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For that personal touch

A personal trainer can help turn your life around. But choose one with caution, says DIVYA KUMAR

PHOTO: S. THANTHONI

ONE-ON-ONE APPROACH Nita Santhosh with one of her clients.

Have you ever joined a gym and never looked at the membership card again? Ever skipped your evening walk for your favourite TV programme? Or given your morning yoga stretches a miss for an extra half-an-hour of sleep? You may want to consider investing in a personal trainer.

"When your personal trainer is at the door, the chances are that you will actually do the work-out," says Dr. Kannan Pugazhendi, sports medicine doctor and director of the Fitness Foundation Academy at the YMCA. Personal trainers are no longer only part of celebrity entourages, and motivation is just one of the reasons why. More and more regular folk — businessmen, IT professionals, students, housewives — are hiring trainers to create a fitness programme that caters to their particular needs.

Fitness needs

The fitness industry in the city has seen a massive boom in the last few years, as people have realised the need for exercise to balance their stressful, sedentary lifestyle. However, with many, this awareness is not accompanied by knowledge, and that can lead to problems. "They often go to a gym and suffer an injury," says Sumeer Kumar, a freelance personal trainer, almost all of whose clients are non-celebrities. "Especially those with health problems like diabetes, arthritis or blood pressure, or those with injuries need guidance and more specific, targeted training."

A good personal trainer will do a health assessment, help you identify your fitness goals and then tailor a daily fitness regimen that best suits your requirements. Even more important, he or she will be on hand to monitor your workout. "When there's someone watching over you, observing every little move or change in posture, it makes a huge difference," says Nita Santosh, a personal trainer to stars and non-celebrities alike. "Technique is crucial and can go a long way towards preventing injury."

Working with a personal trainer can cost you anywhere between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 20,000 per month depending on various factors such as number of sessions, needs of the client and credentials and/or exclusivity of the trainer. While some believe the benefits of good health outweigh the cost of the training, others choose a middle ground. "I often suggest that clients train with me for a month," says Nita. "I try to educate them so that they can then continue on their own."

While personal trainers are available at gyms like Fitness One or Talwalkars, having a trainer come to your home to conduct fitness sessions is the more attractive option. "It can be particularly useful for housewives, and for women who, for cultural reasons, feel uncomfortable about working out in a public gym," says Dr. Pugazhendi. "Today, with a company like BSA providing branded, affordable workout equipment for middle-income families, working out at home in front of your television or while watching your milk boil is a real possibility."

Buyer beware

However, a major concern in India's nascent fitness industry is a lack of standard accreditation and qualifications for fitness professionals, and this is true of personal trainers as well. "There are a lot of self-styled trainers and con men out there," says Shanker Basu, a fitness advisor at Fitness One with certification from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). "Make sure you ask for and check your trainer's certification before you hire."

It is estimated that 80 to 90 per cent of trainers out there — in gyms and among freelancers — are not qualified or certified. Some are former athletes or body-builders who train based on their own experience in fitness over the years. Others have little or no previous experience in physical training, and are drawn to this budding profession because demand is so high, and it has the potential to pay so well.

"We've jumped into the fitness era in an instantaneous manner, and problems are cropping up," says Dr. Pugazhendi. "Interest in training is there, but know-how is less. Sufferers are the people who engage these trainers and I have to step in when there are injuries." For this reason, he plans to do a programme sometime in December this year for personal trainers, teaching them to do assessments, and use a multi-faceted approach to serve the needs of clients, as well as providing long-term support for them online.

Although there are a few new programmes cropping up in Chennai, they don't yet have the level of standardisation or the weight of years of research behind them unlike internationally recognised programmes like ACE, NSCA and ACSM. For this reason, Reebok master-trainer Radha Krishnaswamy and Shanker are launching a company to nurture youngsters interested in the profession by providing them a greater opportunity to gain international certification. "These exams cost a lot and are hard to pass," says Shanker. "We want to encourage the training fraternity to come up by providing tutorials and support."

Fitness is important, and a personal trainer can help turn your life around. But as with any service that you use, keep your eyes open, and evaluate your options before jumping in. Be fit and be safe!

Check it out

What should you look for while choosing a personal trainer? Dr. Kannan Pugazhendi gives you some tips:

Ask for and check their certification and their years of experience

Follow up on references that they provide

Does your trainer ask for and understand your specific requirements?

Does your trainer lay out a plan and provide a time frame for achieving your goals?

Is he or she able to answer your questions on any exercises prescribed, and able to adapt them to your needs?

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