02 Jan Fit 2 Teach
Best friends and fitness professionals Gillian Grech and Celine Fenech Adami are probably most well known for their no easy-fix approach to health and fitness. Over the years they’ve built a vivid reputation by training hard, living the lifestyle and doing what they preach, but things have not always been plain sailing for the fitness duo.
“It was more than two decades ago,” recalls Gillian, “right in the mighty nineties to be exact,” jumps in Celine, “that’s when health and fitness awareness took the world by storm and when aerobic classes were the in thing all over the world. But, at the time, in Malta, it was mostly about ‘keep fit’ classes because reputable fitness clubs that wanted to offer aerobic classes had no choice but to employ trainers from overseas.”
This was the perfect cue for Celine and Gillian to take the bull by the horns and make things happen.
Though already in their 30s, they decided to roll up their sleeves and get qualified as RSA UK (Royal Society of Arts) studio instructors.
“It wasn’t easy,” explains Celine. “The education we needed was not available in Malta so we had to travel overseas to get it. In addition, fitness is an ever evolving subject; new techniques are discovered every day, so we needed to keep up to date with what was going on in the fitness world.”
“But technology wasn’t what it is today,” cuts in Gillian. “To keep up with the latest techniques and innovations we had to go the traditional way.”
Smiling at the thought of what they had to resort to, Gillian explains how they joined a UK based association called ‘Fitness Professionals’ in order to receive quarterly magazines just to keep themselves up to date with the industry. “That was about as far as we could get,” explains Celine, “but we also attended conventions in the UK or Germany at least once a year.”
Though fully qualified and with enough motivation to power a nation, it was still very difficult for Celine and Gillian to break into the local fitness market. “It was tough,” says Celine, “not only because we were women, but also because we were Maltese. Eventually however, we got their much awaited break.”
Some of the larger fitness clubs in Malta were looking for freelancers for their classes. This meant that at first they wouldn’t have any of the perks and security of being employed but slowly and surely they built a reputation for themselves and whilst we were still pursuing more knowledge and furthering their education, things started to look up.
As life would have it, Gillian and Celine were offered the post of fitness co-ordinators in two of Malta’s biggest and best fitness centres. “We are both still in these positions till today,” recounts Celine nostalgically. “That’s fifteen years,” clarifies Gillian with a grin.
More recently, with the boom in personal training popularity, Celine and Gillian realised that most personal trainers, gym instructors and even coaches were not officially qualified. “We come across many people working in the industry who do not have any formal qualifications,” explains Gillian disappointingly. “In most cases it’s because historically there were no local opportunities, but in other cases it’s because ex-sports men and women assume that they can coach others. This is categorically wrong, because whilst training for a particular sport gives you experience in that sport, and you learn to know your body almost inside out, teaching and coaching others is a different ball game all together.”
“We feel that when this happens it causes an injustice both to those who have studied and bothered to qualify in the proper way, as well as to the public who trust their instructors and are probably completely oblivious to the fact that they are not qualified in the least.”
So, after graduating from a three year University diploma course in Sports and Leisure studies, the duo decided to help others get qualified.
“We started offering courses to help people get the necessary qualifications from abroad, but giving them the opportunity to study in Malta. In 2008 we directed our first level 2 course in exercise to music following the National Vocational Qualification (NCQ) curriculum through Oxford, Cambridge and Royal Society of arts (OCR) UK. We then continued to offer these courses on a yearly basis, as well as level 2 gym instruction and level 3 personal training.”
“It was incredible to find out just how many young people, were yearning to learn and get involved in this industry,” says Celine. “Over the years we have been approached by parents of children who never wanted to study much but felt passionate about fitness. Once these children grew up we were so happy to help them out because even though studying was never their forte, this was something they were determined to do and many of them were successful. This is really rewarding for us.”
“The greatest thing is that thanks to these courses we’ve seen standards in Malta improving. We are also creating a network of instructors who share information, discuss, and openely ask each other for advice, which is really the way forward in anything. The courses include the fitness side of things, as well as modules on health and safety standards and ethics, which unfortunately tend to be seriously lacking.”
But, all these years down the line, with all the advancement in the fitness industry, does the fact that Celien and Gillian are women still work against them ? How does it feel for the male students to learn from two women who are less than half size ?
When Matthew Alex Xuereb, one of Celine’s and Gillian’s ex students, saw the advert in the paper he automatically assumed that the course was more for women than men. “The picture showed an image of a studio full of women,” he explains, “but then when I called to clarify what the course would entail it turned out to be exactly what I wanted, which was not dancing around in a studio to music. If anyone is worried that this course isn’t for them because they are too manly, I say get off your high horse and learn from two of the most experienced in the field.”
According to Nick Borg, another ex student, “the experience was amazing. Not only did I get very well educated on the fitness industry but I also made very good friends. Gillian and Celine made studying and learning fun, something I have always had a problem with, but I looked forward to every lecture and practical session. To be honest when I heard that this course was taught by two women I did thing it was a bit strange, or lets say different, but as soon as we got going I soon realized that their level of professionalism and understanding is uncomparable.”
James Mallia never had issues with being taught by a female, in fact he preferred it because to him gender and body shape do not matter as long as the person is in shape. The instructor does not need to be huge and muscular to be good at teaching.”
Paul Calleja on the other hand questioned the fact that the course was going to be taught by two females. “I have to admit, I did wonder what it would be like, bt then when I read about their years of experience and thier the qualification they were going to prepare me for I decided to go for it. I found that being females they probably have an edge when it comes to empathy. When I had difficulties getting myself prepared for my exams, they offered incredible support which I feel comes more naturally to females.”
Gillian and Celine have ample experience in personal training. Their clients vary from young people wanting to get fit and stronger, to older people of both genders either wanting to lose weight or having to fight a medical or physical condition. “We know first hand that when you embark on such a career it is imperative to keep in mind your responsibility as a trainer and that is the reason why proper qualifications are of the utmost importance. It is absolutely necessary for a trainer to recognise when clients need to be referred to other professionals, like nutritionists, doctors, and physiotherapists. Qualified trainers are taught to collect relevant information from their clients before preparing a structured programme for them. It’s not just about putting someone on a treadmill and cranking up the speed button. There must be a duty of care and the knowledge behind the way the body works and adapts to a training programme as well as knowing how to help clients find a healthy balance and motivate them to make a long term commitment to fitness which could change their life.”
The next internationally recognised fitness courses will start in March 2014. They will be held at Cynergi and Living Well, Hilton. For more information click here
This article was first published in Pink Magazine March 2013
