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 Standards

Fitness Trainer Standards

Local, State & Federal Laws

Standard 1 Fitness practitioners are to abide by any city, regional, county, state, provincial, or federal laws that affect the daily practice of said fitness practitioner, whether related to providing fitness or nutrition services, or business operational procedures.

Mission Statement & Code of Ethics

Standard 2 Fitness practitioners will have a Mission Statement that includes his or her general direction within the industry/profession and is supported by specific and clearly defined objectives.

Standard 3 Fitness practitioners will maintain a Code of Ethics.

Health & Safety

Standard 4 Fitness practitioners will have every client complete necessary questionnaire, consent, and waiver forms for legal reasons and to help evaluate a client's medical and exercise history, interpret the results, and recognize those needing referral to appropriate health care professionals. The health questionnaire form will include the physician's consent, unless waived by the client.

Standard 5 Each client will undertake a fitness profile (and various possible testing procedures) and physical/nutrition assessment when permissible by law. The fitness profile tests will depend on accessibility to equipment as well as applicability to the client.

Standard 6 Fitness practitioners must know their limitations and always cooperate with clients' health care professionals (e.g., doctor, dietitian, physical therapist, or psychologist), and provide service in clients' best interests in accordance to health care professionals' instructions.

1. Fitness practitioners will not cross into areas reserved for licensed health care practitioners (e.g., medicine, nursing, physical therapy, dietetics, chiropractic and, in some areas, athletic training or psychology, unless also qualified in those areas.

2. As per Standard 1, fitness practitioners are to abide by state/provincial and federal statutes that authorize certain licensed health care providers and should consult with a legal representative to determine the existence and extent of such laws in their areas.

Standard 7 Fitness practitioners will provide a reasonably safe environment and level of care and will investigate any relative specific medical conditions of all clients to determine contraindications to exercise, together with special procedures and safety standards if exercise is allowed in such cases.

Standard 8 Fitness practitioners will determine the client's needs and goals and then ascertain whether those needs and goals can be served relative to the unique individualism of the client, and if there are possible contraindications of an exercise program or change in nutrition.

Standard 9 Services will be provided only when there is no legal risk to the fitness practitioner or physical risk to the client.

1. Services will not be provided or an agreement entered with a client unless that person completes a questionnaire, in relation to the individual's risk in participating in a fitness or exercise service and that questionnaire and is assessed by a personnel who is properly trained.

2. Where answers to a questionnaire indicate that an individual may be at risk from participating in a particular fitness service, do not supply any fitness service unless the client states that he or she has received advice from a medical practitioner or any appropriate health professional to the effect that the client, in the opinion of the fitness or other health care professional, is not at risk from participating in the proposed fitness service.

3. Where there is evidence that a client may be at risk from participating in an exercise activity, do not provide a fitness service until an appropriately qualified person has provided advice to the client in relation to an appropriate fitness program.

(The above information will provide details as to a starting point for a fitness lifestyle, general directions to be taken for exercise or nutrition prescriptions, and any contraindications that should be considered.)

Standard 10 Fitness practitioners must not prescribe or recommend or provide substances that are illegal, prohibited, or harmful to their clients for any purpose including enhancing performance or conditioning the physique. Only those substances that are lawful and scientifically proven to be beneficial or, at least, not harmful may be recommended or provided to clients so long as there is no intent to commit fraud for financial gain.

Standard 11 Explanation of exercise and breathing technique, and proper use of equipment is to proceed in a logical format that is communicated in an appropriate manner relative to the client's comprehension and experience.

Standard 12 Fitness practitioners will ensure each client full attention, adequate supervision, clear communication, and a safe, unencumbered area in which to exercise.

1. Never leave clients unattended, or redirect your attention for extended periods except in the case of an emergency. Socializing with others, or focusing on anyone or anything other than the client is improper conduct. A momentary lapse of supervision can result in an injury.

2. The area and client (in and around equipment) must be clearly visible at all times during supervision; clear communication is necessary; the ability to act quickly to assist a client in need is necessary. Peak hours of an exercise facility will affect overall quality and consistency of standards in these regards. Carefully planned appointments with a sufficient number of qualified staff must be considered.

