THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF AN EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY WORKSHOP FOR PERSONAL FITNESS TRAINERS: A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH

Abstract

The field of personal fitness training is one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States. Historically, scholars, undergraduate institutions, and national certifying organizations that focused on the education of personal fitness trainers have given instructional priority to biological and exercise science content. However, more recent research has underscored the value of psychological and interpersonal skills in driving clients' health and fitness goal attainment. Consequently, the goal of the present study was to determine the impact of a five-hour exercise psychology experiential workshop on levels of perceived importance, confidence in knowledge, and content knowledge of key exercise psychology concepts and skills in a non-randomized sample of personal fitness trainers and students (n = 41). Through a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design, participants were assessed quantitatively pre-intervention and post-intervention. A qualitative follow-up assessment was conducted one-month post-intervention with a sub-set of participants (n = 17). The workshop produced significant improvements in self-reported measures of confidence in knowledge and perceptions of importance of key exercise psychology concepts and skills as well as content knowledge of the exercise psychology concepts covered in the workshop. Further quantitative analyses revealed that certain demographics, namely gender, age, and academic coursework had distinct associations with each of the outcome variables. Follow-up qualitative analyses suggested that participants rated the workshop highly and described their experience in predominately positive terms. Suggestions were provided on how to improve the workshop, particularly focusing on elements of its content and overall structure. Results from the current study highlight the need for increased exposure of personal fitness trainers to instruction in exercise psychology. Given the benefits of developing exercise psychology knowledge, skills, and abilities, the results of this research indicate that preparation for the personal fitness training profession can be enhanced through increased attention to exercise psychology. Limitations of the current study and future directions for outcome research and practice are discussed.