NEWS
News and views from the New Zealand fitness industry.
This is the foundation for delivering safe, but still effective, exercise
For too long the pre-screening process for personal
training clients in New Zealand has been inconsistent, at
best. Thankfully, this is set to change. At the recent FitEx
Conference in Auckland, the New Zealand Register of
Exercise Professionals (REPs) launched New Zealand’s
first ever evidence-based pre-screening form and
supporting guide for exercise professionals. The system
provides a cutting-edge new tool to deliver high quality
pre-screening and program development.
Developed by Dr Nigel Harris and Dr Lance Dalleck
for REPs, this will be an extremely valuable tool, with
the industry best practice guide easily accessible by
exercise professionals when screening clients with a
range of health and medical conditions. The guide, for
example, includes a section on exercise and medication
interactions, and the recommended modifications to
exercise programs. For full details, visit reps.org.nz
There has been a strong need for a comprehensive
evidence-based pre-screen system, so this is a
welcome development. As our industry continues to
professionalise, it is crucial to have a best practice
Big weekend for NZ fitness
The New Zealand fitness
industry recently held
its big weekend, with
both industry awards
and conference taking
place between 21 and 23
November.
The 3-day FitEx conference saw over 700 attendees take part in
more than 80 sessions delivered by 40+ presenters from around the
globe. The event featured ‘The Great Nutrition Debate’ where those
in favour of more traditional dietary advice went head-to-head with
proponents of the ‘new school’ of eating behaviours.
The Fitness Industry Awards night saw tickets sell out, despite a
30 per cent increase in seating capacity at the black tie event. For
many of the finalists, a new hands-on practical assessment took
place on the day before the awards, in which finalists in many of
the exercise professional categories were put through their paces
by the judges, and assessed on a range of topics, from exercise
prescription to business acumen and client experience. A full list of
finalists and winners can be found at fitnessindustryawards.co.nz
16 | NETWORK SUMMER 2014
standard that can be both used by exercise professionals
and recognised by allied heath professionals. To this
end, the new system includes a template for a referral
introduction letter from the exercise professional to a GP,
should medical clearance be required.
The pre-screening system – which is free to be used
by every appropriately registered exercise professional
– has been designed to ensure increased safety for the
exercising public, while also maintaining the effectiveness
of the exercise prescription process. The upshot of this
is that anyone training with an exercise professional who
uses the n ]