It’s the job of personal trainers to whip people into shape,
advise them what to eat and make sure they’re staying healthy
They are athletic coaches, nutritionists, counselors, personal cheerleaders, drill instructors and instruction manuals all rolled into one. They are personal trainers, and they do much more than simply show people how to use gym equipment.
Ricardo Espinosa, personal trainer and owner of Planet
Fitness, Gilroy
“If you’ve got bad form and bad breathing, you’re not getting the full extension with your muscles and you’re not getting the full workout. It’s also important to start right and stay right when you’re working out, because good form prevents injury. That’s my pet peeve: bad form. The reason I got into this business is because I care about people, so even if it’s not my client, if I see someone using a machine wrong, I’ll go correct them.” – Ricardo Espinosa
Anyone who starts working out seriously in a gym should at least take a few training sessions to learn to use the machines properly before continuing on their own, Espinosa said. But, he added, staying with a trainer has plenty of benefits, too.
“Some people can’t work out on their own,” he explained. “They procrastinate, they put it off, they don’t do it. But if they have a trainer, they have an appointment, they know they have to pay for it, so they’ll be there. And I push them, I help them with nutrition – it’s not just about lifting weights. This is how I got started 10 years ago. I started with a trainer.”
As Espinosa talks, he corrects the position of his client’s arms and reminds the client to let all of the air out of his lungs. He’s helping 17-year-old Alex Jacobs build muscle and gain weight. During the past five-and-a-half months, Jacobs has gained 20 pounds, 80 percent of which Espinosa calls “quality muscle.”
“I can tell the difference. My whole family tells me (they see a difference),” Jacobs said, smiling.
At 6 feet 1 inch, Jacobs was considerably underweight at 135 pounds. He has gained weight through regular workouts and by following the protein-laden diet Espinosa has prescribed for him. Jacobs’ goal is to be about 175 pounds within the next year or so.
“Every client is different, and it’s so cool to see clients achieve their goals and feel happy with themselves,” Espinosa said. “You can’t have the same workout or same nutrition for everyone. You have to be aware of who you’re training and get people to what’s good for their body size. You’ve got to be healthy about working out.”
Cathy Huggins, Personal Trainer at Rovella’s Gym & Health Spa, Hollister
“I’m really dedicated to the people I’m working with. You become friends with the people you work with closely for a long time, and you find out the reasons people overeat or the reasons people don’t exercise, so you end up counseling people on how to get over that and lose the weight. You work with people physically, but there’s a lot of mental and emotional things you deal with, too.” – Cathy Huggins
Huggins’ day begins about 8:30am and she works until 7:30 or 8pm, with a one- to two-hour break around 2pm.
“It’s a long day, and being in my position, you have to be a motivator, so you have to be up,” she said. “I train around three people in the morning, and I teach about two classes a day. I have a break in the afternoon, and then I’m training people again in the afternoon and through the evening. It’s a pretty physically exhausting day.”
The people Huggins trains all have different needs and routines. Many have injuries or surgeries they are trying to recover from – particularly back, knee and shoulder injuries, Huggins said. She also trains people who have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure who need help controlling it with exercise, people who generally just want to lose weight, and people who want maintain their already healthy weight.
One of Huggins’ clients, Nanci Pritchard, has trained with her for three years. Pritchard has a back injury, and Huggins has helped her strengthen her back as well as meet other fitness goals. Pritchard works with Huggins two to three times a week and works out on her own the other days.
“(Huggins) has helped me a lot, and she’s made my back so much better,” Pritchard said. “She tells me what areas I’ve been doing a good job working out, and she tells me what I need to focus on more. I love working out with her.”
On average, Huggins sees her clients about twice a week, though some people come more frequently. Most of her clients, like Pritchard, work out on their own on the days they don’t see Huggins, following a routine she has planned for them.
“These people are all working toward something. Everyone has a goal,” Huggins said. “You have to change gears all the time, going from one set of goals to another. You focus on people’s strengths and weaknesses, you work with their personalities. A lot of people don’t think about what we deal with. It’s not an easy job.”
The most frustrating part of the job is monitoring what clients are eating, Huggins said.
“I don’t believe in diets, but I do believe in what I call ‘clean eating,'” she explained. “I’ve done personal training for more than eight years, so I know what people need to eat. They should be eating fresh foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, and not a lot of processed foods.
“You can tell when people are following the plan, and you can tell when they aren’t. It’s hard to watch people not listen to me about eating, and I wish I could go shopping with people and help them make good choices, but I can’t.”
Huggins fits in her own workouts when she can. The classes she teaches throughout the week, including kickboxing and step aerobics, help keep her in good cardiovascular shape. She mostly does her weight training between clients or whenever a client cancels.
Dave Wolfsmith, owner of Wolfpak Training and personal trainer, Morgan Hill
“When people come to me, they know what I’m about. I’m not your typical personal trainer. I’m tough, but it’s because I’m all about my client’s health.” – Dave Wolfsmith
It’s 5:30 in the morning, and people in workout apparel are staggering toward the tennis courts at Live Oak High School. Wolfsmith is there too, sharp, alert and ready to go. He’s been awake and on the go for two hours.
This is what Wolfsmith calls his “conditioning class,” a group that meets three days a week. Most of the people there, however, call it “boot camp.”
Wolfsmith starts the workout with laps around the tennis courts, getting his clients’ heart rates up right away. This dedicated group of 25 sprints, jumps, lunges, completes sit-ups and does something called “belly flop jelly rolls,” which resemble a 1980s dance move called “the worm.”
It becomes clear why clients refer to the training session as boot camp when someone breaks form while holding a timed pose resembling a yoga position. If one person messes up, all of the members have to start their time over again. During another exercise – this one a drill – Wolfsmith orders his clients to sprint to a line, touch it and come back.
He tells them that if he sees that someone does not touch the line, everyone will begin the drill from the beginning. Wolfsmith might be one tough cookie, but in the end, his clients are appreciative.
“I really do enjoy it. I’ve been working out with Dave for four years, and I love it,” said Sandy Bonessa, 65, a boot camp member who also trains with Wolfsmith. “I love lifting weights. I do that about twice a week, and cardio is what I dislike but I work it in. I think my kids think I’m crazy, but I do this to keep healthy and to look the best I can.”
Along with leading the 5:30am session, Wolfsmith is a personal trainer at his health club, he leads a cycling team and he heads up a triathlon team. He also coaches track at Sobrato High School.
If it sounds like a jam-packed day, that’s because it is. Wolfsmith gets up at 3:30am to do his own workout, works through the day, spends time with his family in the evenings, and tries to be in bed around 9pm. Why does he maintain such a hectic pace?
“Being fit and healthy is a way of life, and I think it’s really important to have access to what I do,” Wolfsmith said. “The community had a need for a full-time coach and trainer, and I filled that need. I enjoy what I do, and I like to get people fit.”
Many of the clients who Wolfsmith trains also participate in other programs he heads, such as his triathlon team.
“I really like triathlon as a balanced sport,” he said. “You’ve got swimming, running and biking, so you build those muscles and develop a nice, balanced physique. And it really molds character. A lot of sports are about winning or losing, and it should be about building character and the work that goes into it.”
And Wolfsmith’s clients really do work. When the boot camp participants are visibly tired, he has them do one more repetition. When someone is slumping, he calls that person out by name and corrects the mistake. He even calls out his wife, Julie, who is part of the group.
“Julie, get your butt down,” he says, then turns his attention to the rest of the group. “It’s dark, but I can see you guys. I want you to explode off the line. This is no place for walking. Don’t stop. Go, go, go.”
