Exercise motivation inventory-2 (EMI-2) template

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Key takeaways

The EMI-2 is a 51-item questionnaire, scored 0 to 5 per item, that measures 14 separate motives for exercising.

Its 14 subscales sit under five themes: psychological, interpersonal, health, body-related and fitness motives.

Scoring averages the items in each subscale, so every client ends up with 14 individual motive scores.

Markland and Ingledew published the instrument in 1997, and Bangor University hosts it free for non-commercial research and clinical use.

Practice management software like Pabau files EMI-2 results in the client record, next to the treatment plan.

The exercise motivation inventory-2 is a validated 51-item questionnaire that measures 14 separate reasons people exercise.

Markland and Ingledew published it in 1997 in the British Journal of Health Psychology. Its 14 subscales sit under five themes: psychological, interpersonal, health, body-related and fitness motives.

This template gives you the full assessment, the scoring key, and guidance on reading a client’s profile. Knowing why a client exercises changes how you prescribe exercise.

The EMI-2 separates motives that tend to sustain a habit, such as enjoyment and revitalization. It scores those apart from motives that tend to fade, such as appearance and health pressures. You can then build a program around the drivers the client already has, instead of the ones you assume they have.

What is the exercise motivation inventory-2 (EMI-2)?

The exercise motivation inventory-2 is a multidimensional questionnaire that identifies and quantifies why someone takes part in physical activity. It contains 51 statements rated on a six-point scale, from 0 (not at all true for me) to 5 (very true for me). The respondent rates each statement, and the answers produce a score on each of the 14 motivational subscales.

Markland and Ingledew built the EMI-2 by revising the original Exercise Motivations Inventory. The revision added motives the first version missed, including enjoyment, challenge and social recognition. The instrument therefore works with people who do not exercise for health reasons at all. That breadth is why it suits behavior-change coaching as well as sports medicine practices.

What the 14 subscales measure

Markland and Ingledew grouped the 14 subscales under five themes. Each subscale is scored separately, so a client can be strongly motivated by several at once. The table below names all 14 and the theme each one belongs to.

No subscale outranks another, and most clients score highly on several at once. A profile weighted toward enjoyment, challenge and revitalization points to motives that usually hold up over months. A profile weighted toward appearance, weight management and health pressures tends to fade once the event passes. Read the shape of the whole profile rather than one peak.

The five themes also make the profile easier to discuss with a client. Two people can both score 4 on ill-health avoidance and still need different programs. One of them also scores 4 on affiliation, and the other scores 0.

How to administer the questionnaire

Administering the EMI-2 takes 5 to 10 minutes, and it works equally well on paper or on screen. Digital administration through physical therapy practice software removes the manual scoring step and files the result straight into the client record.

1. Present the questionnaire. Give the client the 51-item form and one instruction. Rate each statement from 0 (not at all true for me) to 5 (very true for me).
2. Let them answer alone. Clients should complete the form without coaching. Most finish in 5 to 10 minutes, depending on reading pace.
3. Clarify wording only. If a client asks what an item means, stay neutral. Ask what the statement means to them rather than suggesting an answer.
4. Check for missing items. Every item needs a rating. A blank item invalidates the subscale it belongs to, so catch it before the client leaves.
5. File it in the client record. Store the completed form with the rest of the intake assessments, ready for comparison at the next visit.

For research or a formal clinical protocol, keep the conditions consistent. Use a quiet room, the same point in the visit, and no discussion of goals beforehand. The EMI-2 is approved for non-commercial research and clinical use by Bangor University, which hosts the instrument and its translations.

How to score and interpret the results

Scoring turns 51 item ratings into 14 subscale means. By hand it takes 10 to 15 minutes. A digital form scores it the moment the client hits submit.

1. Record the item ratings. Each of the 51 items carries the 0 to 5 value the client gave it. No item is reverse-scored.
2. Group the items by subscale. The scoring key assigns each item to one of the 14 subscales, with three or four items per subscale.
3. Average each subscale. Add the ratings within a subscale and divide by the number of items in it. That gives a mean between 0 and 5.
4. Read the means by theme. Line the 14 means up under their five themes to see whether psychological, interpersonal, health, body-related or fitness motives dominate.
5. Record and interpret. Document the means in the client record. Higher means indicate stronger motives, which is what shapes your counseling and exercise prescription.

