Appendix 8 Guidelines for
SM
A
RT
Facility Membership of Physical Fitness Centres
SM
A
RT
(Adopted and modified from ACSM’s Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines)
This session address the safe and effective operation of the fitness centre
1 Programming
1.1
A facility should provide users with a physical walk-through of the facilities and hand-on instruction on how to use each piece of equipment involved in their
1.2 programs
A facility should provide supervision of all fitness areas during operating hours to provide a safe and motivating environment for physical activity. Supervision refers to a staff member being present on the floor and actively involved in
1.3 monitoring the activities that are occurring to ensure that they are being performed safely and properly.
A facility should prescribe and individualized exercise program only for users who have received preactivity screenings and are cleared to participate in physical activity. After they have completed the appropriate waiver or assumption of risk form, individual who either fail to take a preactivity screening or fail the screening and who do not receive subsequent medical clearance should be provided with a conservative program of light-to-moderate physical activity in
1.4
1.5 accordance with CDC/ACSM guidelines.
A facility should have procedures that ensure that individualized exercise programs are reviewed by the fitness staff on a regular basis and modified if necessary. Any changes in an individualized exercise program should be reviewed with the user involved.
A facility should provide at least one instructor/leader for every 50 or fewer users who are engaged in a physical activity program on the fitness floor.

Appendix 8 Guidelines for
SM
A
RT
Facility Membership of Physical Fitness Centres
1.6
1.7
1.8
A facility should make an effort to offer exercise programs that include the following components and factors:
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Warm-up, conditioning, and cool-down stages
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Cardiovascular, muscular strengthening, and flexibility exercises
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Adherence to the appropriate doses of duration, frequency, and intensity of exercise
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Accommodation for the special needs of each user, including individuals who have physiological limitations or are otherwise challenged physically or emotionally
A facility should provide users with a wide variety of program offerings on the fitness floor, including the following activities
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Personal training (one-on-one instruction and coaching)
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Group exercise orientations
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Circuit-training classes
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Competitive fitness events or fitness-type challenges
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Fitness incentive programs that reward users for participating in individualized fitness or group physical activity programs
As an integral part of their responsibilities as floor supervisors, all staff members should continually educate and motivate users
A facility should provide written descriptions of the fitness programs and services
1.9
1.10
1.11 available to users and should make this information readily available to all users
A facility should have clearly defined systems to continually monitor, evaluate and improve quality. This includes systems for equipment maintenance, channels for receiving complain from clients.
A privacy policy statement regarding confidentiality of data and handling of confidential information (client’s name, contact information, personal or health, medical data) must be in place. Where the facility has computing equipment, there is a policy on privacy for staff and contractors. There are also systems for
2
1.12 proper storage, retrieval and archival of client’s information.
There are systems in place to cover professional indemnity and public liability insurance as required.
Staffing
2.1 A facility should assign staff members who have demonstratable professional competence to work on the fitness floor.

Appendix 8 Guidelines for
SM
A
RT
Facility Membership of Physical Fitness Centres
2.2 A facility should have instructors who are responsible for providing instruction, guidance, and motivation to the users. These instructors should be hired to work in areas that require direct interaction with a facility’s users.
2.3 Individual assigned to these positions should have a minimum of two years of college-level course in a health/fitness-related field or equivalent work experience, have earned a current CPR certification, have completed first-aid training, and should have professional certification from recognized organization in the health/fitness industry.
3 Safety
3.1
A facility should provide a clock and a target heart rate or perceived exertion chart on the fitness floor and should ensure that users are instructed in self-monitoring techniques so they can safely monitor their own levels of exertion.
3.2 A facility should provide signage that clarifies for the user the warning signs and symptoms related to exercise (nausea, dizziness, a pain in the chest, etc.).
3.3 At least one personnel in the facility is familiar with current cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedures (CPR) during opening hours and has access to suitable equipment for its implementation.
3.4
A First Aid Kit meeting the Order of St. John’s requirements is available and visibly located.
3.5
A plan for medical emergencies is in place and there is evidence that it is known to all personnel. The plan includes the time when emergency medical supportive services are initiated or contacted if external assistance is necessary.
3.6 A facility complies with all relevant safety legislations. A health and safety plan is in place. In the plan, authority and accountability for safety activities are clearly defined, guidelines for emergency evacuation, training of staff, plans for regular audits for potential hazards are included. Signs for emergency evacuation and fire extinguishers are available and are located without obstruction. There must be records that demonstrate that fire drills are conducted with sufficient frequency.
4 Facilities and Equipment
4.1 A facility should provide adequate space on the fitness floor for an appropriate amount of cardiovascular-conditioning equipment, resistance-training equipment, and stretching equipment and/or activities.

Appendix 8 Guidelines for
SM
A
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Facility Membership of Physical Fitness Centres
4.2 The design and layout of a facility should provide at least 20 to 40 square feet for each piece of exercise equipment. The exact amount of space occupied by each piece of equipment is determined by the size of each particular piece of equipment and the recommendations of the manufacturer.
4.3 A facility should allow for 20 to 25 square feet of space for each person expected to be using the fitness floor at any one time. (This is not in addition to the space allocation for equipment in 4.2.)
4.4 A facility should provide the following types of floor coverings for the fitness floor area:
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Cardiovascular area: Antistatic carpet treated with antifungal and antibacterial agents
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Resistance-training area: Same as for cardiovascular area, or rubber bases resilient floor
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Stretching area: Nonabsorbent mats or antistatic carpet treated with antifungal and antibacterial agents
4.5 A facility should consider providing a variety of types of equipment for the cardiovascular area, including the treadmills, mechanical stair-climbing machines, bicycle ergometers, computerized cycles, rowing ergometers, upper-body ergometers, and total-body-conditioning machines.
4.6 A facility should arrange the circuit for resistance training in a fashion that allows users to train the largest muscle groups first and then proceed to the smaller muscle groups. All compound movement machines should be placed in circuit before isolated movement machines involving the same muscle(s).
4.7 A facility should consider providing a variety of types of free-weight equipment including a supine bench with safety pins, incline bench with safety pins,
Smith-type machine, supine bench, adjustable incline bench, cable crossover system, pull-up or pull down system, abdominal system, dumbbells, and
Olympics-style bar and plates.
4.8 The facility should have a sound system that provides equal sound distribution to all areas.

Appendix 8 Guidelines for
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A
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Facility Membership of Physical Fitness Centres
4.9 Appropriate temperature, humidity, and air circulation levels should be maintained in the fitness floor area. The following levels are recommended:
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Temperature: 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit
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Humidity: 60 percent or less
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Air circulation: 8-12 exchanges per hour
Air changes should have the appropriate mix of outside and inside air. The mix is usually 10 percent outside air and 90 percent inside air, though a mix of 40 to 60 outside to inside is preferred. The specific ratio of outside air (recirculated air) is usually governed by local engineering codes. These codes should be followed when any air-handling system is installed.
4.10 The fitness floor should have an appropriate level of light. The level of illumination should be at least 50 foot-candles at the floor surface.
4.11 The fitness floor should provide users with access to the entertainment-related media (e.g., television, magazines, and newspapers) while they are exercising.
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