Are you proud of your country? Are you proud to be Maltese? When we’re abroad or meet foreigners, we might cringe when we have to talk about our performance in international football, but our faces light up when people tell us they’ve heard about Tony Drago, the famous Maltese snooker player, or William Chetcuti and our other world-class shooters.

Even if we’ve never watched a snooker game in our lives, or have not the foggiest idea of what goes on in a double-trap competition, we stand a little taller and puff the chest up a little more. Our faces light up even more when the conversation turns to our sunshine and beautiful scenery.

We all love our country and deep down, I’m sure we would all like to be proud of Malta and all it has to offer.

As good as the Maltese perform in shooting contests, however, it would seem we are sometimes equally as good at shooting ourselves in the foot, culturally speaking.

We’ve got some incredible trainers operating on the island, local and foreign, and they’re all good enough to be chosen for the right reasons

When confronted with half-measures, we often laugh them off. “This is Malta,” we say, or, “we are Maltese, this is normal for us”. How many times have you heard this said in the presence and for the benefit of a foreigner?

If we’re really convinced standards are lower here, then it’s a slippery slope down to becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy: standards will sure enough reflect this attitude sooner or later. I don’t know how many sectors are tainted by this syndrome, but unfortunately I can certainly see it alive and well in the local fitness industry.

While taking nothing away from foreign fitness professionals operating in Malta, some of whom are highly respected even internationally, is it right to favour a foreign professional purely on the basis of them being foreign?

If discrimination can be defined as an unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, then it follows that such an attitude is nothing short of discriminatory. It’s easy to appear tolerant by vocally defending groups that are publicly and visibly victimised, but if we’re going to jump on the bandwagon of condemning discrimination, then let there be no more half measures.

Maltese fitness professionals are being discriminated against, sadly, by their own people.

We are capable of reading adverts from fitness providers bearing phrases like ‘highly trained team of foreign trainers’, and not get offended.

On the contrary, not only do we accept it, some of us fall for it, assuming it is a good thing, and reward such organisations with our custom.

Do we really believe in equality of rights and opportunities? Do we really want to beat bias and accept people for what they are really worth? Everyone deserves to be assessed in their own right and achieve opportunities by merit. It might not be fashionable or admirable to condemn discrimination against Maltese professionals, but who knows, if we stamp it out once and for all, perhaps we might accumulate a few more things to hold our heads up high about.

There are some excellent trainers out there offering their services in Malta. Some are better than others, a statement that is true whether they’re Maltese or foreign.

Wherever your trainer comes from, qualifications, experience and personality are just some of the things you might look at when assessing them on their own merits.

Let’s start with qualifications. Fitness industry qualifications are based on agreed international standards. There are a number of awarding bodies that issue qualifications at various levels.

A fitness instructor should hold a European level-3 certificate in fitness instruction (Level 2 if UK-based) and a personal trainer should hold a European level-4 certificate/diploma in personal training (Level 3 if UK-based).

These qualifications are minimal requirements for insurance purposes. However, many trainers choose to pursue additional qualifications to further develop their skills and competences and will be all too happy to explain to you what these are.

Being a member of organisations like the European Register of Exercise Professionals (EREPS), REPS UK or the Malta Exercise Health and Fitness Association (MEHFA), which are currently setting up a local register, is an indication that the qualifications held by fitness professionals conform to industry standards.

Some local trainers obtain their qualifications here in Malta, while some study abroad. Likewise, some foreign trainers obtain their qualifications here, while others do so before they get here.

Ultimately, provided such qualifications are recognised by any of the above organisations, they are essentially conforming to the same standards.

What about experience? Your trainer might publish testimonials by former clients, or you could simply ask if they have assisted other clients with similar goals to yours and, if so, what results they got.

Experienced trainers will be all too happy to talk about their experiences with confidence and pride, even if they don’t involve big names of people or places. A good reputation within the local community takes time and consistency to build and can be easily verified.

Wherever your trainer comes from, ensure they are suitably qualified and experienced to train you and cater for your needs.

And finally, getting along with your trainer is an important foundation, upon which a lasting and effective professional relationship can be built.

Like many of the other factors involved in choosing a trainer, good communication and interpersonal skills go beyond the scope of nationality or race.

We’ve got some incredible trainers operating on the island, local and foreign, and they’re all good enough to be chosen for the right reasons.

matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt