THE INCREASE OF FEMALE PERSONAL TRAINERS
The gym has often been viewed as a male-dominated environment, from the dark metal weights to the man in the corner who is dripping in sweat and groaning at every lift, which can be intimidating for many women. In a previous blog, we mentioned that the importance of diversity within the gym environment, and how diversity is becoming more recognised and addressed. The increase of diversity can be seen through the rise of female personal trainers within the last five years; a UK-based study from 2021 highlighted that within the previous five years, the UK had seen a 17% rise in women becoming qualified personal trainers! (Source); that’s right, women aren’t just cardio bunnies they are often deemed as but leading the fitness training sector! There is nothing quite as empowering as being able to lift heavy, run fast and also being able to educate people in your expertise!
WHY ARE FEMALE PERSONAL TRAINERS NEEDED
The irony of the lack of women in gym environments is that women are mainly the ones who are exposed to marketing towards fitness and wealth. Yet, studies find 1 in 4 women do not feel comfortable going to the gym, so why are women being sold fitness products yet lacking the encouragement to attend gyms? While we could look at the root causes here at Body Aid, we believe in the importance of looking forward, so how can we solve this issue?
1. POWER IN NUMBERS
Womeninsport suggested that one of the best ways to combat this issue is the power in numbers, or as they worded it, “achieving diversity and balance” through more women who attend the gym, the more visible women are in gym environments makes those gym paces look more appealing and friendly to other women. If you want to be a leader in this pursuit, you could take it one step further by becoming a female personal trainer! You would be leading and encouraging more women to join the gym and simultaneously educating more women, and knowledge is always power!
2. PROVIDING A VOICE
Womeninsport also reported to aid women’s empowerment towards leading a more active lifestyle; women need to be given a platform to have a voice, and one of the most direct ways for women to gain that voice is to be an active member in the fitness sector. Gaining a voice could look like having more female fitness influencers, giving more visibility to female athletes and women working as Gym Instructors and Personal Trainers.
3. COMFORTABILITY
As previously stated, 1 in 4 women does not feel comfortable in sports environments. A way to provide more confidence for those women who attend the gym is to have female personal trainers. Female personal trainers provide a safe space to discuss women-related health issues, whether that is the best way to train during your menstrual cycle, weight issues and PCOS. While we aren’t saying male personal trainers can’t provide comfort, we are products of our experiences, and female PTs will be able to relate more due to having shared experiences with female clients.
LUCRATIVE MARKET FOR FEMALE PERSONAL TRAINERS
There is a market for focusing more on women’s health as Stylist highlighted that women are 53% more likely to want a personal trainer than men. At the same time, Strava, the fitness tracking app, reported that in the UK, there was a 108% rise in the medium number of fitness activities completed by women in the age range of 18 to 29. While it is great to see the increase in women being more curious about fitness, the fitness industry needs more female personal trainers to continue this increase. Female personal trainers to encourage more women to pursue fitness while also making them an active voice in empowering more women to enter the space! So, not only could you turn your fitness hobby into a career by becoming a personal trainer you will also be a role model for many women!
If you’re eager to be part of the movement toward a more inclusive gym environment, then you should look into Body Aid Solution’s personal trainer courses.
Spread the cost of your new career pathway up to 36 months. Terms & Conditions apply. No credit check required.
