Setting the standard for personal trainers across the world
How ICREPs’ latest call to action could change the game for the global fitness industry
Last month, Dubai Active Industry played host to a global development in personal trainer standards.
As a member of ICREPs (International Confederation of Registers of Exercise Professionals), CIMSPA’s Chief Strategy Officer Spencer Moore unveiled a call to action for the global fitness industry to adopt unified, evidence-based practices, which will elevate the quality, safety and public trust in our sector and its professionals.
Who is ICREPs?
ICREPs is an international partnership between registration bodies around the world that register exercise professionals. These organisations uphold standards and promote safe, effective fitness services. Countries represented by members of ICREPs include:
- Australia
- Canada
- China
- India
- Iran
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- Philippines*
- Poland
- South Africa
- Spain*
- Tunisia*
- Turkey*
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom (CIMSPA)
- United States
*Associate Member
The first of many
Kicking off the Dubai Active Industry Summit Series for 2025, ICREPs took centre stage for their first Global Standards Summit, with hopefully more to come in the future.
A huge milestone for the global sport and physical activity sector, the summit brought together international leaders, regulators and educators ready to launch the Global Scope of Practice for Registered Personal Trainers and the Global Professional Standards.
As an industry that is rapidly growing in popularity internationally, but simultaneously unregulated, global standards are critical for embedding professionalism and trust. They will also ensure that fitness professionals can effectively address the needs of clients and stakeholders.
Highlighted during his keynote speech at the summit, Spencer Moore discussed several factors that indicate the urgent need for a more professional and integrated global fitness industry:
- Expansion of the global fitness market
- Increased public health concerns due to confusion over what a personal trainer can and can’t deliver
- Overcoming industry fragmentation
- Building public trust in the profession
- Integration with healthcare and building a collaborative approach
What is a scope of practice?
A scope of practice outlines a professional’s boundaries regarding their work-related activities based on their education, training and experience.Essentially, it demonstrates what a professional is qualified and authorised to do within their specific role.
This includes the tasks, procedures and responsibilities that a professional can undertake, as well as the limits of their competence and what isn’t in their remit to deliver.
A scope of practice is slightly different to a professional standard – a scope of practice is the overarching benchmarks for what a professional, such as a personal trainer, can deliver, which informs the creation of a professional standard. A professional standard goes into more detail about the profession and its progression.
So, what is in the Global Scope of Practice for a personal trainer?
Spencer outlined the scope of expertise during his session:
“A Registered Personal Trainer is an exercise professional with recognised qualifications who designs and delivers individual, pre-planned, non-choreographed exercise programmes. This includes tailored technical coaching to individual clients or organised groups who require a pre-participation evaluation before beginning an exercise programme. The scope also extends to:
- exercise programme design
- instruction on exercise technique and form
- general guidance on health and wellness
- nutritional guidance
- behaviour change, motivational support, cultural competence and goals.
It is a flexible, advisory guidance framework – not a mandatory regulation.”
Professional boundaries
With a scope of practice comes professional boundaries. These help professionals to maintain ethical standards, and, more importantly, protect both clients and trainers by placing appropriate limits on the services, advice and interactions that they are qualified to provide.
Registered Personal Trainers must be aware of their limitations. The key boundaries include, but are not limited to:
- medical diagnosis and treatment
- psychological counselling and therapy
- nutritional counselling beyond general advice
- physical contact
- referrals to other professionals when needed
- honesty about qualifications.
Global scope of practice – the key benefits
A global scope of practice for the Personal Trainer profession could bring an array of key benefits for professionals working in the fitness industry.
A unified professional identity
A global scope of practice would create a single, professional language used internationally. Wouldn’t it be easier for all fitness professionals to refer to the same guidance, no matter which country they reside in? A scope of practice for personal trainers would ultimately:
- ensure that a Registered Personal Trainer operates within defined, professional boundaries, practicing safely, lawfully and effectively
- ensure that the Registered Personal Trainer is acting in the best interests of their clients, including knowing their boundaries and when to refer to other professionals, such as healthcare or nutrition experts
- provides Registered Personal Trainers with guidance, supporting consistent, ethical and evidence formed practice across countries.
Standardising competency and quality
A global scope of practice would ensure a baseline of knowledge. This is the minimum content that a personal trainer would have to demonstrate, to prove their eligibility to be a Registered Personal Trainer. Having this in place means that countries can build their own individual professional standards, which must align with the profession’s global standards.
Facilitating international mobility
Perhaps the most exciting benefit of a global scope of practice being in place would be being able practice your profession as a recognised personal trainer internationally. This would enable certification portability, meaning that the job market will be wide open (as long as your desired country is aligned!).
Whether you are moving to benefit from a higher position, to move closer to family or maybe you just want a change of scenery, a global scope of practice would enable you to continue your profession relatively seamlessly.
The UK’s professional standards
CIMSPA are the guardian of the UK’s sport and physical activity professional standards, apprenticeship standards and standards for deployment.
Created in conjunction with employers, these standards outline the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours an individual must be able to evidence for their respected role.
With over 40 published professional and apprenticeship standards, they cover a vast number of areas including roles in exercise and fitness, leisure operations, community sport, health and wellbeing, and management as well as working with specific populations or environments.
Enhanced global credibility and consumer trust
As the profession continues to grow in popularity across the world, it’s imperative that we do what we can to enhance the credibility of the fitness industry. A global scope of practice will only increase employer, investor and consumer trust in your services.
A collective approach to a scope of practice for the profession will ensure that internationally, everybody is on the same page regarding what a registered personal trainer is qualified to do. This reduces the blurred lines that surround who can call themselves a personal trainer, which ultimately will ensure clarity among clients who are looking for a trusted source of guidance to support them to during their fitness journey.
The development bodies of individual countries are at liberty to decide if they would like to align with the proposed scope of practice. As the chartered professional development body for the UK sport and physical activity sector, CIMSPA will be aligned with the proposed global scope of practice as we know that we are stronger together.
