Exercise Motivation Inventory-2

What is the Exercise Motivation Inventory-2?

Motivation is the drive behind pursuing goals and aspirations that manifest our desires. Viewing it from this perspective can alter our perception, especially for many individuals. While it's common knowledge that exercise is essential, a question arises: do you truly possess a genuine motivation for physical activity?

Despite knowing why people engage in exercise, the significance of the perceived benefits individuals believe they derive from exercise has been overlooked until now.

The Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) is a comprehensive and valuable self-report questionnaire meticulously crafted to examine individuals' motives and incentives for engaging in exercise and physical activity. It is a revised exercise motivations inventory that covers the original version's problems.

By utilizing the EMI-2, experts gain a profound understanding of the diverse motivations influencing exercise participation, uncovering the multifaceted psychological drivers underpinning the decision-making process when engaging in physical endeavors.

How does it work?

By following these steps, researchers, exercise professionals, and psychologists can effectively utilize this printable Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 template to gain profound insights into the motivations that drive people to participate in various physical activities:

Step 1: Introduce the inventory to clients

Explain to clients that the inventory aims to explore their exercise motives comprehensively, aiding in developing tailored exercise interventions and promoting a deeper understanding of their relationship with physical activity.

Step 2: Provide instructions

Encourage clients to carefully read each statement before selecting the response that best reflects their feelings and motivations.

Step 3: Discuss results with clients

Score your client's responses and review the inventory together. Address participants' concerns or questions about specific items for clarity.

The EMI-2 does not have right or wrong answers; it reflects participants' exercise motivations. Each item is scored individually, and healthcare professionals or researchers can interpret the overall pattern of responses and scores for each motivation category.

Scoring

To calculate the total score, you must add the points for each item based on your client's self-ratings.

The inventory has 14 subscales as well:

• Stress management (items 6, 20, 34, and 46)
• Revitalization (items 3, 17, and 31)
• Enjoyment (items 9, 23, 37, and 48)
• Challenge (items 14, 28, 42, and 51)
• Social recognition (items 5, 19, 33, and 45)
• Affiliation (items 10, 24, 38, and 49)
• Competition (items 12, 26, 40, and 50)
• Health pressures (items 11, 25, and 39)
• Ill-health avoidance (items 2, 16, and 30)
• Positive health (items 7, 21, and 35)
• Weight management (items 1, 15, 29, and 43)
• Appearance (items 4, 18, 32, and 44)
• Strength and endurance (items 8, 22, 36, and 47)
• Nimbleness (items 13, 27, and 41)

To calculate the subscale scores, you must add the total score for all items involved in each one and then divide them by the number of items per subscale.

For example, let's make a mock calculation for social recognition. It has four items. Let's say a client rated themselves 5 for all four items. Their total score is 20. Since social recognition comprises four items, we'll divide that by four. The mean score for this is 5.

There are no score ranges for this. You can approach the subscale scores in a way that helps you determine your client's primary motivations for exercise.

Benefits

Using this EMI-2 template also offers the following benefits:

Reveals each client's exercise motivations

This comprehensive approach covers diverse dimensions, including enjoyment, stress management, competition, and health-related concerns. This can then provide practitioners with profound insights into what drives individuals to embrace physical activity.

Empowers personalized interventions

By identifying participants' dominant motives and unique preferences, professionals can design exercise programs that resonate intimately with individual needs, encouraging lasting motivation and fostering exercise adherence.

Tracks progress

The free Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 empowers practitioners to monitor participants' exercise motivations over time, offering a comprehensive window into their personal exercise journeys and how their motivations evolve/change over time.

Facilitates deeper insights into client exercise motivations

The well-structured inventory is a dynamic platform for individuals to reflect profoundly on their exercise-related desires and feelings, fostering a deeper understanding and establishing stronger bonds between practitioners and those they serve.