Insurance for Fitness Trainers

Do not fitness train without insurance coverage!

   I live close to downtown. I just bought a new mountain bike. I believe in the basic goodness and honesty of mankind. That being said, do I leave my mountain bike outside without attaching a good lock to it?
Does Hillary trust Bill at the Palace of Erotic Dance?
Does Maria trust Arnie to drive the maid home? 
Does Elin trust Tiger with the cocktail waitress from the local bar? 
It's a short ride from the post where I lean my unlocked bike to the nearest pawnshop.
Goodbye mountain bike!
    Even if you believe that mankind is fair and decent you can still get your butt sued!
 If you Fitness Train then you need liability coverage. Otherwise you are hovering like a fly waiting for the windshield on the freeway. You just may get squashed.

   There is a step-by-step process that Personal Trainer's should follow to protect themselves from legal repercussions. The steps are:

1. Verbal Consultations: Get familiar with the client. Determine goals and objectives. Ask the client about any health concerns.
2. Medical Forms: (In Canada the form is the Par-Q- Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire) This screens the client for possible health concerns. If the client answers 'Yes" to any Par - Q questions, they must be referred to a medical doctor before they can be prescribed any exercise program or perform any active portion of a fitness evaluation..
3. Waiver Form: This is to absolve you of any blame in case of injury or ill health of the client.
4. Fitness Evaluation: Take client's resting heart rate and blood pressure. Determine baseline fitness levels. Abnormally high heart rate or blood pressure can further screen the client. Severe under- performance in the baseline fitness level tests should also raise a red flag.

Even these steps may not be sufficient for total protection. The unexpected things in life can still get loose and wreck havoc:

• The client may hold back information in the verbal consultation.
• The waiver form does not protect the trainer in the instance of negligence.
• The client may have a hidden health issue that evades being noted in the medical form.
• In rare occurrences the active portion of the fitness evaluation can set off a medical emergency such as a heart attack.
•  A Fitness Trainer can guide the clients through a work out using proper technique with safety as a priority. You can minimize risk as best as you can but accidents can still happen!

   Many of the major Fitness Training certifications come with insurance coverage. The National Strength and Conditioning Association certificate even has an insurance policy that has coverage for sexual abuse and molestation. Hopefully none of you are planning to use your power in this way  but also keep in mind that

people can make false accusations! In such a case you are often considered guilty no matter what!

If you work for a fitness center then you may still be required to supply your own coverage. If you are considered to be an employee the fitness center may have you covered under their policy.
Read the insurance policy thoroughly! You may only be insured while you are on the premises. For example if you take the client outside for a run and an injury occurs you may be liable.

Be aware that if you go beyond your scope of practice your liability protection may be null and void!  For example, a Fitness Trainer without specialty training may not be insured to work with special populations.

For those trainers with their own business, further protection comes with incorporating your business.
Once incorporated only the business can be sued, not the personal assets of the Fitness Trainer.
(I'll discuss this more in further blogs.)

A distracted trainer plus a client misstep can spell trouble. A waiver may not
protect for negligence. Liability insurance is a must!

Always be insured!
Don't get sued!
Lock your mountain bike! 

Until next time,..........keep fit!

Little Bobby Strong

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