Research from leading fitness educators The Training Room has shown more people are seeking the advice and support of personal trainers to help manage mental health issues. More than 55% of personal trainers (PTs) questioned reported that they are seeing more and more clients approach them with mental health concerns and worries, which they say are largely caused by work related stress and financial concerns.
The straw-poll survey, which was carried out amongst The Training Room graduates showed that personal trainers are also having to work longer hours and spend more time counselling clients. 78% report that they spend up to five hours a week responding to clients’ messages and giving them help and advice outside of their paid for one to one sessions.
Greg Slade, Head of Health and Fitness at The Training Room said: “The fitness industry is becoming much more diverse, with a strong shift towards overall wellness and this feedback from our graduates shows just that. The implications for personal trainers and gym operators are interesting and will require PTs to demonstrate greater levels of emotional intelligence and empathy for their clients.”
This news comes hot on the heels of the launch of the newly refreshed Level 3 personal trainer qualification, which provides more in-depth coverage of the soft skills personal trainers need to demonstrate, which in turn will present more opportunities for PTs and operators alike.
Encouragingly, the research also shows that gym operators and managers recognise and value the training and qualifications personal trainers gain, with 66% of PTs agreeing that operators value, recognise and understand advanced qualifications.
personal trainers in the fitness sector seem to have a positive outlook, with 75% of them wanting to remain working in the sector for the foreseeable future and 73% agreeing that the roles are living up to expectation.
Greg adds: “It’s an exciting time for the sector as it grows and evolves. It’s great to see personal trainers making a genuine impact on the health and overall wellbeing of their clients. As educators we will be working with our graduates and operators alike to ensure personal trainers have the skills and confidence needed to manage and work with clients with increased demands from them, including mental health concerns and worries.”
The research was carried out in April 2018 amongst The Training Room graduate base. 89 personal trainers responded to this questionnaire.
