Abstract:
The following phenomenologically oriented study examines and describes the
relevance and effectiveness of professional development and continuing education
programs for real-world situations of personal trainers. The participants were personal
trainers, facility managers, and persons involved in the accreditation process. Data
collection took place in 3 phases. The first phase consisted of the participants completing
the PUMP Questionnaire, followed by focus groups with personal trainers and interviews
with managers. The study's 3 data sets required reduction via a content analysis by
question, content analysis by existential categories, and further thematic analysis using
the lived relation existential dimension. The discussion contains the salient sites and
issues of disconnect between clients, personal trainers, and facility managers and how
they might affect the personal training experience. The intergenerational disconnect
emphasized between Boomers as clients and Millennials as personal trainers requires
further exploration and dialogue and underscores the need for different approaches to
content and delivery of professional development and continuing education experiences
for personal trainers and managers of fitness facilities.
