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   ozarks   Health Published Monday, April 30, 2007    E-mail this story  (Related) Printer-friendly page  (Related) Subscribe now  (Related)  Shape up with a personal trainer

Susan Atteberry Smith

and Karen E. Culp

Last summer, Jan Griffin was out of shape in more ways than one.

Between working as a mental health therapist and driving her teenage daughters to sports events, the Springfield woman in her mid-50s was getting worn out.

"Physically, I was getting out of shape," she says. "Mentally, I was just tired."

Griffin knew she had to get motivated, so she splurged. Signing on with One on One Bodyworks in Springfield, she began working out with a personal trainer twice a week and attending a group class at the studio once a week. Mollie Crawford, who was working at the studio at the time, worked with Griffin.

Within months, she was slimmed down and sleeping better. A less-stressed Griffin says investing in the services of a personal trainer was worth her money: "This is the one thing I do for myself."

Some associate the idea of a personal trainer with the rich and famous. After all, most celebrities seem to have one. People may also have the idea that losing weight is the main reason to take advantage of the individualized coaching trainers offer.

But both ideas are as out of date as "feeling the burn" after 30 minutes with Jane Fonda on VHS.

"A lot of my clients aren't necessarily overweight," says Crawford, who has been a personal trainer for more than five years. "They work out on their own anyway, but they just want an extra push. People have come to understand that it's not so much the losing weight as getting healthy."

Accountability

The majority of people choose a personal trainer because of "accountability," said Christopher Baker, exercise physiologist at Cox Fitness Center's Meyer Center.

"If you have an appointment and you're paying money for this, chances are you're probably going to go," he said.

Gary King, owner of One on One Bodyworks, said most of the people his company trains are nearing a desperation point.

"This is the last stop," he said. "They've tried the gym membership; they don't go. Or they have a very expensive coat rack at home that looks a lot like a treadmill."

After myriad attempts to diet, exercise and lose weight, they're in need of professional help, King said.

"They've been going up and down (in weight) and it becomes very emotionally distressing," he said.

Other reasons to use a personal trainer include personalized fitness and wellness education and "because it works," King said.

"You're going to get results a little bit faster," Baker said. "A trainer working with you one on one can push you a little bit harder than you might push yourself."

The trainer will have developed a specialized program to achieve what you want to achieve. At One on One, trainers make complete evaluations of their clients based on several measurements — body composition, strength, flexibility and others — and they will also get to know a client's particular concerns.

"We get to know them and we know that they have that little thing in the right knee or problems with their back," King said. "From that point on, we can make decisions about what's best to do for them."

Simply learning how to work out or the best way to exercise are also good reasons to consult a personal trainer. All the machines and equipment can be puzzling and intimidating.

"A lot of people, they just don't know what to do," said personal trainer Tammy Eaton. "They go into gyms and they just feel lost. They don't know how to have a balanced workout. A trainer gives you a more efficient use of your time in the gym."

Having that extra bit of help can also help prevent injury, Eaton said. She refers to a client of hers who was working out with Eaton consistently, then decided to strike out on her own. Not long after, the client injured herself in the gym.

With a trainer, "you know you're doing the correct thing" in the gym, Eaton said.

And there's no need to think you need to already be fit to consult a trainer. King said many people are worried they'll be surrounded by very fit people in a personal trainer's gym or studio, but that isn't the case.

"Most people here are their peers," King said. "Most people here will look like they do."

Finding a trainer

Celebrities may pay thousands of dollars an hour for personal trainers, but the cost is much lower in the Springfield area. King estimates that a trainer will cost between $40 and $70 an hour.

"What we've learned, though, is that you can't get people fit by the hour; you get people fit by the month," King said. "You can make very measurable, significant changes in 90 days, for example."

At One on One, clients can sign up for several weeks' worth of personal training at once. At Cox Fitness Centers, personal-training customers get a break on the cost of training if they sign up for multiple sessions.

