Embodying Industrial Knowledge: An Epistemological Approach to the Formation of Body Knowledge in the Fitness Industry

Abstract

This paper has two objectives: 1) to develop a coherent epistemological approach to clarify the concept of body knowledge and 2) to analyze the role of body knowledge in business-driven fitness environments. The epistemological analysis is built on phenomenological and feminist discussions on embodiment to clarify the power mechanisms and agency behind the profitmaking interests of the fitness industry. I introduce two conceptions of body knowledgebodily knowledge and embodied knowledge-that are on opposite ends of the same continuum.My analysis suggests that there are several reasons why embodied knowledge is fostered while bodily knowledge remains marginal in the fitness industry. The paper concludes that the business-driven work environment equips group fitness instructors with performative skills but offers few opportunities to develop professional judgment agency and expertise.

Zumba Instructor Strategies: Constraining or Liberating for Women Participants?

“…Instructors may be unable to critique participants' technique because they lack the knowledge and skills, as Zumba instructor training does not cover exercise technique. Furthermore, through the standardization of fitness and consequent shift of authority from instructors to the corporate headquarters (Parviainen, 2018), the pre-choreographed content may not allow Zumba instructors time for providing other than general feedback. In contrast, in other group fitness classes, instructors implement their own choreography, have greater control over it, and can modify it as needed (e.g., they can repeat moves for longer than originally planned, creating time for feedback.…”

“…Prior research has explored instructors' work conditions, examining the relation of consumer culture to instructors' professional practice (Fern andez-Balboa & Gonz alez-Calvo, 2018), the impact of occupational regulation on instructors (Lloyd & Payne, 2018), and how instructors develop and use their professional knowledge (De Lyon & Cushion, 2013;Parviainen, 2018). Prior research on how group fitness instructors shape participants' experiences shows that instructors focus on weight rather than health (Hare et al, 2000), are concerned with their own and their clients' outward appearance (Philips & Drummond, 2001), valorize body modification (Dinnerstein & Weitz, 1994), endorse specific and narrow body ideals (Greenleaf et al, 2006), and associate health with appearance (D'Abundo, 2009).…”

“…They would have to be prepared for potential backlash from the Zumba corporation which relies on instructors to represent the brand and maintain the customer base. Furthermore, through standardization, instructors have lost some of their autonomy, thus constraining how they run their classes (Parviainen, 2018). Zumba may not allow much time for the addition of messages explaining how the class format challenges dominant gender, body, and fitness ideals.…”

Frozen Out: Audiences, Affect and Women’s Hockey

“…I indicate this as a perceived barrier constructed by broadcasters that they require to be resolved; the empirical data from this audience research study does not support this as a specific articulation. However, I note a number of scholars examining issues of homophobia in sport such as Davison ( 2009), Stoelting (2011) and Waldron (2016) and acknowledge persistent anti-gay discrimination and heterosexism in men's (Parviainen, 2018) and women's sport (Blinde & Taub, 1992;Cahn, 1994;Griffin, 1998) and will argue below how concerns around sexual orientation become articulated as expressions of femininity.…”

Physiotherapists’ conceptions of movement awareness– A phenomenographic study

“…The phenomenon of movement quality can be described from different perspectives: the first, the biomedical perspective emphasizes a pathological, mechanical dysfunction with quantifiable terms (Tamm, 1993), aiming to normalize movement (Farjoun et al, 2020). The second expressive perspective emphasizes movement improvisation (Parviainen, 2018;Pylvänäinen, 2018). The third stresses the technical approach to increase movements' perfection and repetition (Ketelaar et al, 2001;Stephenson and Stephens, 2018) using tools (Thomas et al, 2001), and the fourth perspective explores the movement experience itself (Ahola, Piirainen, and Skjaerven, 2017;Blaauwendraat, Levy Berg, and Gyllensten, 2017;Olsen et al, 2017).…”