I was recently asked to answer questions for a business student’s dissertation on how covid-19 has impacted my role in the fitness industry.

It was an interesting conversation not just covering the obvious questions such as loss of business. The student also asked did I think that supporting mental wellbeing and mindfulness was in the remit of fitness professionals during these most stressful times.

We are not out of the “Covid Woods” yet, but as its stand’s I have been doing ok. I am blessed with amazing clients who have stuck with me throughout the pandemic.

I have also learnt some valuable lessons over this time, one of which is the importance of communication. If you want to make a living in fitness coaching, you have to be a good communicator and even more importantly a good listener. You can have all the anatomy and physiology, sports and exercise science qualifications in the world but if you don’t know how to convey complexed knowledge in practical and fun ways you won’t survive.

Will people go back to the gym post Covid?

Of course, many gyms will survive but I think the landscape will change. The big chains will survive because of the finances they have behind them. I do think you might see branches in cities close if more people continue to work from home. Gyms that have worked hard during lock down to maintain a sense of community amongst their members in my opinion will bounce back. CrossFit is a good example of that, one of its big attractions is the social aspect of its facilities and from what I have seen many boxes have tried to continue that online. Everyone has missed the social aspect of gyms, those facilities that really work hard on getting to know their members will get through what are still tough times ahead.

Is it right for fitness professionals to include mindfulness and wellbeing work with their clients?

Being a trainer is more than just prescribing exercises and counting reps. If your trainer only ever counts 1-10 and tells you to bicep curl, I would say you are not getting good value. A trainer should be a good listener and pick up on the signs that life outside the gym is affecting how you perform in the gym. At the same time a good trainer should know when to refer out if a client comes to them with a problem that is out of their scope of practice.

Personally, I make sure I have a network of trusted therapists, physios and other specialists so I can say “I don’t know how to answer that, but I know this person can help”

Will people still workout at home?

Before this year you may have bought fitness equipment that turned into clothes dryers! With gym closed, exercise options were limited so we dug deep into sheds and cupboards and started using that lost exercise equipment on a regular basis. For some the kit will get shoved back in the shed when the gyms reopen. For others, especially those who are now going to work from home, having a home gym is more flexible. Add on to that the money saved on gym membership and it becomes an attractive option.  Personally, I love working out at home, but it doesn’t suit everyone. There is another possibility, that is a more hybrid approach. You might see a shift to people downgrading the gym memberships to off peak hours and the rest of the time working out at home. It is going to be interesting to see how gyms adapt their membership packages and fees post lockdown.

I have worked for nearly 25 years in fitness working in commercial and corporate gyms alongside running my own personal training business.  I have seen many changes in the industry and trends come and go. There will, however, always be a demand for a wide variety of workout spaces but some will stick around longer than others.

If you are struggling to fit your training in or just don’t know where to start and would like to talk about training online with me find me at http://www.laurawoodley.com