Some trainers offer group training sessions, and the cost for those will be lower. Eaton cuts her hourly rate in half for participants in a group.

Group training is still individualized, though.

"I write the workouts for the people and provide them with their own workouts, and during the session I'm just kind of walking around helping them out," Eaton said.

Before laying out any cash for a trainer, though, be sure to check his or her credentials and education, Baker said.

Trainers can hold certifications from a variety of organizations. Eaton counts the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the American College of Sports Medicine as among the most reputable.

"NSCA is a very difficult certification," said Eaton, who is certified through that organization. "There are fewer of those because it's just so hard."

In addition to being certified, Baker recommends that a trainer hold a college degree in exercise science or a related field.

Credentials aren't always a guarantee that a trainer will be right for you, though. Interviewing a prospective trainer might give a better idea of whether you and the person will work well together.

King also advises assessing the trainer's passion for the job.

"Find a trainer that loves what he does and does it for the love of the work rather than for the money," King said.

Eaton said it is also a good idea to talk to trainers' other clients, and look for longevity.

"Retention rate is a big indicator of the quality of the trainer," she said.

Diet comes into play

After having surgery to remove a kidney several years ago, Griffin was finally starting to feel the muscles in her abdomen again after working with Crawford. And she knows that she is two sizes smaller than she used to be because her old clothes have started to fit once more.

Griffin has further proof of her progress, thanks to her personal trainer's initial fitness assessment.

When clients meet Crawford for a workout session, they begin by warming up, often walking on a treadmill for five minutes, then moving on to cardiovascular exercise and weight-training. If Crawford is working with a bodybuilder, though, she creates a different routine for her than she does for a woman still learning to weight-train.

Clients learn how to use exercise equipment to their best advantage.

"As far as lifting goes, it's amazing, when Mollie shows me how, what a difference a small movement makes," Griffin says.

Many trainers also provide nutritional counseling, and all of them agree that changing dietary habits is key to reshaping your body, particularly if you are losing weight.

"I say that 90 percent of your fight to lose weight is diet," Eaton said.

Eaton will make dietary recommendations, or refer clients to nutrition professionals if they need extra help. At One on One, King gives clients nutritional help based on a diet plan he has found most effective.

Most of all, though, people turn to personal trainers for accountability and encouragement — even if they already have gym memberships elsewhere.

"They have that accountability of someone waiting for them," Crawford says, "so it builds that habit of exercise that you need to keep going."

And exercise does so much more for people than just tone their bodies. Living more healthfully enhances all areas of life, King said.

"When people ask me what I do for a living, I don't say I'm a trainer or anything like that. I say, 'I help people be happy,' because that's what it's all about — feeling better. We can change your entire life for the better."

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AUDIO SLIDESHOW:Personal trainer Gary King helps client Enid Schwenke tone her muscles during a recent session at One on One Bodyworks.. (Related)

Personal trainer Gary King helps client Enid Schwenke use dumbbells to tone her muscles during a recent session at One on One Bodyworks.

Steve J.P. Liang / News-Leader

Tammy Eaton, a personal trainer, takes client Wayne Morelock through a workout. "A lot of people, they just don't know what to do," Eaton said. "They go into gyms and they just feel lost. They don't know how to have a balanced workout. A trainer gives you a more efficient use of your time in the gym."

Bob Linder News-Leader

Contact a trainer

Here is contact information for some local personal trainers.

- Czech Us Out, 406 W. Walnut St., 873-9510, czechusout.org

- Tammy Eaton, 1-888-954-7251

- Fit 2 You, 827-1389

- Loa Freeman, 877-9642, successnaturally.com

- One on One Bodyworks, 1550 E. Battleeld Road, 889-1661, oneononebodyworks.com

"You're going to get results a little bit faster. A trainer working with you one on one can push you a little bit harder than you might push yourself."

-- Christopher Baker, Cox exercise physiologist

• At-home workout best for some clients (Related) (04/30/07)