Make Excellence Your Business


BY LUCINDA JENSEN I


believe 2017 will be a year of magnified introspection and laser-focused actions


for fitness facility owners, managers and fitness professionals. Here is what I think we will see emerge:


1. Strict requirement for certified professionals Fitness enthusiasts now walk and


talk the jargon that for decades was the special language of fitness profes- sionals. Ask a runner about her split lap time or an indoor cycling enthusi- ast about his lactic threshold and buff- ering rate—they know them. Likewise, those same enthusiasts can tell you about their trainers’ certifications and the organizations that provide them. Before signing on, some fitness enthu- siasts are contacting certifying orga- nizations to verify a trainer’s status. In 2017, facility and department manag- ers will need to do their due diligence to ensure they hire qualified and cre- dentialed trainers and instructors and to ensure that their credentials are maintained and current.


2. Higher adherence to scope of practice In the past few years there has been


an influx of medical doctors and vari- ous therapists into the fitness educa- tion arena. The information imparted is often excellent and well presented, however, in some cases the informa- tion borders on or is outside the scope of practice of a personal trainer. It is not unheard of to observe a trainer manipulating a client’s back or pro- viding effleurage to a runner’s thigh


as a post-run cooldown. As everyone becomes more aware of the related le- gal issues and cases before the courts, owners and managers will need to be on guard to ensure trainers stay within their scope of practice.


3. In-house training for staff As facilities continue to increase


the size of their training departments, there will be an increase in network- ing and partnering with existing edu- cation providers for in-house educa- tion. This shift will reduce training costs, increase the standard of train- ing received and reduce the reluc- tance of staff to participate in training that is not recognized outside of their facilities. In essence, facility manag- ers and owners will make it easier for their staff to stay educated while mini- mizing their time away from their facilities.


4. Decrease in per trainer on-floor hours/increase in à la carte services Many trainers will evaluate the


quality of their lives and their income streams in 2017. They will begin to explore alternative means of income, such as online training and add-on/ à la carte services. If trainers are on the floor for 50+ minutes with their clients and have only 5-10 minutes between sessions, there is little time for them to create quality programs for their clients. Established trainers will learn that decreasing the number of hours on the training floor and charging a set fee for program design and ancil- lary services is the best option. Facility owners and managers will also have to acknowledge this fact and re-evaluate their staffing and pricing schedules.


5. Growth in activity-specific facilities Activity-specific facilities (think in- door cycling, yoga and martial arts


» January/February 2017 Fitness Business Canada 23


Lucinda Jensen owner Lucinda Jensen Consulting education and conference manager Certified Professional Trainers Network


studios) are not new. The diversity of these activities is expanding to include obstacle course competitions, indoor boot camps, suspension training, bal- let barre workouts, parkour training, Olympic lifting and athlete perfor- mance. The model allows fitness pro- fessionals to focus on their strengths in a space as cozy as 3,000 sq. ft., and the affordability of smaller spaces makes this a growing segment of the fitness community. The boutique size also means there is room to adapt the model if required.


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