Kenny Wong, with the Asian Academy for Sports and Fitness Professionals. Photo: AASPF

By Mark Godfrey

Hong Kong native Kenny Wong has done well from China's vanity. As fitness centers and spas spring up around the country, the Asian Academy for Sports & Fitness Professionals (AASFP) he runs is busy.

Its 20-strong sta. in Beijing travelled to 40 mainland cities this year to conduct training programs for the country's budding personal trainers. Established in 2002, 10 years after Wong set up AASFP in Hong Kong, the group's Beijing branch currently offers 30 different training programs, a big jump from the single certification program it offered upon entering the mainland. AASPF claims to certify 80 percent of China's personal trainers.

Are you the only body certifying personal trainers in the Chinese mainland?

No, there's a few others. But we're the only one working with the government here. We work with the China Aerobic Association. The others fly in from the US and Australia a few times a year to do certification programs.

How do you see the demand for personal trainers rising in China?

The number of clubs rose 9.8 percent between 2007 and 2008 while the numbers of members rose by 19.4%. But the number of personal trainers climbed 42%. We expect those figures to rise again this year.

What's driving the numbers?

There's increasing specialization. Whereas in 2002 few people had heard of a personal trainer now there's a lot of specialties, like Pilates. There's also demand for certification in specialist areas, like sports injury, nutrition and fitness club management. The Hong Kong market is more stable but we expect the Chinese mainland to become our number one market.

How long does your typical training program (for personal trainers) take, and what's the cost?

A basic level personal fitness instructor program takes seven days. It costs 4,200 yuan ($ 615.07). The advanced personal fitness trainer program takes four days. We do an annual two-week fitness specialist program. All of the participants are invited.

Who devised your certification programs?

The National Academy of Sports Management in the USA. But we've adapted the programs to Asia. You can't just bring in a program; it has to be adapted to the needs of culture here.