THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 11, 1996 TAG: 9611090060
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 219 lines
MADONNA HAS one. So do Oprah and Michael Jordan.
And Joan and Bill Martin.
Uh, who?
The Martins, a fiftysomething couple from Virginia Beach, are among thousands of folks nationwide who've caught on to the decade's biggest trend in fitness: one-on-one exercise sessions designed just for them by personal trainers.
No lines. No looking stupid. No wondering if the triceps are in front of the arm or behind it.
Personal trainers began popping up on the West Coast in the late '80s, when stars like Madonna and former hubby Sean Penn discovered that daily, customized exercise instruction was the way to stay fit and sassy.
No more cookie-cutter routines for Hollywood's finest, who reportedly shell out $125 and up for an hour of personalized aerobicizing, strength training, stretching and more.
As word of this path to perfect pecs and killer abs spread, personal trainers started toting their free weights and other exercise paraphernalia to the homes of the masses.
Nowadays, personal instruction can be had for $20 to $50 an hour, in chi-chi exercise salons and down-and-dirty gyms from L.A. to Hampton Roads.
``Personal fitness training has emerged as the growth segment of the fitness industry in the 1990s,'' according to a recent report by the International Association of Fitness Professionals.
Of the 55,000 personal fitness trainers in the United States, most work in clubs or clients' homes, the association reports.
And a new group of fitness pros is muscling onto the scene, opening private studios where clients can work out in private, in couples or in small groups.
In the realm of personal training, this is about as personal as it gets.
Touting names like Your Personal Trainer and Healthy for Life in Virginia Beach and Contemporary Fitness in Norfolk, these businesses cater to the individual: the overweight, the timid, the athletic, the doctor-referred, the exercise buff who wants to learn more.
Many clients are executives who can afford daily one-on-one training and prefer to leave the planning to a professional.
``Some people look at it as their body-maintenance period,'' says Shelton Groves, part owner and instructor at Your Personal Trainer, on Independence Boulevard. ``They put that portion of their life in our hands.''
Others are as average as the guy on the stairstepper next to you - visiting personal-training centers weekly or monthly for customized fitness and nutrition plans they can take home or to their own health club.
That's what Joan and Bill Martin did.
They already belonged to a traditional gym, where they'd worked out three days a week for several years, mostly on cardiovascular machines. Bill Martin, a retired Norfolk-Southern Corp. executive, was self-training for a climb up Mount Rainier in Washington. Joan Martin, a Norfolk lawyer, wanted to shed a couple of pounds.
Neither loved exercise. So when a co-worker of Joan's told her about personal trainer Shelton Groves, the Martins were not up and running.
``I thought, I don't need anymore exercise in my life,'' Joan Martin says.
Months later, at her co-worker's urgings, the Martins ventured into the second-floor storefront where Groves; his wife, Christina; and their business partner, Michael Oliveri, opened their first of two centers in 1993.
Inside, a pair of mirror-lined workout rooms each includes weight machines, dumbbells, a treadmill, exercycle, stepper, dressing room, shower and office. Clients can watch big-screen TV or work out to a favorite CD.
The center employs 10 full-time and part-time trainers at this location and at another on Great Neck Road.
The Martins, dressed in street clothes, expected a tour that Saturday morning. Instead, they got a workout, some nutrition advice and a new friend in Groves, a former Army staff sergeant and master fitness instructor who retired from the military about three years ago.
``Shelton immediately had us on the machines, and he was talking to us about what we ate, what our goals were,'' Joan Martin says. ``I really got fascinated with his approach.
``I thought, `Exercise might really be fun.' ''
The couple agreed to try personal training for a month. That was two years ago.
They've gone nearly every week since, taking what they learn back to their gym and into their home. ``It just became a part of our life,'' says Joan Martin, 55.
She's lost inches, and has pared the couple's diet of high-fat foods and a preponderance of meats.
Bill Martin, 57, has gained upper-body strength and continues to pursue a love of mountain climbing.
Their typical workout with Groves might include 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise - cycles, steppers or treadmills - upper-body strength training with weights, and abdominals.
Groves knows how to push for that extra repitition, that extra minute when, on their own, the Martins might quit.
One recent Friday, Joan Martin pulls on two stubby black mitts for a brief round of boxing with Groves, a former all-Army champ.
Boxing is aerobic, Groves explains, raising his hands to deflect Joan's blows. He is wearing oversized orange gloves, with bull's eyes on the palms. Those are Joan's targets.
She follows Groves in circles, crouched and knees bent, in a gray T-shirt and navy shorts.
``One, one, one,'' Groves says, directing her punches. ``One, two.''
