Are Fitness Trainers at Risk for Sexual Assault ?

There has been an ongoing football drama in the NFL the past few weeks. Antonio Brown, a talented, but volatile pass catcher has been making headlines.

• Brown left the Pittsburgh Steelers under a cloud of on and off field drama. 
• Brown caused controversy by refusing to wear a league mandated helmet.
• He then had a nasty shouting confrontation with the general manager of his team, the Oakland Raiders.. 
• There may have been method to his madness because he then got traded to the New England Patriots, the best football team on the planet.
• The Patriots released him after 1 game due to the sudden revelation of some past sexual harassment and sexual assault cases.

One of the sexual assault complaints was filed in civil court by a former female Fitness Trainer.
https://abc7news.com/sports/antonio-browns-former-trainer-accuses-him-of-rape/5530057/
There are some bizarre elements to these allegations.

• The complainant accused Brown of sexually assaulting her on 2 separate occasions while he was her client.
• He then re-hired her the next year and allegedly raped her again at a training session. 
• It sounds like a 'He said - she said' scenario excepts that Brown sent out some incriminating texts bragging about the incidents.  
• Skeptics may point out that she kept returning to this client.
• Experts opine that victims may continue to associate with the oppressor out of guilt. They often feel partly responsible even though they shouldn't. 

This raises the question, are Fitness Trainers at risk for sexual assault? How often does this happen? I mean to differentiate an actual sexual assault from sexual harassment. Harassment happens all the time, either with flirting or with non incidental touching. Men probably deal with it less frequently and with less intensity. However, you are unlikely to come across any woman Fitness Trainer on the globe who does not have a sordid saga or two about dealing with creepy clients. Most fitness clubs have stringent policies in place to deal with these situations.

   I am interested in focusing more on Fitness Trainers (primarily women) who  train male clients in private studios or during home visits. There is obviously a potential for risk. The Antonio Brown case is the first sexual assault of a Fitness Trainer that that I have heard of of. Statistics on this topic seem rare. (Comments welcome if you have such info) Supposedly, 2 out of 3 sexual assaults go unreported. It is unlikely the fitness world is immune to such abuse!
https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/sexual-harassment-at-the-gym

Fitness Trainers working alone with a client should take extra precautions.

1. Reference checks should be done on a client along with the medical clearance forms. Easier said than done. Few Fitness Trainers can afford to turn away potential paying customers. Reference checks may not reveal a person's dark side.
2. Have an emergency number on speed dial on a cell phone within reach.
3. Alert someone of your whereabouts and the time that you will be there. 
4. If you have a bad feeling about a client, trust your instincts.
5. Keep mentioning your MMA instructor significant other and your uncle with mafia connections. Creeps usually have a cowardly streak.
6. A Fitness Training colleague and mentor of mine provides at-your -home training services as well as training at fitness centers. To quote him "I don’t send female trainers to male client homes. I stopped that about a decade ago after we had some disturbing  experiences. The exception is if the trainer is seeing the wife during the same session." Sometimes avoidance of potential danger is the safest practice.
   
   

If training a client alone -Trust your instincts!

Until Next Time
Little Bobby Strong

Links

www.fitnwell.com
www.hwsafaris.ca

www.rabbitview.com