

We recently completed an anonymous survey of our email database resulting in 507 personal trainers (PTs) and coaches leaving their feedback. We asked them what they perceived to be their biggest challenges when it comes to advancing their career in the fitness industry.

Overwhelmingly, the response that sits at the top of that list (in almost 70% of cases) is finding enough clients to work with. This is seconded by finding the right clients to work with, writes Brendan Chaplin (pictured), CEO of Strength and Success.

Our findings are supported by recent research from Mindbody¹ which suggests that although 20% of all gym goers feel that PTs or fitness instructors are the most important factor when it comes to sticking to a new routine, just 4% of those people have found their perfect ins

• MINDBODY research reveals the importance of the right instructor for client retention, and how gyms/studios can find the right people for their clients
• One in five people (20%) say that PTs or fitness instructors are the most important factor when it comes to sticking to a new routine, but just 4% claim to have found their perfect instructor 
• One in four people (27%) see a friendly personality as the most important trait for a personal trainer

A new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points system has been launched by the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) to ensure the offer to members is easier to understand, manage and keep up to date.

The new points requirement for REPs members is 10 CPD points over 12 months, replacing the previous 24 point requirement over two years. Health and fitness professionals on the register, owned by UK Coaching, can accrue points by regularly undertaking professional development. Activities may include reading, attending workshops and conferences, courses and qualifications, and online materials such as webinars and podcasts.

Non-endorsed training can be used for a maximum of 2 CPD points per year, whereas training that has been en

In recent months, here at REPs we have noticed some confusion on social media with regards to the type and level of nutrition advice which personal trainers are able to give.

It can be an emotive area as many PTs believe that their nutritional advice is at least as important as the exercise advice they give their clients. Unfortunately, it is apparent that many in our industry fall under the influence of the latest fad or celebrity diet, and thus give poor, confusing or potentially dangerous advice to their clients. In this statement, REPs will try to clarify what the boundaries of appropriate nutrition advice are.

All REPs categories have what are known as ‘Occupational Descriptors’, which describe what instructors should or shouldn’t do as part of their j

As Fitness Professionals should we consider the implication of exercise on the group of muscles known as the pelvic floor?

The short answer is YES! Every movement in functional daily living and exercise involves this often neglected group of muscles at the base of the pelvis, writes Louise Field, founder of Adore Your Pelvic Floor.

To work effectively, the balance of resting tone, strength and flexibility are required.

As a Fitness Professional I am more than aware that we are not exempt from pelvic floor dysfunction. Between the ages of 18 and 40 I was fortunate to have had five boys, including one set of twins.

Postnatally, I worked on regaining my posture and transverse abdominal function, and began teaching my regular classes from nine months post-partum.