Saudi Gazette report AL-KHOBAR — A number of Saudi female trainers have called on authorities to build local academies to train women who are interested in aerobics, Zumba, yoga, Pilates and strength exercises, Makkah daily reported. Female expatriate trainers are controlling the market due to the shortage in Saudi trainers, said Mona Samman, a trainer. She said: “One of the obstacles facing women who provide training sessions is the high costs of training programs abroad. Not every woman who wants to be a trainer can afford the expenses and tuition fees for foreign academies.” Overseas specialized academies should be invited to organize courses in the Kingdom to spare interested women the high expenses of travel and education, she said. If this is not possible, a local academy should be built to offer such courses. There is a pressing need for highly-qualified female Saudi trainers who can teach gym classes, especially now because girls' schools and colleges are allowed to have physical education classes for their students, she claimed. She said: “As women, we need more places to exercise. “I keep getting a lot of calls from customers who are looking for a trainer and who want to start a weight loss program but I can't meet with them because of the shortage of women's gyms.” Most women are fond of aerobics, kickboxing, cycling as well as strength exercises and the majority of them aim to lose weight, she said. Samman believed that Saudi women should also have other goals such as keeping fit and healthy and building strong resistance against heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis. Nouf Al-Nawais, trainer, agreed that Saudi women need more female trainers to educate them about the right type of exercises and weight reduction programs. A trainer should stay abreast of the latest developments in the fitness world in order to do her job properly, she said. “Saudi trainers have an advantage over expatriates because the former are familiar with the lifestyles of Saudi women and what those women want to achieve from exercises,” she said. She believed that women should do a variety of exercises and not stick to a certain type to facilitate quicker weight reduction and better health. Hadeel Al-Shamrani, trainer, believed that some Saudi women still do not have enough confidence in compatriot trainers and prefer expatriates. “Many women have recently taken up Zumba exercises as their favorite.”
