Self-Determination and Physical Exercise Adherence in the Contexts of Fitness Academies and Personal Training

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the validity of the relations hypothesized by the theory of self-determination in predicting adherence to physical exercise in fitness academy users and subjects following personal training. A total of 588 persons from Pelotas / RS / Brazil (405 gym users and 183 subjects following personal training) completed the Portuguese version of the three questionnaires, i.e. the Perceived Autonomy Support Climate Exercise Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Needs in the Exercise Scale and Behavioral Regulation in the Exercise Questionnaire −2. The results support the factorial structure of the questionnaires used in this sample. There was a significant multivariate effect of context on self-determination for physical exercise training [Wilks’ λ = 0.934, F (10, 576.000) = 4.03, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.01]. The hypothesized structural equation model, which considered the self-determination theory, showed a good fit to the data (S-B χ2 = 234.703; p= .001; df = 52; χ2/df = 4.514; SRMS = .049; NNFI = .906; CFI = .926; RMSEA = .077; RMSEA 90% CI = .067 − .088). However, in the comparative analysis, the perception of autonomy support, relatedness and competence were significantly higher in the context of personal training, while the amotivation and external regulation were significantly higher in the context of fitness academies.

Motives, Motivation and Exercise Behavioral Regulations in CrossFit and Resistance Training Participants

“…CrossFit members perceived greater relationship need satisfaction, while RT participants scored higher perception of autonomy. Autonomy score in the RT participants was as high as previously reported in fitness center users and personal trainer clients (Klain et al, 2015). In comparison to RT, individuals who exercise at a CrossFit facility must perform the specific workout prescribed by the instructor, and at a specific time.…”

“…Previous studies have supported the construct validity of the Portuguese versions of PASECQ, BPNES, and BREQ-3 in Brazil, allowing its use in the subsequent statistical analysis (Cid, Moutao, Leitao, & Alves, 2012;Klain et al, 2015).…”

The Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3) Portuguese-Version: Evidence of Reliability, Validity and Invariance Across Gender

“…The Brazilian version of BREQ3 ( Guedes and Sofiati, 2015 ), whose content of the items in the questionnaire is very close to those of the Portuguese version, used a sample very similar to the one used in the present study, and the original model fit the data. However, it is interesting to note that the Brazilian version of the BREQ2 ( Klaine et al, 2015 ), also validated in a sample of gym exercisers, only adjusted to the data after the elimination of two items (one of intrinsic motivation and one of identified regulation), suggesting inconsistencies in some items. Similar results were found in a recent study carried out with a sample of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia ( Costa et al, 2017 ), who identified problems in the Portuguese version of BREQ-3 structure (i.e., cross-loading between some items of controlled and autonomous motivation, particularly, in introjected and identified regulations), which highlights the need to further develop studies than can improve and refine the use of this scale.…”

A Comparison of Physical Education Students’ Motivation Using Polish and Turkish Versions of the Academic Motivation Scale

“…The strength of intrinsic motivation depends on basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness, but first of all, it depends on autonomy, and, in the areas of widely understood education, intrinsic motivation can be supported or undermined by the teacher. Klain et al (2015) studied the influence of autonomy support induced by the physical educator on the motivational regulation in subjects attending fitness academies as well as following personal training and its impact on adherence to exercise. Comparison of 405 subjects who performed physical exercise in fitness academies and 183 who followed personal training showed that subjects following personal training were more self-determined and more involved in physical exercise.…”