The scoring key sits in the downloadable template above. There is no cut-off for high or low motivation. Interpretation is relative to the client’s own profile, and to published norms for the population you work with.

Clinical applications of the EMI-2

The EMI-2 is most useful when the profile changes what you say to the client. Three worked examples show how that plays out.

High appearance, low enjoyment. This client is exercising for a result, not for the session. Keep the aesthetic goal on the table, and add an activity they would keep doing even if the result never arrived.

High positive health, low affiliation. Group classes are the wrong prescription here. Solo routines and a tracker the client can review at home fit the motives on their profile.

Health pressures standing alone. A client whose only high score is health pressures is exercising because someone told them to. Expect adherence to drop, and work on building a second motive before the pressure lifts.

Repeating the assessment is where the instrument pays off. A profile taken at intake and a second one taken three months later show whether a program moved a client toward motives that last. Storing both in the client record keeps that comparison available to whoever sees the client next.

Who is the EMI-2 helpful for?

The EMI-2 suits any practitioner whose plan depends on a client keeping up an exercise habit. It is free for non-commercial research and clinical use.

• Physical therapists and physiotherapists use it to see what will keep a patient doing home exercises between appointments.
• Sports medicine practitioners use it to gauge how an athlete will respond when training stops being enjoyable.
• Mental health clinicians use it to check whether exercise is being driven by wellbeing or by appearance pressure.
• Exercise physiologists and coaches use it to choose activities that match the motives a client already holds.
• Academic researchers use it as a validated outcome measure in studies of exercise behavior.

Benefits of scoring exercise motives

It replaces guesswork with a score. “The patient wants to get fitter” is too vague to plan around. Fourteen subscale means give you specific motives to work with.

It flags adherence risk early. Research on exercise motivation consistently links motives rooted in the activity itself to longer participation. A profile carried entirely by appearance or outside pressure is worth acting on in week one, not month six.

It makes the intervention measurable. Scores before and after a program show whether your counseling shifted the client’s motives. That beats asking them whether they feel more motivated.

It strengthens the record. A stored EMI-2 profile documents why a particular program was chosen for a particular client, which supports the decision if anyone reviews the file later.

How Pabau supports exercise assessment workflows

Handing the EMI-2 out on paper leaves someone to score 51 items afterwards. That costs 10 to 15 minutes per client, and one skipped item quietly invalidates a subscale.

Practice management software like Pabau turns the EMI-2 into a digital intake form. Clients complete it on their own phone before the appointment, and required fields stop half-finished submissions. The answers then land in the client record already scored.

Because the results live in the record rather than a filing cabinet, an intake profile and a three-month profile sit side by side. Pabau’s built-in reporting tools group those scores across your caseload, so you can see which motives track with the clients who stay.

Collect and score exercise assessments digitally

Pabau’s digital forms capture the EMI-2 before the appointment and file the scored result in the client record. Your team stops scoring by hand and starts tracking motive profiles across visits.

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Conclusion

The EMI-2 earns its place when you act on the profile instead of filing it. A client whose top scores are appearance and health pressures needs a different conversation from one who scores highest on enjoyment and challenge.

Administer it twice. One profile tells you where a client starts. A second profile, months later, tells you whether the program you built moved them.

Keep the scores where the next clinician will see them. Book a demo to see how Pabau stores EMI-2 results in the client record and tracks them across visits.

Continue your research

Screening a client before the first session? Physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q) template covers the medical questions to clear before you prescribe exercise.

Building the program those motives point to? Home exercise program template gives you a structure clients can follow between appointments.

Clearing athletes for a season? Sports physical form template collects the history and screening a pre-participation exam needs.

Need a second outcome measure alongside it? QuickDASH outcome measure scores upper-limb function in 11 items.

Deciding where the assessment fits? Physical therapy specialties maps the settings and caseloads each type of practice works with.

Frequently asked questions