“Great Teachers Inspire”

Abstract

PURPOSE: Little is known about the motivational effects of exercise videos and exercise video instructors. In face-to-face exercise contexts (e.g., group fitness classes), confidence in the exercise leader's ability to perform key tasks (i.e., proxy efficacy) has been shown to influence exercise intentions and adherence. Within the framework of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this experiment examined sources of proxy efficacy for an exercise video instructor, and the influence of proxy efficacy on exercise motivation. METHODS: 80 female beginner exercisers (Mage = 26.4 ± 7.4) performed a 30 min aerobic exercise bout led by a videotaped fitness instructor. They completed post-exercise measures of proxy efficacy (i.e., confidence in the instructor's instructional and motivational abilities), perceived similarity to the instructor, perceived mastery of the exercise, enjoyment of the bout and intentions to use the exercise video in the future. RESULTS: Consistent with SCT, participants who perceived themselves to be more similar to the instructor in terms of age and physical attractiveness and who reported greater exercise mastery and enjoyment during the bout, also reported greater proxy efficacy (rs range from .19 to .44, p < .05). Greater proxy efficacy was associated with stronger intentions to use the exercise video in the future (r = .37, p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings speak to the importance of identifying characteristics of an exercise video instructor that inspire greater proxy efficacy and that boost exercise motivation among female beginner exercisers.