3. There must not be an inappropriate number of clients being supervised or exercising as to reduce the quality of supervision or free movement of clients.

Prescriptive Measures

Standard 13 Fitness practitioners must track a minimum amount of information, including the type of exercise or use of particular equipment, volume (workout duration, sets, and repetitions), frequency, load or resistance and intensity of effort (i.e., heart rate in the instance of continuous endurance-based exercise). In the instance of nutrition services, food intake quantity and items are to be recorded for analysis or provided to an individual with appropriate skills for assessment purposes. Fitness practitioners are to track clients' heart rates during exercise or use a heart rate monitor if preferred. Heart monitoring is mandatory for clients over the age of 40 with a history of family heart disease, and mandatory for all clients over age 50.

Standard 14 Fitness practitioners are to prescribe exercise elements relative to clients' individuality, such as intensity of effort relative to individual needs, goals and tolerances, a factor that must take into account the prescribed measure of volume and frequency, which measures reflect the intensity of effort and an appropriate load or resistance relative to the activity in question. In regard to nutrition programs, prescription of nutrition must take into account the needs and goals of the client as well as client preferences. Inclusion of foods disliked by the client to increase the fitness practitioner's financial gain when other equal and preferred choices are available is unethical.

Standard 15 The program prescribed by the fitness practitioner must be the safest possible relative to the goals of the client. If safer alternatives exist to achieve the same results, those alternatives must be chosen. Choices are to be presented to the client in the decision-making process or to communicate the direction of the fitness plan in general.

Standard 16 Fitness practitioners must be accountable for their actions, being able to explain to clients what is being done and why, even if those reasons are estimations for purposes of experimentation. If validation of a more dangerous method or strategy cannot be expressed verbally or in writing, or based on hypotheses as opposed to fact, then safer proven methods or strategies must be considered or given priority.

Standard 17 Fitness practitioners must prescribe a fitness program that involves the least amount of activity to achieve the greatest benefit relative to the client's needs and goals. Including superfluous activity in order to generate greater financial revenue is considered an unethical and fraudulent act.

Standard 18 All services rendered will include the opening of a client file. That file will consist of a general report of what actions to take, an analysis of the results achieved, and future recommendations for the client upon leaving your services if such an event were to occur. The report also may contain daily, weekly, and monthly note summaries.

Standard 19 Fitness practitioners are to track and assess/evaluate client progress by means of body part measurements, the use of a weight scale, or changes in exercise or athletic performance as a minimum standard.

Administrative & Operational

Standard 20 Fitness practitioners will document that clients are satisfied with the instructional and educational services provided.

Standard 21 Fitness practitioners will maintain and improve their knowledge when possible through additional education avenues considered to be sources of reliable information.

Standard 22 Fitness practitioners must maintain sufficient liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance based on accepted industry standards.

Standard 23 In support of the health & safety standards, fitness practitioners are to establish risk management plans that may coincide or reflect the risk management plan of the facility or location in which clients exercise, whether in commercial facilities, non-profit centers or home-based locations.

Standard 24 Any fitness practitioner registered with the BFS and who owns and operates a fitness facility must register that facility with the BFS and abide by the Fitness Facility standards as set out by the BFS.

Standard 25 All client information provided and collected by the practitioner is to remain confidential unless released by the client.

Standard 26 Where a written complaint is made a practitioner will:

  • Provide the complainant with written feedback within 10 days of receiving the complaint regarding the result of action taken by the practitioner to resolve the complaint.
  • If it is not possible to resolve the complaint within 10 days, provide written acknowledgment of the receipt of the complaint within 7 days and specify the time frame that the complainant will receive feedback regarding the result of action taken by the institute to resolve the complaint.
  • Safely maintain and store records on all complaints received for a period of five years.

Standard 27 The practitioner must demonstrate continued compliance to maintain BFS accreditation by:

  • Annually completing and submitting its membership dues and supporting report of the BFS standards.
  • Reporting any changes in procedures (including client assessment method changes).
  • Providing any information the BFS may require in order to investigate allegations that involve lack of compliance to the standards contained herein.