In The News

Fit for Any Body, Budget

Demand up despite misconceptions, local personal trainers say

(PRESS ENTERPRISE | Monday, April 16, 2007 | By Liz Raftery)

BLOOMSBURG - Demand for personal trainers has quadrupled at Bloom Health & Fitness in the past six years, owner Bob Groshek says.

Despite that, the service still suffers from the perception that it's only for rich people or body builders, according to trainers Vanessa Sterner and Ben Eshelman.

"There's a big misconception about personal training that it's expensive, that (people) can't afford it," said Sterner, 27.

In fact, Groshek said $20 is the average rate for a session with a trainer at Bloom Health & Fitness, although various packages are available.

And as physical fitness becomes increasingly in vogue, it's not just the muscle-bound who are seeking out individualized workout plans to stay in shape.

The 15 or so clients Eshelman has, for instance, include a recovering stroke victim, an 87-year-old woman who lives alone and wants to work on her balance and stability, and a state judo champion who is rehabbing from shoulder and elbow operations.

Research and development

A personal trainer's job is to design workout programs based on clients' specific goals and preferences.

"There's no perfect workout, but there are lots of good workouts for certain people," said Eshelman, 25.

The initial meeting with a trainer is an evaluation session, which involves a health history questionnaire, a stress test, and measurements of heart rate, blood pressure and body fat.

"You just have to assess what they're capable of," said Sterner. "You don't want to scare them off."

Based on that information, trainers create an exercise scheme and work one-on-one with clients to guide them through the activities.

Benefits of personal training

Experts say the advantages of personal training include extra safety and encouragement, as well as having a different routine for every session that is tailored to one's own goals.

"It gives you variety," Sterner said. "It keeps the workouts from being monotonous."

Exercising with a trainer also helps clients stick to a strict regimen and thus achieve their goals faster.

"People naturally would work harder with someone else there pushing them," Eshelman said.

Another benefit is motivation. Eshelman and Sterner say March is typically the beginning of the "fallout period," when clients start to drop like flies. A few give up on their New Year's resolutions at that point, and some find themselves consumed with their children's after-school activities, which pick up in the spring, they say. Others choose to take advantage of warmer temperatures and skip the gym in favor of outdoor activities.

But they say clients who know they have a set appointment with a trainer tend to stick with the program.

Accountability is also a fator. Personal trainers often require their clients to keep a food journal, chronicling what they eat every day. People who do that will think twice about sneaking an extra snack, Sterner says.

"If you eat something, you feel guilty because you have to write it down," she explained. "It keeps you honest."

Forging a career

Sports enthusiasts who don't become professional athletes often go into careers as personal trainers, according to Eshelman and Sterner, who both hold degrees in exercise science.

"You have to enjoy working out," explains Sterner. "You have to enjoy the health club scene."

She and Eshelman each have about two years of experience as trainers and say they've always been interested in athletics and fitness.

Some personal trainers can become certified simply by taking a weekend workshop and passing a test, Eschelman said. But proper certification exam includes a written test and a practical component, such as watching a video and correcting the bad form that it depicts.

"Not only do you have to know the science and anatomy, you also have to know how to handle different situations that may come up," said Eshelman.

Sterner said she is not certified because she just returned in January from a 3½-year stint as a college softball coach in California. She plans to go through the full training rather than a weekend course.

Myth busters

In working with their clients, Eshelman and Sterner said they often find themselves having to dispel myths about health and fitness.

It's difficult to convince people they should eat every three hours and won't gain weight doing so, they say. And a common misconception among female clients is that weightlifting will cause them to get "big and bulky."

Some clients, especially former athletes, push themselves too hard at first, said Eshelman.

"They try to go back and work out as hard as they did before," he said. "You can't do that. You have to ease back into it."

And other clients don't realize that nutrition is just as important as exercise, and are reluctant to change their eating habits even as they strive to shed pounds.

"It's definitely one of the hardest things to ingrain in someone's mind," Sterner said.

"People think that as long as they're coming in to exercise, they're going to lose weight anyway." Eshelman added. "You can do everything under the sun in here. But if you're not eating (correctly), it won't do you any good."

Practicing what they preach

The best part of the job, both agree, is witnessing clients' reactions to their own achievements - whether it be weight loss, conditioning or developing muscle tone.

"(It's also) knowing we kind of had a part in extending somebody's life," Eshelman explained.

But it's equally frustrating when clients don't heed their advice.

"You take the time to sit down with a person and they open up to you about what their goals are," Sterner said. "Two weeks later, they're not even following what you're suggesting."

And some gym-goers are so set in their ways that it's fruitless to try to correct them, both say. It's especially disheartening when new members see current ones using machines incorrectly and then follow their example.

"It kind of creates a snowball effect of bad form," said Sterner."

One of the hardest parts of the job, both agreed, is finding the time and dicipline to stay in shape themselves. But that's also an added benefit.

"You definitely have to practive what you preach, otherwise people aren't going to listen to you," Eshelman said.

Liz Raftery can be reached at 387-1234 ext. 1323 or elizabeth.r@pressenterprise.net.