News & Features

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.

It is now much easier to renew your REPs membership online by logging into your Members Dashboard.

Following the release of the new REPs website you can choose your package with a few clicks of a button – a far quicker process than phoning us to renew.

From Sunday, July 1 2018 renewals over the phone will be subject to a £5 administration charge. Of course, we are more than happy to assist with any query you may have, so please do not be scared to call – we will not automatically make the charge!

By encouraging online renewals it will help reduce the high volume of calls to our customer service team and free them up to spend more time answering your membership enquiries and e-mails.

Please note we

With the ever changing landscape of online health and fitness training we have been negotiating with our insurers to cover this developing mode of training.

In the past we have not been able to cover injuries that are suffered by someone following an exercise video that has been uploaded onto the various channels – the good news is this is now included in your REPs insurance, the bit to be aware of is the standard policy does not cover any publishing or professional indemnity risk. If you require this you will need to purchase additional insurances and by contacting Howdens using the details below.

Virtual training has always been covered by the REPs insurance where the trainer can view their client online through the various modes e.g. Skype, FaceTime, etc. but we are now able to confirm that online programming falls

How are you in the mornings? Full of beans and raring to go, or sluggish until you’ve had a cup of coffee or logged onto your work computer? If the latter resonates with you, and your sleepy morning slump is hard to shake, you might be open to considering a change to your daily routine – such as exercising early in the morning, before you launch into the day.

This post, courtesy of the workout gurus at Start Fitness, will explain the benefits of this shift towards AM exertion. There’s probably more to it than you think.

Coming into work in the morning, having already been for a run or completed a challenging workout at the gym will leave you feeling motivated and en

There is one mistake we see far too many fitness professionals and business owners making and it’s incredibly painful to watch: They are vastly undercharging for their services, writes Sean Greeley, NPE Founder & CEO.

Undercharging can take many forms. It can mean charging too little, poor packaging, and incorrectly structured margins¹.

But all these mistakes mean slim to zero profit in your business.

If you’re working your butt off, and aren’t finishing with more money at the end of the month than when you started, this area needs your attention.

How do you know if you’re currently undercharging?

More important, how can you make changes once you’ve identified them to ensure your continued success?

Well, let’s dive into that…