They box three two-minute rounds. ``Good job. Excellent!'' he says as they finish.
Boxing, Joan Martin says, relieves the day's stress.
Her husband shakes his head and chuckles. ``I still can't believe this - to see her doing that,'' he says.
Such variety helps motivate people, says Groves. So does a trainer's ability to ``get into'' a person's life - learning about their schedules, eating habits, hobbies.
But, ultimately, motivation must come from within.
``Some people have the idea if you go to a personal trainer, it's going to be like a magic wand,'' Groves says. ``You have to be ready for a lifestyle change.''
Chrystal Wynne was ready.
In May, the Virginia Beach wife, mother and administrative assistant for China Harvest, a local missionary group, visited Sherrie Phillips at Healthy for Life on Kempsriver Drive.
Wynne, 39, had gained about 30 pounds in the past few years. She tried exercise, 1,000-calorie diets and a handful of quick fixes.
``I didn't like me,'' says the blue-eyed-blonde.
Phillips, owner and one of five trainers at the center, prescribed twice-a-week sessions in strength training, as well as at-home activities such as walking and bicycling.
Along with a little nutritional advice, the exercise has helped Wynne shed several pounds and inches. She also gained enough strength and confidence to hike the Great Wall on a recent mission trip to China.
``I feel revved up and energetic,'' Wynne says. ``I've got a lot more of a positive outlook now.''
Traditional gyms intimidated her. ``There, you're just a number,'' she says.
That's a common complaint, say Phillips and Groves.
Often people who've joined gyms don't use their memberships because they lack supervision, motivation or both. They become lost in the fitness shuffle and forget their goals, Groves says.
A personal trainer should review your progress. He also should check your medical history before your program begins, test your fitness level, record your measurements, and provide nutritional counseling through a registered dietitian.
But you needn't pay an arm and a leg just because you're strengthening them. Using a trainer as an occasional consultant is one way to make training more affordable.
Trainers also help clients set up home gyms, buy treadmills and other exercise machines, and find other fitness professionals such as nutritionists and physical therapists.
But perhaps the biggest savings is in small-group training for up to four or five people, who share the cost. Pick your own group or ask if your personal-training center has a list.
Wendy and Gus Pirovolos, owners and trainers at Norfolk's Contemporary Fitness, provide small-group personal training and aerobics for $10 a person.
Clients can pay as they go, Wendy Pirovolos says. Often, they build friendships and keep one another motivated.
Affordable personal training is likely to increase, the association of fitness professionals reports, as baby boomers age.
Boomers want more realistic fitness goals, says Healthy for Life's Phillips. ``People are looking at the total body now, not just how good can I look in 30 days.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by L. TODD SPENCER
Shelton Groves of Your Trainer in Virginia Beach uses boxing to help
motivate client Joan Martin. She says the aerobic workout relieves
stress.
Personal trainer Diane Benner of Healthy for Life in Virginia Beach
works one-on-one with a client.
Bill Martin has gained upper-body strength while working with Groves
at Your Personal Trainer. He stays fit to pursue his hobby of
mountain climbing.
Photos by L. TODD SPENCER
Chyrstal Wynne says customized instruction with trainer Janice
Grover at Healthy for Life helped her make lifestyle changes.
Wendy Pirovlos, co-owner of Contemporary Fitness in Norfolk, guides
a client while holding her son 5-month-old Nikolaos.
TIPS ON FINDING A PERSONAL TRAINER
When shopping for a personal trainer, check the Yellow Pages or
local newspapers, or ask family, friends, fitness centers or
physical therapists for referrals.
Personal trainers are not required to hold degrees or to be
certified, but the International Association of Fitness
Professionals suggests using a trainer with a degree or background
in exercise physiology, anatomy and injury prevention OR one who is
certified, OR both. Certification indicates that the trainer has a
basic knowledge of exercise science. Certifications to look for
include the American Council on Exercise and the American College of
Sports Medicine.
The association also recommends asking:
Does the trainer have experience in fitness training? Check
references.
Is the trainer certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first
aid? Does he require a health screening or a doctor's release?
Will the trainer keep a record of your workouts and progress?
Does the trainer have liability insurance, in case you are injured
because of negligence?
Is the trainer within your budget? Is she available when you want to
work out?
Does the trainer ask questions about your lifestyle? She should take
into account your job, hobbies and other activities and
responsibilities. She also should have good listening skills.
Does the trainer help you set realistic goals and help you maintain
a well-rounded lifestyle?
Ask for your workout in writing so you can follow it on your own.
And ask for explanations of the exercises you perform.
Interview several trainers to find one that motivates you and makes
you feel comfortable. by CNB