Horsham-based female personal trainer, Becky, works one-to-one with clients at an independent gym. Here, she shares her thoughts and position regarding inclusion and accessibility, in light of recent legal situations and media coverage in the UK.
This feels both like something that I shouldn’t have to say, and something that I should’ve been clear on a long time ago. I hope that it won’t come as news to anyone who has already worked with me, or knows me personally, as I like to think that I live these values openly. So, for the benefit of clarity, and those I haven’t met yet, it’s time to make a statement on inclusion and accessibility.
Fitness industry inclusion weaknesses
The fitness industry in general is poor in terms of inclusivity. Things are very slowly improving, but the system is hideous from many angles – the way that most coaches are trained, how facilities are set up, and how the industry generally markets itself are all good examples of this. It perpetuates significant barriers to entry for a huge number of people, and worse than that, it can also make certain demographics feel unsafe.
Inclusion is about everyone
Recent media coverage – and our own inherent biases – may lead us to believe that the idea of inclusion relates to certain “issues”. We might conjure up an image of quotas based on ethnicity, or gender identity, but this is reductive.
The truth is that inclusion is for all of us, literally.
Things that we should particularly consider are any groups who are missing from a scenario, and why. In the fitness sector, this is typically people of different gender identities, age groups, and physical characteristics. It’s important to remember that not all inclusion aspects are things that we can see – mental health conditions, sexuality, learning differences, and all sorts of other hidden aspects of our lives can prevent participation.
Fitness spaces tend to be poor in terms of physical access, and the gym I work at is unfortunately a significant example of this. Certain processes are in place to support those with physical disabilities accessing the space, but many things are missing, and these are factors I can’t control as I don’t own the facility. However, there are other things that I can do to help.
How I support inclusion and access
When I was training to be a personal trainer, a core value for my practice was that I would do my best to help anyone who wanted to train, no matter their starting point or any factors that might be holding them back. My attitude is that I work with adults, who are capable of speaking for themselves and communicating with me so, as long as they haven’t been advised not to train for medical reasons, and they don’t have a condition I’m not qualified to work with, I will listen to their wants and needs.
Feedback is incredibly important, and sometimes it’s a case of asking a client what help they need in order to participate. For one of my clients, this is that I have to help him up the steps into the gym, and with certain pieces of equipment – we have built a positive working relationship, and I will always seek consent from a client before touching them, as well as explaining what I would like to do and why.
One of the best parts of my cancer specialist training was it being clearly spelled out to us that there is huge value in informing your clients regarding certain facilities within the space. The specific example given was relating to those whose treatment had involved provision of a stoma, or who might be suffering from bowel-related treatment side effects. We were taught that it’s worth showing them where the nearest toilet is, giving them unconditional permission to leave the session to make use of it and, if necessary, letting them know where to store any supplies they might need, or facilitating keeping those supplies about their person whilst training. Learning of this kind of experience – which is outside of my own lived experience – encouraged me to think more broadly about what a client might need, and have compassion for differences in our bodies and health.
There are many more things I do to facilitate comfort and safety within the zone of discomfort that is the gym, and these vary on an individual basis. I already have significant experience working with those who have hearing and visual impairments, those who are neurodivergent, and people who live with anxiety and other mental health challenges.
“If you don’t kneel, I know where you stand”
The above is a quote from Michael Holding’s book, Why We Kneel, How We Rise, which is a fantastic collection of reflections on racism. I loved this quote, which sums up the idea people refusing to “take the knee” in support of marginalised people, and that refusal demonstrating a person’s attitude on the topic.
I think that it applies to other contexts too, so it’s time to be more explicit: I stand, forever, in full support of the LGBTQIA+ community. I believe that trans rights are human rights, and aim to be a safe space for those in the LGBTQIA+ community by welcoming people in to my spaces and service, as well as protecting their right to train.
Prior to working with a new client, I go through a medical questionnaire, in order to ensure that it is safe for them to train with me, and so that I’m aware of any issues that I need to factor for. I will only ask questions if there is something that I don’t understand, or require clarification on, I don’t ask questions in order to learn something that is none of my business. Since I started my business, I have also always taken the simple step of asking clients at a first meeting to share their preferred pronouns, and I make a note of these so that I can ensure I use them.
I see my service as an ongoing evolution and development, meaning that I strive to improve wherever possible. If this means hearing some difficult feedback at any point, I accept that, and hope to handle it in the way it should be. If you have any questions prior to considering training with me regarding inclusion and accessibility, I welcome them, and am happy to address them via your preferred method of communication without any obligation.