The Fitness and Health Expo is running big events for Fitness Professional’s throughout Australia. The advertisements feature big, exciting images of sports, sports supplements and athletes. There’s bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions. There are even discussions – by sports coaches – about bodybuilding vs powerlifting training… at the Fitness Expo… to Fitness Professionals… who are absolutely explicitly not allowed or insured to provide bodybuilding or powerlifting coaching!
Given the scope of practice of Fitness Professionals, defined by Fitness Australia, does not include “sports coaching”, isn’t it misleading to then fill a Fitness Expo with sports? And isn’t it even more misleading to particularly feature bodybuilding and powerlifting in the Expo ads after Fitness Australia’s new insurance partner, Guild, explicitly states that Personal Trainers are not covered for bodybuilding and powerlifting training?
Or maybe you missed that Fitness Australia did this? You could be forgiven. They did bury the fact deep into the bottom of the scope of practice document and give it mention in just 2 seemingly innocuous words: sports coaching.
Those 2 words have enormous weight when you get sued, though. Sports Coaching includes bodybuilding and powerlifting strength training. You know, the training that any and every good PT and gym instructor has done with clients for decades? Well, thats formally not allowed any more. Its even stated in the Guild insurance policy. Don’t wait for a memo. It won’t come.
This Expo would be excellent if only it wasn’t misleading and deceiving the public and professional Trainers about what a Personal Trainer’s job really is. Why does FA continue to mislead everyone into thinking Fitness is something that they, themselves, define it as not being? Are they so embarrassed about the product they are selling that they need to lie about what it really is? Or are they just pathologically dishonest about everything from the need to register with them to what their insurance covers?
Sports Coaching includes bodybuilding and powerlifting strength training. You know, the training that any and every good PT and gym instructor has done with clients for decades? Well, thats formally not allowed any more.
If you are a Fitness Australia registered Fitness Professional/Personal Trainer then be sure to sign up for the Fitness and Health Expo! You’ll get the best advice on how to operate outside of your scope of practice so you can be sued into oblivion with absolutely no insurance cover from your Fitness Australia recommended Guild (or Marsh) policy.
When you are there, please show FA’s Scope of Practice to everyone. Particularly the last page where it says the scope does not include sports coaching. Then point around the Expo at all the sports. Then point to the presentations on sports, like this one about bodybuilding vs powerlifting training; both of which are specifically excluded from Guild’s FA endorsed insurance. Show them them that FA has officially stated that everything in the building (sport) that they are endorsing is not allowed by fitness professionals and not covered in their insurance.
Then ask why the hell you should be registered with them?
Tell everybody there about Recomp which is the organisation Trainers should register and insure through if you want to be properly covered for coaching bodybuilding and powerlifting to the general public and athletes! And Recomp saves you from the rest of the Fitness Australia BS; such as needing to do CEC courses to stay registered with the people whose insurance does not cover you for what you do!
Fitness Australia continue to discredit themselves at every turn. Endorsing this Expo after shunning PT’s for offering the services in it cannot be seen as anything other than outright deliberate deception. Good PT’s have been fed up for a long time. There are several alternatives to Fitness Australia. Get out!
